Non-Euclidean Newtonian cosmology
John D Barrow
Abstract
Abstract We formulate and solve the problem of Newtonian cosmology under the assumption that the absolute space of Newton is non-Euclidean. In particular, we focus on the negatively-curved hyperbolic space, H 3 . We point out the inequivalence between the curvature term that arises in the Friedmann equation in Newtonian cosmology in Euclidean space and the role of curvature in the H 3 space. We find the generalisation of the inverse-square law and the solutions of the Newtonian cosmology that follow from it. We find the generalisations of the Euclidean Michell ‘black hole’ in H 3 and show that it leads to different maximum force and area results to those we have found in general relativity. We show how to add the counterpart of the cosmological constant to the gravitational potential in H 3 and explore the solutions and asymptotes of the cosmological models that result. We also discuss the problems of introducing compact topologies in Newtonian cosmologies with non-negative spatial curvature.