Related papers: Testing the local-void alternative to dark energy …
Corresponding to the recent observational claims that we are in a local void (an underdense region) on scales of 200 - 300 Mpc, the magnitude-redshift relation in a cosmological model with a local void is investigated. It is already evident…
We explore nonlocally modified models of gravity, inspired by quantum loop corrections, as a mechanism for explaining current cosmic acceleration. These theories enjoy two major advantages: they allow a delayed response to cosmic events,…
The model-independent method of using type Ia supernovae proposed and developed by Daly and Djorgovski (2003, 2004) has been applied to the Riess et al. (2007) supernovae sample. Assuming only a Robertson-Walker metric, we find that the…
The accelerating expansion of the universe is the most surprising cosmological discovery in many decades. In this short review, we briefly summarize theories for the origin of cosmic acceleration and the observational methods being used to…
Based on general considerations rather than model-dependent fits to specific scenarios, we argue that an increase with energy of the positron fraction in cosmic rays, suggested by several experiments at E>~7 GeV, most likely requires a…
Voids have emerged as a novel probe of cosmology and large-scale structure. These regions of extreme underdensity are sensitive to physics beyond the standard model of cosmology, and can potentially be used as a testing ground to constrain…
We study the evolution of linear density perturbations in a large spherical void universe which accounts for the acceleration of the cosmic volume expansion without introducing dark energy. The density contrast of this void is not large…
Cosmic voids are becoming key players in testing the physics of our Universe. Here we concentrate on the abundances and the dynamics of voids as these are among the best candidates to provide information on cosmological parameters. Cai,…
We use the Millennium Simulation, and an abundance-matching framework, to investigate the dynamical behaviour of galaxy pairs embedded in a cosmological context. Our main galaxy-pair sample, selected to have separations under 250 kpc/h,…
Possible explanations of the observed accelerated expansion of the Universe are the introduction of a dark energy component or the modifications of gravity at large distances. A particular difference between these scenarios is the dynamics…
Nowadays, thanks to the improved precision of cosmological data, it has been possible to search for deviation from the general relativity theory with tests on large cosmic scales. Particularly, there is a class of modified gravity theories…
The discovery of the acceleration of the rate of expansion of the Universe fosters new explorations of the behavior of gravitation theories in the cosmological context. Either the GR framework is valid but a cosmic component with a negative…
The standard model of cosmology is dominated - at the present epoch - by dark energy. Its voids are rigid and Newtonian within a relativistic background. The model prevents them from becoming hyperbolic. Observations of rapid velocity flows…
In this paper we review a part of the approaches that have been considered to explain the extraordinary discovery of the late time acceleration of the Universe. We discuss the arguments that have led physicists and astronomers to accept…
Recent measurements of type Ia supernovae as well as other concordant observations suggest that the expansion of our universe is accelerating. A dark energy component has usually been invoked as the most feasible mechanism for the…
We introduce a new proposal for the onset of cosmic acceleration based on mass-varying neutrinos. When massive neutrinos become nonrelativistic, the $Z_2$ symmetry breaks, and the quintessence potential becomes positive from its initially…
Most of the models leading to a current state of cosmic accelerated expansion fail to address the coincidence problem, i.e., that the dark energy density and the energy density of the matter fluid are of the same order precisely today. We…
We review recent attempts to address the cosmological constant problem and the late-time acceleration of the Universe based on braneworld models. In braneworld models, the way in which the vacuum energy gravitates in the 4D spacetime is…
Recently we proposed that the acceleration of the Universe could be due to gravity leaking to extra dimensions. This scenario gives an alternative to the cosmological constant or quintessence. In [astro-ph/0106274] the authors claimed that…
If we assume that we live in the center of a spherical inhomogeneous universe, we can explain the apparent accelerating expansion of the universe without introducing the unknown dark energy or modifying gravitational theory. Direct…