Can the universe escape eternal acceleration?
Apr, 2000
7 pages
Published in:
- Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 316 (2000) L41
e-Print:
- astro-ph/0004321 [astro-ph]
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Abstract: (arXiv)
Recent astronomical observations of distant supernovae light-curves suggest that the expansion of the universe has recently begun to accelerate. Acceleration is created by an anti-gravitational repulsive stress, like that produced by a positive cosmological constant, or universal vacuum energy. It creates a rather bleak eschatological picture. An ever-expanding universe's future appears to be increasingly dominated by its constant vacuum energy. A universe doomed to accelerate forever will produce a state of growing uniformity and cosmic loneliness. Structures participating in the cosmological expansion will ultimately leave each others' horizons and information-processing must eventually die out. Here, we examine whether this picture is the only interpretation of the observations. We find that in many well-motivated scenarios the observed spell of vacuum domination is only a transient phenomenon. Soon after acceleration starts, the vacuum energy's anti-gravitational properties are reversed, and a matter-dominated decelerating cosmic expansion resumes. Thus, contrary to general expectations, once an accelerating universe does not mean always an accelerating universe.- astrophysics: acceleration
- vacuum state: energy
- gravitation: antigravitation
- matter: expansion
- numerical calculations: interpretation of experiments
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