Related papers: Accelerating Universe in a Big Bounce Model
There is mounting observational evidence that the expansion of our universe is undergoing an acceleration. A dark energy component has usually been invoked as the most feasible mechanism for the acceleration. However, it is desirable to…
The discovery that we live in an accelerating universe changed drastically the paradigm of physics and introduced the concept of \textit{dark energy}. In this work, we present a brief historical description of the main events related to the…
We investigate the possibility of a dark energy component that is scaling with epochs. A phenomenological model is introduced whose energy density depends on the redshift in such a way that a smooth transition among the three dominant…
Braneworld models with variable brane tension $\lambda $ introduce a new degree of freedom that allows for evolving gravitational and cosmological constants, the latter being a natural candidate for dark energy. We consider a thermodynamic…
Gauss-Bonnet-scalar interaction has been found to play a crucial role from the beginning till the late time of cosmological evolution. A cosmological model has been constructed where the Universe starts with exponential expansion but with…
The evolution of the luminosity distance in a contracting universe is studied. It is shown that for quite a lot of natural dynamical evolutions, its behavior is far from trivial and its value can even decrease with an increasing time…
I describe the features and general properties of bouncing models and the evolution of cosmological perturbations on such backgrounds. I will outline possible observational consequences of the existence of a bounce in the primordial…
In these lectures I focus on early universe models which can explain the currently observed structure on large scales. I begin with a survey of inflationary cosmology, the current paradigm for understanding the origin of the universe as we…
Theories with several hundred axion fields have enormous numbers of distinct meta-stable minima. A small fraction of these local minima have vacuum energy compatible with current measurements of dark energy. The potential also contains…
The emergence of the cosmological composition (the reheating era) after the inflationary period is analyzed in the framework of the braneworld models, in which our Universe is a three-brane embedded in a five-dimensional bulk, by assuming…
We explore the dynamics and evolution of the Universe at early and late times, focusing on both dark energy and extended gravity models and their astrophysical and cosmological consequences. Modified theories of gravity not only provide an…
A scenario for a quantum big crunch to big bang transition is proposed. We first clarify the similarities between this transition and the final stages of black hole evaporation. The black hole and the universe are thought of as quantum…
The Universe is modeled as a binary mixture whose constituents are described by a van der Waals fluid and by a dark energy density. The dark energy density is considered either as the quintessence or as the Chaplygin gas. The irreversible…
We investigate what current cosmological data tells us about the cosmological expansion rate in a model independent way. Specifically, we study if the expansion was decelerating at high redshifts and is accelerating now, without referring…
In this work, we revisit the dynamics of pre-inflationary universe with a family of $\alpha-$attractor potentials, in the framework of loop quantum cosmology, in which the big bang singularity is generically resolved purely with quantum…
Brane-world models offer the possibility of explaining the late acceleration of the universe via infra-red modifications to General Relativity, rather than a dark energy field. However, one also expects ultra-violet modifications to General…
It has been proposed that the accelerated expansion of the universe can be explained by the merging of our universe with baby universes, resulting in dark energy with a phantom-like equation of state. However, the evidence in favor of it…
The early cosmic inflation, when taken along with the recent observations that the universe is currently dominated by a low density vacuum energy, leads to at least two potential problems which modern cosmology must address. First, there is…
The phantom dark energy remarkably boosts our prehension of the accelerating Universe. Various models are widely discussed in the phantom Universe without bulk viscosity. From the hydrodynamics' point of view, it is natural to introduce the…
Based on concepts drawn from the ekpyrotic scenario and M-theory, we elaborate our recent proposal of a cyclic model of the Universe. In this model, the Universe undergoes an endless sequence of cosmic epochs which begin with the Universe…