arXiv subjects

Varun Sahni

Publications and source records attributed to Varun Sahni.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

The Shape and Size distribution of HII Regions near the percolation transition

Using Shapefinders, which are ratios of Minkowski functionals, we study the morphology of neutral hydrogen (HI) density fields, simulated using semi-numerical technique (inside-out), at various stages of reionization. Accompanying the Shapefinders, we also employ the 'largest cluster statistic' (LCS), originally proposed in Klypin and Shandarin (1993), to study the percolation in both neutral and ionized hydrogen. We find that the largest ionized region is percolating below the neutral fraction $x_{HI} \lesssim 0.728$ (or equivalently $z \lesssim 9$). The study of Shapefinders reveals that the largest ionized region starts to become highly filamentary with non-trivial topology near the percolation transition. During the percolation transition, the first two Shapefinders - 'thickness' ($T$) and 'breadth' ($B$) - of the largest ionized region do not vary much, while the third Shapefinder - 'length' ($L$) - abruptly increases. Consequently, the largest ionized region tends to be highly filamentary and topologically quite complex. The product of the first two Shapefinders, $T\times B$, provides a measure of the 'cross-section' of a filament-like ionized region. We find that, near percolation, the value of $T\times B$ for the largest ionized region remains stable at $\sim 7$ Mpc$^2$ (in comoving scale) while its length increases with time. Interestingly all large ionized regions have similar cross-sections. However their length shows a power-law dependence on their volume, $L\propto V^{0.72}$, at the onset of percolation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Versatile parametrization of the perturbation growth rate on the phantom brane

We derive an analytical expression for the growth rate of matter density perturbations on the phantom brane (which is the normal branch of the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati model). This model is characterized by a phantomlike effective equation of state for dark energy at the present epoch. It agrees very well with observations. We demonstrate that the traditional parametrization $f=Ω_m^γ$ with a quasiconstant growth index $γ$ is not successful in this case. Based on a power series expansion at large redshifts, we propose a different parametrization for this model: $f=Ω_m^γ\left(1+\frac{b}{\ell H}\right)^β$, where $β$ and $b$ are constants. Our numerical simulations demonstrate that this new parametrization describes the growth rate with great accuracy - the maximum error being $\leq 0.1\%$ for parameter values consistent with observations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

New tracker models of dark energy

We describe a new class of dark energy (DE) models which behave like cosmological trackers at early times. These models are based on the $α$-attractor set of potentials, originally discussed in the context of inflation. The new models allow the current acceleration of the universe to be reached from a wide class of initial conditions. Prominent examples of this class of models are the potentials $\cothφ$ and $\coshφ$. A remarkable feature of this new class of models is that they lead to large enough negative values of the equation of state at the present epoch, consistent with the observations of accelerated expansion of the universe, from a very large initial basin of attraction. They therefore avoid the fine tuning problem which afflicts many models of DE.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Emulating $Λ$CDM-like expansion on the Phantom brane

In [Schmidt PRD 80 123003 (2009)], the author suggested that dynamical dark energy (DDE) propagating on the phantom brane could mimick $Λ$CDM. Schmidt went on to derive a phenomenological expression for $ρ_{\rm DE}$ which could achieve this. We demonstrate that while Schmidt's central premise is correct, the expression for $ρ_{\rm DE}$ derived in Schmidt (2009) is flawed. We derive the correct expression for $ρ_{\rm DE}$ which leads to $Λ$CDM-like expansion on the phantom brane. We also show that DDE on the brane can be associated with a Quintessence field and derive a closed form expression for its potential $V(ϕ)$. Interestingly the $α$-attractor based potential $V(ϕ) \propto \coth^2{λϕ}$ makes braneworld expansion resemble $Λ$CDM. However the two models can easily be distinguished on the basis of density perturbations which grow at different rates on the braneworld and in $Λ$CDM.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Unifying Dark Matter and Dark Energy with non-Canonical Scalars

Non-canonical scalar fields with the Lagrangian ${\cal L} = X^α- V(ϕ)$, possess the attractive property that the speed of sound, $c_s^{2} = (2\,α- 1)^{-1}$, can be exceedingly small for large values of $α$. This allows a non-canonical field to cluster and behave like warm/cold dark matter on small scales. We demonstrate that simple potentials including $V = V_0\coth^2ϕ$ and a Starobinsky-type potential can unify dark matter and dark energy. Cascading dark energy, in which the potential cascades to lower values in a series of discrete steps, can also work as a unified model. In all of these models the kinetic term $X^α$ plays the role of dark matter, while the potential term $V(ϕ)$ plays the role of dark energy.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Metastable Dark Energy with Radioactive-like Decay

We propose a new class of metastable dark energy (DE) phenomenological models in which the DE decay rate does not depend on external parameters such as the scale factor or the curvature of the Universe. Instead, the DE decay rate is assumed to be a constant depending only on intrinsic properties of DE and the type of a decay channel, similar to case of the radioactive decay of unstable particles and nuclei. As a consequence, the DE energy density becomes a function of the proper time elapsed since its formation, presumably in the very early Universe. Such a natural type of DE decay can profoundly affect the expansion history of the Universe and its age. Metastable DE can decay in three distinct ways: (i) exponentially, (ii) into dark matter, (iii) into dark radiation. Testing metastable DE models with observational data we find that the decay half-life must be many times larger than the age of the Universe. Models in which dark energy decays into dark matter lead to lower values of the Hubble parameter at large redshifts relative to $Λ$CDM. Consequently these models provide a better fit to cosmological BAO data (especially data from from high redshift quasars) than concordance ($Λ$CDM) cosmology.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Sourcing Dark Matter and Dark Energy from $α$-attractors

