Related papers: Program Universe and Recent Cosmological Results
We consider constraints on the Hubble parameter $H_0$ and the matter density parameter $\Omega_{\mathrm{M}}$ from: (i) the age of the Universe based on old stars and stellar populations in the Galactic disc and halo (Cimatti & Moresco…
The idea of an accelerating universe comes almost simultaneously with the determination of Hubble's constant by one of the Hubble Space Telescope Key Projects. The age of the universe dilemma is probably the link between these two issues.…
Thanks to new technology of observations and fresh inputs from particle physics, cosmology has advanced on both observational and theoretical fronts. It is therefore opportune that we take stock of the cosmological situation today and…
We update constraints on cosmic opacity by combining recent SN Type Ia data compilation with the latest measurements of the Hubble expansion at redshifts between 0 and 2. The new constraint on the parameter $\epsilon$ parametrising…
Recent observations of Cepheids in the Virgo cluster have bolstered the evidence that supports a Hubble constant in 70-90 km/s/Mpc range. This evidence, by and large, probes the expansion of the Universe within 100 Mpc. We investigate the…
The anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation contains information about the contents and history of the universe. We report new limits on cosmological parameters derived from the angular power spectrum measured in the first…
Recent observations by the Hubble Space Telescope of Cepheids in the Virgo cluster imply a Hubble Constant $H_0=80\pm17$\ km/sec/Mpc. We attempt to clarify some issues of interpretation of these results for determining the global…
The age of the universe is obtained in a subset of Cardassian models by using WMAP data. Cardassian expansion is a modification to the Friedmann equation that allows the universe to be flat, matter dominated, and accelerating, without a…
The determination of the Hubble constant has been a central goal in observational astrophysics for nearly 100 years. Extraordinary progress has occurred in recent years on two fronts: the cosmic distance ladder measurements at low redshift…
We use some of the recently released observational data to test the viability of two classes of minimally coupled scalar field models of quintessence with exponential potentials for which exact solutions of the Einstein equations are known.…
The following review presents an attempt to discuss various issues of current interest in Observational Cosmology, the selection of which as well as the emphasis given, reflects my own preference and biases. After presenting some…
As the advent of precision cosmology, the Hubble constant ($H_0$) inferred from the Lambda Cold Dark Matter fit to the Cosmic Microwave Background data is increasingly in tension with the measurements from the local distance ladder. To…
A new expression to the total age of the Universe is derived in terms of the average deceleration parameter. This kinematic result holds regardless of the curvature of the universe as well as of the underlying gravity theory. It remains…
Recent observations suggest that Hubble's constant is large, and hence that the Universe appears to be younger than some of its constituents. The traditional escape route, which assumes that the expansion is accelerating, appears to be…
We study the late acceleration of the universe by incorporating bulk viscous matter with the running vacuum. The vacuum energy density varies as the squares of the Hubble parameter ($\rho_{\Lambda}\propto H^2$), and the coefficient of bulk…
A key prediction of cosmological theories for the origin and evolution of structure in the Universe is the existence of a `Doppler peak' in the angular power spectrum of cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuations. We present new results…
For the first time we calculate quantitatively the influence of inhomogeneities on the global expansion factor by averaging the Friedmann equation. In the framework of the relativistic second-order Zel'dovich-approximation scheme for…
The cosmic microwave background (CMB) monopole temperature evolves with the inverse of the cosmological scale factor, independent of many cosmological assumptions. With sufficient sensitivity, real-time cosmological observations could thus…
A general-relativistic theory of cosmology, the dynamical variables of which are those of Hubble's, namely distances and redshifts, is presented. The theory describes the universe as having a three-phase evolution with a decelerating…
The Virgo and Fornax clusters of galaxies play central roles in determining the Hubble constant H_0. A powerful and direct way of establishing distances for elliptical galaxies is to use the luminosities of the brightest red-giant stars…