Related papers: Backreaction as an alternative to dark energy and …
In this short note we summarize the arguments against a significant back-reaction of inhomogeneities on the acceleration of the Universe. We also present a quick way to access the importance of back-reaction using the Fourier space…
It is argued that cosmic chronometers yield estimates of the spatially averaged expansion rate even in a universe that is not well described by a global FLRW model - as long as the Universe is statistically homogeneous and isotropic with a…
This thesis is mainly about how to set up and carry out in a physically meaningful way the idea of back-reaction, according to which dark energy could be an effective source. There are, broadly speaking, two distinct approaches. One is…
In this work, I develop an alternative explanation for the acceleration of the cosmic expansion, which seems to be a result of recent high redshift Supernova data. In the current interpretation, this cosmic acceleration is explained by…
Motivated by the observed cosmic matter distribution, we present the following conjecture: due to the formation of voids and opaque structures, the average matter density on the path of the light from the well-observed objects changes from…
Using our recent proposal for defining gauge invariant averages we give a general-covariant formulation of the so-called cosmological "backreaction". Our effective covariant equations allow us to describe in explicitly gauge invariant form…
Recent observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI 2025) indicate a weakening of cosmic acceleration at low redshifts $z < 1$, with effective dark energy equation of state parameters $w_0 > -1$ and $w_a < 0$. We…
The cosmographic approach, which only relies upon the homogeneity and isotropy of the Universe on large scales, has become an essential tool in dealing with an increasing number of theoretical possibilities for explaining the late-time…
Cosmology is built on a relativistic understanding of gravity, where the geometry of the Universe is dynamically determined by matter and energy. In the cosmological concordance model, gravity is described by General Relativity, and it is…
The gravitational field equations on cosmological scales are obtained by averaging the Einstein field equations of general relativity. By assuming spatial homogeneity and isotropy on the largest scales, the local inhomogeneities affect the…
A possible solution to the dark energy problem is that Einstein's theory of general relativity is modified. A suite of models have been proposed that, in general, are unable to predict the correct amount of large scale structure in the…
The observation that accelerated cosmic expansion is dominant since the Mega-parsec cosmic structure became nonlinear seems like an extraordinary coincidence, unless the acceleration is somehow driven by the emergence of the structure. That…
It has been suggested that the accelerated expansion of the Universe is due to backreaction of small scale density perturbations on the large scale spacetime geometry. While evidence against this suggestion has accumulated, it has not yet…
I consider some of the issues we face in trying to understand dark energy. Huge fluctuations in the unknown dark energy equation of state can be hidden in distance data, so I argue that model-independent tests which signal if the…
Cosmic acceleration is explained quantitatively, as an apparent effect due to gravitational energy differences that arise in the decoupling of bound systems from the global expansion of the universe. "Dark energy" is a misidentification of…
For general relativistic spacetimes filled with irrotational `dust' a generalized form of Friedmann's equations for an `effective' expansion factor $a_D (t)$ of inhomogeneous cosmologies is derived. Contrary to the standard Friedmann…
A wide range of large scale observations hint towards possible modifications on the standard cosmological model which is based on a homogeneous and isotropic universe with a small cosmological constant and matter. These observations, also…
Backreaction in the cosmological context is a longstanding problem that is especially important in the present era of precise cosmology. The standard model of a homogeneous background plus density perturbations is most probably…
The evolution of an inhomogeneous universe composed entirely of matter is followed from an early, nearly uniform state until the time when the inhomogeneities have begun to grow large. The particular distribution of matter studied in this…
We study the behavior of large-scale (cosmological) modes of back-reaction effects during inflation. We find that the group of modes which describes the very large-scale fluctuations of energy density during inflation due to back-reaction…