Isocurvature modes and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations

The measurement of Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations from galaxy surveys is well known to be a robust and powerful tool to constrain dark energy. This method relies on the knowledge of the size of the acoustic horizon at radiation drag derived from Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy measurements. In this paper we quantify the effect of non-standard initial conditions in the form of an isocurvature component on the determination of dark energy parameters from future BAO surveys. In particular, if there is an isocurvature component (at a level still allowed by present data) but it is ignored in the CMB analysis, the sound horizon and cosmological parameters determination is biased, and, as a consequence, future surveys may incorrectly suggest deviations from a cosmological constant. In order to recover an unbiased determination of the sound horizon and dark energy parameters, a component of isocurvature perturbations must be included in the model when analyzing CMB data. Fortunately, doing so does not increase parameter errors significantly.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figure

Can Structure Formation Influence the Cosmological Evolution?

The backreaction of structure formation influences the cosmological evolution equation for the homogenous and isotropic average metric. In a cold dark matter universe this effect leads only to small corrections unless a substantial fraction of matter is located in regions where strong gravitational fields evolve in time. A``cosmic virial theorem'' states that the sum of gravitational and matter pressure vanishes and therefore relates the average kinetic energy to a suitable average of the Newtonian potential. In presence of a scalar ``cosmon'' field mediating quintessence, however, cosmology could be modified if local cosmon fluctuations grow large. We speculate that this may trigger the accelerated expansion of the universe after the formation of structure.Comment: new "cosmic virial theorem",new references,LaTex,11 page

Some FRW Models of Accelerating Universe with Dark Energy

The paper deals with a spatially homogeneous and isotropic FRW space-time filled with perfect fluid and dark energy components. The two sources are assumed to interact minimally, and therefore their energy momentum tensors are conserved separately. A special law of variation for the Hubble parameter proposed by Berman (1983) has been utilized to solve the field equations. The Berman's law yields two explicit forms of the scale factor governing the FRW space-time and constant values of deceleration parameter. The role of dark energy with variable equation of state parameter has been studied in detail in the evolution of FRW universe. It has been found that dark energy dominates the universe at the present epoch, which is consistent with the observations. The physical behavior of the universe is discussed in detail.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Quintessence arising from exponential potentials

We demonstrate how exponential potentials that could arise in the early Universe as a result of Kaluza-Klein type compactifications of string theory, can lead to cosmological solutions which correspond to the currently observed accelerating Universe. The idea is simple, relying solely on the known scaling properties associated with exponential potentials. In particular we show that the existence of stable attractor solutions implies that the results hold for a wide range of coupling constants and initial conditions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, published versio

Interacting Dark Energy in Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz Cosmology

In the usual Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz cosmological models, the scalar field is responsible for dark matter. Using an additional scalar field, Saridakis \cite{sari} has formulated Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz cosmology with an effective dark energy sector. In the paper \cite{sari} the scalar fields do not interact with each other, here we extend this work to the interacting case, where matter scalar field $\phi$ interact with dark energy scalar field $\sigma$. We will show that in contrast with \cite{sari}, where $\sigma$-filed is absent, we can obtain $w_d ^{\rm eff}<-1$, that is we result to an effective dark energy presenting phantom behaviour. This behaviour is pure effect of the interaction.Comment: 10 pages, no figur

Conformal Invariance, Dark Energy, and CMB Non-Gaussianity

In addition to simple scale invariance, a universe dominated by dark energy naturally gives rise to correlation functions possessing full conformal invariance. This is due to the mathematical isomorphism between the conformal group of certain 3 dimensional slices of de Sitter space and the de Sitter isometry group SO(4,1). In the standard homogeneous isotropic cosmological model in which primordial density perturbations are generated during a long vacuum energy dominated de Sitter phase, the embedding of flat spatial sections in de Sitter space induces a conformal invariant perturbation spectrum and definite prediction for the shape of the non-Gaussian CMB bispectrum. In the case in which the density fluctuations are generated instead on the de Sitter horizon, conformal invariance of the horizon embedding implies a different but also quite definite prediction for the angular correlations of CMB non-Gaussianity on the sky. Each of these forms for the bispectrum is intrinsic to the symmetries of de Sitter space and in that sense, independent of specific model assumptions. Each is different from the predictions of single field slow roll inflation models which rely on the breaking of de Sitter invariance. We propose a quantum origin for the CMB fluctuations in the scalar gravitational sector from the conformal anomaly that could give rise to these non-Gaussianities without a slow roll inflaton field, and argue that conformal invariance also leads to the expectation for the relation n_S-1=n_T between the spectral indices of the scalar and tensor power spectrum. Confirmation of this prediction or detection of non-Gaussian correlations in the CMB of one of the bispectral shape functions predicted by conformal invariance can be used both to establish the physical origins of primordial density fluctuations and distinguish between different dynamical models of cosmological vacuum dark energy.Comment: 73 pages, 9 figures. Final Version published in JCAP. New Section 4 added on linearized scalar gravitational potentials; New Section 8 added on gravitational wave tensor perturbations and relation of spectral indices n_T = n_S -1; Table of Contents added; Eqs. (3.14) and (3.15) added to clarify relationship of bispectrum plotted to CMB measurements; Some other minor modification

