Daniele Gregoris

Exact evolution of discrete relativistic cosmological models

We study the effects of inhomogeneities on the evolution of the Universe, by considering a range of cosmological models with discretized matter content. This is done using exact and fully relativistic methods that exploit the symmetries in and about submanifolds of spacetimes that themselves possess no continuous global symmetries. These methods allow us to follow the evolution of our models throughout their entire history, far beyond what has previously been possible. We find that while some space-like curves collapse to anisotropic singularities in finite time, others remain non-singular forever. The resulting picture is of a cosmological spacetime in which some behaviour remains close to Friedmann-like, while other behaviours deviate radically. In particular, we find that large-scale acceleration is possible without any violation of the energy conditions.

The magnetic part of the Weyl tensor, and the expansion of discrete universes

We examine the effect that the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor has on the large-scale expansion of space. This is done within the context of a class of cosmological models that contain regularly arranged discrete masses, rather than a continuous perfect fluid. The natural set of geodesic curves that one should use to consider the cosmological expansion of these models requires the existence of a non-zero magnetic part of the Weyl tensor. We include this object in the evolution equations of these models by performing a Taylor series expansion about a hypersurface where it initially vanishes. At the same cosmological time, measured as a fraction of the age of the universe, we find that the influence of the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor increases as the number of masses in the universe is increased. We also find that the influence of the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor increases with time, relative to the leading-order electric part, so that its contribution to the scale of the universe can reach values of

Friction forces in cosmological models

\sim

On the first G 1 stiff fluid spike solution in General Relativity

∼1%, before the Taylor series approximation starts to break down.

Effects of friction forces on the motion of objects in smoothly matched interior/exterior spacetimes

This thesis addresses the open questions of providing a cosmological model describing an accelerated expanding Universe without violating the energy conditions or a model that contributes to the physical interpretation of the dark energy. The former case is analyzed considering a closed model based on a regular lattice of black holes using the Einstein equation in vacuum. In the latter case I will connect the dark energy to the Shan-Chen equation of state. A comparison between these two proposals is then discussed. As a complementary topic I will discuss the motion of test particles in a general relativistic spacetime undergoing friction effects. This is modeled following the formalism of Poynting-Robertson whose link with the Stokes’ formula is presented. The cases of geodesic and non-geodesic motion are compared and contrasted for Schwarzschild, Tolman, Pant-Sah and Friedman metrics respectively.

Applications of black hole lattices in relativistic cosmology

We investigate the dynamics of test particles undergoing friction forces in a Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) spacetime. The interaction with the background fluid is modeled by introducing a Poynting–Robertson-like friction force in the equations of motion, leading to measurable (at least in principle) deviations of the particle trajectories from geodesic motion. The effect on the peculiar velocities of the particles is investigated for various equations of state of the background fluid and different standard cosmological models. The friction force is found to have major effects on particle motion in closed FRW universes, where it turns the time-asymptotic value (approaching the recollapse) of the peculiar particle velocity from ultra-relativistic (close to light speed) to a co-moving one, i.e., zero peculiar speed. On the other hand, for open or flat universes the effect of the friction is not so significant, because the time-asymptotic peculiar particle speed is largely non-relativistic also in the geodesic case.

Scalar field inflation and Shan-Chen fluid models

In this paper we expand upon our previous work [1] by using the entire family of Bianchi type V stiff fluid solutions as seed solutions of the Stephani transformation. Among the new exact solutions generated, we observe a number of important physical phenomena. The most interesting phenomenon is exact solutions with intersecting spikes. Other interesting phenomena are solutions with saddle states and a close-to-FL epoch.

Piecewise silence in discrete cosmological models

Using the Geroch transformation we obtain the first example of an exact stiff fluid spike solution to the Einstein field equations in a closed form exhibiting a spacelike G 1 group of symmetries (i.e., with a single isometry). This new solution is of Petrov type I and exhibits a spike crossing which persists to the past, which allows us to better understand spike crossings in the context of structure formation.