Beyond Standard Inflationary Cosmology
Nick Huggett, Keizo Matsubara, Christian Wüthrich
Abstract
The inflationary scenario is not the only paradigm of early universe cosmology that is consistent with current observations. General criteria are presented that any successful early universe model must satisfy. Various ways, including inflation, are presented that satisfy these conditions. It will then be argued that if nature is described at a fundamental level by superstring theory, a cosmology without an initial spacetime singularity will emerge, and a structure formation scenario that does not include inflation may be realized.
Topics & Concepts
CosmologyInflation (cosmology)Theoretical physicsSuperstring theoryPhysicsSpacetimeInitial singularitySingularityInflationary epochUniverseQuantum cosmologyDe Sitter universeMetric expansion of spaceDark energyMathematical physicsAstronomyMathematicsSupersymmetryQuantum mechanicsQuantum gravityMathematical analysisQuantumCosmology and Gravitation TheoriesBlack Holes and Theoretical PhysicsGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena