Related papers: How flat is the Universe?
We test the present expansion of the universe using supernova type Ia data without making any assumptions about the matter and energy content of the universe or about the parameterization of the deceleration parameter. We assume the…
From a fractal perspective, the entropy bound of gravitational systems undergoes changes. Furthermore, in the cosmological setting, the conservation law of a perfect fluid is also altered in such systems, affecting spatial elements like…
In Plasma Physics the concept of the Debye length \lambdaD is defined. This length gives the size of a volume such that from outside it the inside electrical charges, positive and negative, electrically screen each other. Given the enormous…
In some cosmological theories with varying constants there are anthropic reasons why the expansion of the universe must not be too {\it close} to flatness or the cosmological constant too close to zero. Using exact theories which…
The flatness of an accelerating universe model (characterized by a dark energy scalar field $\chi$) is mimicked from a curved model that is filled with, apart from the cold dark matter component, a quintessencelike scalar field $Q$. In this…
Recent improvements in astronomical observations lead to the conclusion that the Hubble constant lies between 60 and 80 Mpc km$^{-1}$ sec$^{-1}$ and the age of the universe between 11 and 14 Gigayears. Taken together with recent…
The age of globular clusters inferred from observations depends sensitively on assumptions such as the initial helium abundance and the mass loss rate. A high helium abundance (e.g., $Y\approx$0.28), as well as an inclusion of helium…
We report the results of a detailed numerical study designed to estimate both the absolute age and the uncertainty in age (with confidence limits) of the oldest globular clusters. Such an estimate is essential if a comparison with the…
We have considered a cosmological model with a cosmological constant of the form $\Lambda=3\alpha\frac{\dot R^2}{R^2}+\bt\frac{\ddot R}{R} \alpha, \bt=\rm const.$ The cosmological constant is found to decrease as $t^{-2}$ and the rate of…
Astrophysical observations indicate that the ``Local Universe" has a relatively lower matter density ($\Omega_0$) than the predictions of the standard inflation cosmology and the large-scale motions of galaxies which provide a mean mass…
Current observational bounds on dark energy depend on assumptions about the curvature of the universe. We present a simple and efficient method for incorporating constraints from CMB anisotropy data, and use it to derive constraints on…
We present an explicit exact solution of Einstein's equations for an inhomogeneous dust universe with cylindrical symmetry. The spacetime is extremely simple but nonetheless it has new surprising features. The universe is ``closed'' in the…
The interpretation of galaxy number counts in terms of cosmological models is fraught with difficulty due to uncertainties in the overall galaxy population (mix of morphological types, luminosity functions etc.) and in the observations…
The problem of time of quantum gravity has been argued to make canonical approaches unsatisfactory. In this article I study how it affects quantum cosmology and reach the same conclusion. The advantage of studying the cosmological case is…
We combine complementary datasets to constrain dark energy. Using standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the observed abundances of primordial nuclides to put constraints on $\Omega_Q$ at temperatures near $T \sim 1MeV$, we find the strong…
In the past 40 years a considerable effort has been focused in determining the age of the Universe at zero redshift using several stellar clocks. In this review I will describe the best theoretical methods to determine the age of the oldest…
The main sequence turnoff luminosity is the best stellar `clock' which can be used to determine the absolute ages of globular clusters. This is due to the fact that it is generally assumed that the luminosity and lifetimes of main sequence…
Using an approximate solution to the $N$-body problem in general relativity, and the \emph{principle of local isotropy at any point}, we construct a cosmological model, with zero curvature, for a universe composed uniquely by collision-less…
Recent observations suggest that the ratio of the total density to the critical density of the universe, $\Omega_0$, is likely to be very close to one, with a significant proportion of this energy being in the form of a dark component with…
In this paper, we have investigated late time acceleration for a spatially flat dust filled Universe in Brans-Dicke theory in the presence of a positive cosmological constant $\Lambda$ . Expressions for Hubble's constant, luminosity…