On exact solutions for quintessential (inflationary) cosmological models with exponential potentials

We first study dark energy models with a minimally-coupled scalar field and exponential potentials, admitting exact solutions for the cosmological equations: actually, it turns out that for this class of potentials the Einstein field equations exhibit alternative Lagrangians, and are completely integrable and separable (i.e. it is possible to integrate the system analytically, at least by quadratures). We analyze such solutions, especially discussing when they are compatible with a late time quintessential expansion of the universe. As a further issue, we discuss how such quintessential scalar fields can be connected to the inflationary phase, building up, for this class of potentials, a quintessential inflationary scenario: actually, it turns out that the transition from inflation toward late-time exponential quintessential tail admits a kination period, which is an indispensable ingredient of this kind of theoretical models. All such considerations have also been done by including radiation into the model.Comment: Revtex4, 10 figure

A Planck-scale axion and SU(2) Yang-Mills dynamics: Present acceleration and the fate of the photon

From the time of CMB decoupling onwards we investigate cosmological evolution subject to a strongly interacting SU(2) gauge theory of Yang-Mills scale $\Lambda\sim 10^{-4}$ eV (masquerading as the $U(1)_{Y}$ factor of the SM at present). The viability of this postulate is discussed in view of cosmological and (astro)particle physics bounds. The gauge theory is coupled to a spatially homogeneous and ultra-light (Planck-scale) axion field. As first pointed out by Frieman et al., such an axion is a viable candidate for quintessence, i.e. dynamical dark energy, being associated with today's cosmological acceleration. A prediction of an upper limit $\Delta t_{m_\gamma=0}$ for the duration of the epoch stretching from the present to the point where the photon starts to be Meissner massive is obtained: $\Delta t_{m_\gamma=0}\sim 2.2$ billion years.Comment: v3: consequences of an error in evolution equation for coupling rectified, only a minimal change in physics results, two refs. adde

Global Fluctuation Spectra in Big Crunch/Big Bang String Vacua

We study Big Crunch/Big Bang cosmologies that correspond to exact world-sheet superconformal field theories of type II strings. The string theory spacetime contains a Big Crunch and a Big Bang cosmology, as well as additional ``whisker'' asymptotic and intermediate regions. Within the context of free string theory, we compute, unambiguously, the scalar fluctuation spectrum in all regions of spacetime. Generically, the Big Crunch fluctuation spectrum is altered while passing through the bounce singularity. The change in the spectrum is characterized by a function $\Delta$, which is momentum and time-dependent. We compute $\Delta$ explicitly and demonstrate that it arises from the whisker regions. The whiskers are also shown to lead to ``entanglement'' entropy in the Big Bang region. Finally, in the Milne orbifold limit of our superconformal vacua, we show that $\Delta\to 1$ and, hence, the fluctuation spectrum is unaltered by the Big Crunch/Big Bang singularity. We comment on, but do not attempt to resolve, subtleties related to gravitational backreaction and light winding modes when interactions are taken into account.Comment: 68 pages, 1 figure; typos correcte

The Covariant Entropy Bound, Brane Cosmology, and the Null Energy Condition

In discussions of Bousso's Covariant Entropy Bound, the Null Energy Condition is always assumed, as a sufficient {\em but not necessary} condition which helps to ensure that the entropy on any lightsheet shall necessarily be finite. The spectacular failure of the Strong Energy Condition in cosmology has, however, led many astrophysicists and cosmologists to consider models of dark energy which violate {\em all} of the energy conditions, and indeed the current data do not completely rule out such models. The NEC also has a questionable status in brane cosmology: it is probably necessary to violate the NEC in the bulk in order to obtain a "self-tuning" theory of the cosmological constant. In order to investigate these proposals, we modify the Karch-Randall model by introducing NEC-violating matter into $AdS_5$ in such a way that the brane cosmological constant relaxes to zero. The entropy on lightsheets remains finite. However, we still find that the spacetime is fundamentally incompatible with the Covariant Entropy Bound machinery, in the sense that it fails the Bousso-Randall consistency condition. We argue that holography probably forbids all {\em cosmological} violations of the NEC, and that holography is in fact the fundamental physical principle underlying the cosmological version of the NEC.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, version 2:corrected and greatly improved discussion of the Bousso-Randall consistency check, references added; version3: more references added, JHEP versio