2 research outputs found
When do colliding bubbles produce an expanding universe?
It is intriguing to consider the possibility that the Big Bang of the
standard (3+1) dimensional cosmology originated from the collision of two
branes within a higher dimensional spacetime, leading to the production of a
large amount of entropy. In this paper we study, subject to certain
well-defined assumptions, under what conditions such a collision leads to an
expanding universe. We assume the absence of novel physics, so that ordinary
(4+1) -dimensional Einstein gravity remains a valid approximation. It is
necessary that the fifth dimension not become degenerate at the moment of
collision. First the case of a symmetric collision of infinitely thin branes
having a hyperbolic or flat spatial geometry is considered. We find that a
symmetric collision results in a collapsing universe on the final brane unless
the pre-existing expansion rate in the bulk just prior to the collision is
sufficiently large in comparison to the momentum transfer in the fifth
dimension. Such prior expansion may either result from negative spatial
curvature or from a positive five-dimensional cosmological constant. The
relevance of these findings to the Colliding Bubble Braneworld Universe
scenario is discussed. Finally, results from a numerical study of colliding
thick-wall branes is presented, which confirm the results of the thin-wall
approximation.Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures. Minor changes and references include