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arXiv · gr-qc/0206085

Cosmology with positive and negative exponential potentials

Imogen P. C. Heard·David Wands
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Abstract

We present a phase-plane analysis of cosmologies containing a scalar field $ϕ$ with an exponential potential $V \propto \exp(-λκϕ)$ where $κ^2 = 8πG$ and $V$ may be positive or negative. We show that power-law kinetic-potential scaling solutions only exist for sufficiently flat ($λ^2<6$) positive potentials or steep ($λ^2>6$) negative potentials. The latter correspond to a class of ever-expanding cosmologies with negative potential. However we show that these expanding solutions with a negative potential are to unstable in the presence of ordinary matter, spatial curvature or anisotropic shear, and generic solutions always recollapse to a singularity. Power-law kinetic-potential scaling solutions are the late-time attractor in a collapsing universe for steep negative potentials (the ekpyrotic scenario) and stable against matter, curvature or shear perturbations. Otherwise kinetic-dominated solutions are the attractor during collapse (the pre big bang scenario) and are only marginally stable with respect to anisotropic shear.

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Imogen P. C. Heard, David Wands. 2002-06-28. Cosmology with positive and negative exponential potentials. https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381%2F19%2F21%2F309

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