From de Sitter to de Sitter: A non-singular inflationary universe driven by vacuum
Abstract
Description
A semi-classical analysis of vacuum energy in the expanding spacetime suggests that the cosmological term decays with time, with a concomitant matter production. For early times we find, in Planck units, $Λ\approx H^4$, where H is the Hubble parameter. The corresponding cosmological solution has no initial singularity, existing since an infinite past. During an infinitely long period we have a quasi-de Sitter, inflationary universe, with $H \approx 1$. However, at a given time, the expansion undertakes a phase transition, with H and $Λ$ decreasing to nearly zero in a few Planck times, producing a huge amount of radiation. On the other hand, the late-time scenario is similar to the standard model, with the radiation phase followed by a dust era, which tends asymptotically to a de Sitter universe, with vacuum dominating again.
This essay received an "honorable mention" in the 2006 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation
This essay received an "honorable mention" in the 2006 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation