Related papers: The separate universe problem: 40 years on
The statistical uncertainty in measuring the primordial density perturbations on a given comoving scale is dictated by the number of independent regions of that scale that are accessible to an observer. This number varies with cosmic time…
Primordial black holes are unique probes of cosmology, general relativity, quantum gravity and non standard particle physics. They can be considered as the ultimate particle accelerator in their last (explosive) moments since they are…
We consider a non singular origin for the Universe starting from an Einstein static Universe in the framework of a theory which uses two volume elements $\sqrt{-{g}}d^{4}x$ and $\Phi d^{4}x$, where $\Phi $ is a metric independent density,…
The central idea advocated in this paper is that {forming the black hole horizon is attended with transition from the classical regime of evolution to the quantum one}. We justify the following criterion for discriminating between the…
Universe history in $R^2$-gravity is studied from "beginning" up to the present epoch. It is assumed that initially the curvature scalar $R$ was sufficiently large to induce the proper duration of inflation. Gravitational particle…
If primordial black holes (PBHs) form directly from inhomogeneities in the early Universe, then the number in the mass range $10^5 -10^{12}M_{\odot}$ is severely constrained by upper limits to the $\mu$ distortion in the cosmic microwave…
We analyze observational signatures arising from an epoch in cosmology corresponding to the simple harmonic universe, which consists of positive curvature, a negative cosmological constant, and one or more exotic matter sources with $-1 < w…
We contrast the possibility of inflation starting a) from the universe's inception or b) from an earlier non-inflationary state. Neither case is ideal since a) assumes quantum mechanical reasoning is straightforwardly applicable to the…
The hypothesis is rapidly gaining popularity that the dark energy pervading our universe is extra-repulsive ($-p>\rho$). The density of such a substance(usually called phantom energy) grows with the cosmological expansion and may become…
It is argued that Hawking's `greatest mistake' may not have been a mistake at all. According to the canonical quantum theory of gravity for Friedmann type universes, any time arrows of general nature can only be correlated with that of the…
Our universe appears to have been created not out of nothing but from a strange space-time dust. Quantum geometry (loop quantum gravity) makes it possible to avoid the ominous beginning of our universe with its physically unrealistic (i.e.…
The standard cosmological model, now strongly constrained by direct observation at early epochs, is very successful in describing the structure of the evolved universe on large and intermediate scales. Unfortunately, serious contradictions…
A particle in four dimensions should behave like a classical black hole if the horizon radius is larger than the Compton wavelength or, equivalently, if its degeneracy (measured by entropy in units of the Planck scale) is large. For…
Under four assumptions such that 1) Einstein's theory of gravity is correct, 2) existence of foliation by geodesic slicing, 3) the trace of the extrinsic curvature, $K$, is negative at the present time in observed region, that is, the…
Modern observations based on general relativity indicate that the spatial geometry of the expanding, large-scale Universe is very nearly Euclidean. This basic empirical fact is at the core of the so-called "flatness problem", which is…
The collapse of sufficiently large closed domain wall produced during second order phase transition in the vacuum state of a scalar field can lead to the formation of black hole. The origin of domain walls with appropriate size and energy…
Large extra dimensions have been proposed as a possible solution to the hierarchy problem in physics. One of the suggested models, the RS2 braneworld model, makes a prediction that black holes evaporate by Hawking radiation on a short…
Although the current galaxy models yield calculations consistent with much of the data, many irregularities exist, exceptions have been found to the current models, the $\Lambda$CDM model apparently fails on galaxy scales, dark matter…
Observations indicate that the universe is effectively flat, but they do not rule out a closed universe. The role of positive curvature is negligible at late times, but can be crucial in the early universe. In particular, positive curvature…
In the model where Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) form from large primordial curvature (C) perturbations, i.e., CPBHs, constraints on PBH abundance provide in principle constraints on the primordial curvature power spectrum. This connection…