Related papers: Cosmic event horizons and the light-speed limit fo…
We use standard general relativity to illustrate and clarify several common misconceptions about the expansion of the Universe. To show the abundance of these misconceptions we cite numerous misleading, or easily misinterpreted, statements…
It has recently been claimed that the Hubble Sphere represents a previously unknown limit to our view of the universe, with light we detect today coming from a proper distance less than this "Cosmic Horizon" at the present time. By…
This article reviews the properties and limitations associated with the existence of particle, visual, and event horizons in cosmology in general and in inflationary universes in particular, carefully distinguishing them from `Hubble…
The introduction of coordinates representing the points of view of various observers results in the possibility of horizons when acceleration and gravitation are included. A horizon is a surface of possible light beams in a region of space…
In general relativity, a gravitational horizon (more commonly known as the "apparent horizon") is an imaginary surface beyond which all null geodesics recede from the observer. The Universe has an apparent (gravitational) horizon, but…
The cosmological Robertson-Walker metric of general relativity is often said to have the consequences that (1) the recessional velocity $v$ of a galaxy at proper distance $\ell$ obeys the Hubble law $v=H\ell$, and therefore galaxies at…
Suppose an astronomer is equipped with a device capable of detecting emissions -- whether they be electromagnetic, gravitational, or neutrino -- from transient sources distributed throughout the cosmos. Because of source rate density…
The causal limit usually considered in cosmology is the particle horizon, delimiting the possibilities of causal connection in the expanding universe. However it is not a realistic indicator of the effective local limits of important…
Naively applying Hubble's law to a sufficiently distant object gives a receding velocity larger than the speed of light. By discussing a very similar situation in special relativity, we argue that Hubble's law is meaningful only for nearby…
Suppose that advanced civilizations, separated by a cosmological distance and time, wish to maximize their access to cosmic resources by rapidly expanding into the universe. How does the presence of one limit the expansionistic ambitions of…
We embed an object with a singular horizon structure, reminiscent of (but fundamentally different from, except in a limiting case) a black-hole event horizon, in an expanding, spherically symmetric, homogeneous, Universe that has a positive…
We argue that a genuine image of the black hole viewed by a distant observer is not its shadow, but a more compact event horizon image probed by the luminous matter plunging into black hole. The external border of the black hole shadow is…
Recent observations of distant supernovae imply, in defiance of expectations, that the universe growth is accelerating, contrary to what has always been assumed that the expansion is slowing down due to gravity. In this paper a…
Cosmic horizons arise in general relativity in the context of black holes and in certain cosmologies. Classically, regions beyond a horizon are inaccessible to causal observers. However, quantum mechanical correlations may exist across…
Pioneer-10 unexpected anomalous deceleration hurtling through the solar system might have revealed a secret of nature that gravitational information propagating at very high but finite speed rushing to gravitational horizon opens a window…
The recently unveiled deep-field images from the James Webb Space Telescope have renewed interest in what we can and cannot see of the universe. Answering these questions requires understanding the so-called "cosmological horizons" and the…
Event horizons are (generically) not physically observable. In contrast, apparent horizons (and the closely related trapping horizons) are generically physically observable --- in the sense that they can be detected by observers working in…
This paper is the second of two papers devoted to the study of the evolution of the cosmological horizons (particle and event horizons). Specifically, in this paper we consider the extremely general case of an accelerated universe with…
The concept of a horizon known from general relativity describes the loss of causal connection and can be applied to non-gravitational scenarios such as out-of-equilibrium condensed-matter systems in the laboratory. This analogy facilitates…
It is shown that varying speed of light cosmology follows from a string-inspired minimal length uncertainty relation. Due to the reduction of the available phase space volume per quantum mode at short wavelengths, the equation of state of…