Related papers: Entropy and initial conditions in cosmology
Entropic cosmology assumes several forms of entropy on the horizon of the universe, where the entropy can be considered to behave as if it were related to the exchange (the transfer) of energy. To discuss this exchangeability, the…
What can be measured by an observer in our universe? We address this question by constructing an algebra of gravitationally-dressed observables accessible to a comoving observer in FLRW spacetimes that are asymptotically de Sitter in the…
In this work, we review the results of Refs [1]-[5] dedicated to the description of the early Universe cosmology induced by quantum and thermal effects in superstring theories. The present evolution of the Universe is described very…
A very simplified model of the Universe is considered in order to propose an alternative approach to the irreversible evolution of the Universe at very early times. The entropy generation at the quantum stage can be thought as a consequence…
There is a paradox in the standard model of cosmology. How can matter in the early universe have been in thermal equilibrium, indicating maximum entropy, but the initial state also have been low entropy (the "past hypothesis"), so as to…
Cosmology has come a long way from being based on a small number of observations to being a data-driven precision science. We discuss the questions "What is observable?", "What in the Universe is knowable?" and "What are the fundamental…
In previous work, we showed that the answer to the question posed in the title cannot be found within an equilibrium setting. The inclusion of {\em dynamical} backreaction effects from massive long wavelength modes on the initial DeSitter…
The mystery of the cosmological constant is probably the most pressing obstacle to significantly improving the models of elementary particle physics derived from string theory. The problem arises because in the standard framework of low…
The cosmological constant problem can be understood as the failure of the decoupling principle behind effective field theory, so that some quantities in the low-energy theory are extremely sensitive to the high-energy properties. While this…
In this letter we explore the foundations of entropic cosmology and highlight some important flaws which have emerged and adopted in the recent literature. We argue that, when applying entropy and temperature on the cosmological horizon by…
String gas cosmology is a string theory-based approach to early universe cosmology which is based on making use of robust features of string theory such as the existence of new states and new symmetries. A first goal of string gas cosmology…
The old cosmological constant problem is to understand why the vacuum energy is so small; the new problem is to understand why it is comparable to the present mass density. Several approaches to these problems are reviewed. Quintessence…
Model independent arguments following from the Covariant Entropy Principle imply that causal diamonds in the very early universe were entirely filled with a single equilibrated system with finite entropy. A universe where this condition…
Phenomenological arrows of time can be traced to a past low-entropy state. Does this imply the universe was in an improbable state in the past? I suggest a different possibility: past low-entropy depends on the coarse-graining implicit in…
The author proposed in his previous papers in 2001 that the problem of the cosmological constant could be resolved and its calculated value agrees excellently with the observations by assuming that the space-time itself, as the phase of…
The cosmological constant $\Lambda$ can be achieved as the result of entangled and statistically correlated minisuperspace cosmological states, built up by using a minimal choice of observable quantities, i.e. $\Omega_{m}$ and $\Omega_{k}$,…
According to the inflationary scenario of cosmology, all structure in the Universe can be traced back to primordial fluctuations during an accelerated (inflationary) phase of the very early Universe. A conceptual problem arises due to the…
Understanding the evolution of entropy in the universe is a fundamental aspect of cosmology. This paper investigates the evolution of entropy in a spatially flat $K=0$ universe, focusing on the contributions of matter, radiation, and dark…
I examine some recent findings in cosmology and their potential implications for the emergence of life in the universe. In particular, I discuss the requirements for carbon-based life, anthropic considerations with respect to the nature of…
This is a short account, based on a talk given at the 2024 Moriond Cosmology Conference, of where and why string theory matters in early universe cosmology. It is written for a cosmology audience predisposed to be at best sceptical, and at…