Recently, Kallosh and Linde have drawn attention to a new family of superconformal inflationary potentials, subsequently called $α$-attractors. The $α$-attractor family can interpolate between a large class of inflationary models. It also has an important theoretical underpinning within the framework of supergravity. We demonstrate that the $α$-attractors have an even wider appeal since they may describe dark matter and perhaps even dark energy. The dark matter associated with the $α$-attractors, which we call $α$-dark matter ($α$DM), shares many of the attractive features of fuzzy dark matter, with $V(φ) = \frac{1}{2}m^2φ^2$, while having none of its drawbacks. Like fuzzy dark matter, $α$DM can have a large Jeans length which could resolve the cusp-core and substructure problems faced by standard cold dark matter. $α$DM also has an appealing tracker property which enables it to converge to the late-time dark matter asymptote, $\langle w\rangle \simeq 0$, from a wide range of initial conditions. It thus avoids the enormous fine-tuning problems faced by the $m^2φ^2$ potential in describing dark matter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Constraining the Cosmology of the Phantom Brane using Distance Measures

The phantom brane has several important distinctive features: (i) Its equation of state is phantom-like, but there is no future `big rip' singularity, (ii) the effective cosmological constant on the brane is dynamically screened, because of which the expansion rate is {\em smaller} than that in $Λ$CDM at high redshifts. In this paper, we constrain the Phantom braneworld using distance measures such as Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), and the compressed Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data. We find that the simplest braneworld models provide a good fit to the data. For instance, BAO +SNeIa data can be accommodated by the braneworld for a large region in parameter space $0 < Ω_l < 0.3$ at $1σ$. The Hubble parameter can be as high as $H_0 < 78$ km/s/Mpc, and the effective equation of state at present can show phantom-like behaviour with $w_0 < -1.2$ at $1σ$. We note a correlation between $H_0$ and $w_0$, with higher values of $H_0$ leading to a lower, and more phantom-like, value of $w_0$. Inclusion of CMB data provides tighter constraints $Ω_l < 0.1$. (Here $Ω_l$ encodes the ratio of the five and four dimensional Planck mass.) The Hubble parameter in this case is more tightly constrained to $H_0 < 71$ km/s/Mpc, and the effective equation of state to $w_0 < -1.1$. Interestingly, we find that the universe is allowed be closed or open, with $-0.5 < Ω_κ < 0.5$, even on including the compressed CMB data. There appears to be some tension in the low and high $z$ BAO data which may either be resolved by future data, or act as a pointer to interesting new cosmology.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Cosmological perturbations on the Phantom brane

We obtain a closed system of equations for scalar perturbations in a multi-component braneworld. Our braneworld possesses a phantom-like equation of state at late times, $w_{\rm eff} < -1$, but no big-rip future singularity. In addition to matter and radiation, the braneworld possesses a new effective degree of freedom - the 'Weyl fluid' or 'dark radiation'. Setting initial conditions on super-Hubble spatial scales at the epoch of radiation domination, we evolve perturbations of radiation, pressureless matter and the Weyl fluid until the present epoch. We observe a gradual decrease in the amplitude of the Weyl-fluid perturbations after Hubble-radius crossing, which results in a negligible effect of the Weyl fluid on the evolution of matter perturbations on spatial scales relevant for structure formation. Consequently, the quasi-static approximation of Koyama and Maartens provides a good fit to the exact results during the matter-dominated epoch. We find that the late-time growth of density perturbations on the brane proceeds at a faster rate than in $Λ$CDM. Additionally, the gravitational potentials $Φ$ and $Ψ$ evolve differently on the brane than in $Λ$CDM, for which $Φ= Ψ$. On the brane, by contrast, the ratio $Φ/Ψ$ exceeds unity during the late matter-dominated epoch ($z \lesssim 50$). These features emerge as "smoking gun" tests of phantom brane cosmology and allow predictions of this scenario to be tested against observations of galaxy clustering and large-scale structure.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

A new recipe for $Λ$CDM

It is well known that a canonical scalar field is able to describe either dark matter or dark energy but not both. We demonstrate that a non-canonical scalar field can describe both dark matter and dark energy within a unified setting. We consider the simplest extension of the canonical Lagrangian ${\cal L} \propto X^α- V(ϕ)$ where $α\geq 1$ and $V$ is a sufficiently flat potential. In this case the kinetic term in the Lagrangian behaves just like a perfect fluid, whereas the potential term mimicks the cosmological constant. For very large values, $α\gg 1$, the equation of state of the kinetic term drops to zero and the expansion rate of the universe mimicks $Λ$CDM. The velocity of sound in this model, and the associated gravitational clustering, is sensitive to the value of $α$. For very large values of $α$ the clustering properties of our model resemble those of cold dark matter (CDM). But for smaller values of $α$, gravitational clustering on small scales is suppressed, and our model has properties resembling those of warm dark matter (WDM). Therefore our non-canonical model has an interesting new property: while the background universe expands like $Λ$CDM, its clustering properties can resemble those of either cold or warm dark matter.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Arrow of time in dissipationless cosmology

It is generally believed that a cosmological arrow of time must be associated with entropy production. Indeed, in his seminal work on cyclic cosmology, Tolman introduced a viscous fluid in order to make successive expansion/contraction cycles larger than previous ones, thereby generating an arrow of time. However, as we demonstrate in this letter, the production of entropy is not the only means by which a cosmological arrow of time may emerge. Remarkably, systems which are dissipationless may nevertheless demonstrate a preferred direction of time provided they possess attractors. An example of a system with well defined attractors is scalar-field driven cosmology. In this case, for a wide class of potentials (especially those responsible for inflation), the attractor equation of state during expansion can have the form $p \simeq -ρ$, and during contraction $p \simeq ρ$. If the resulting cosmology is cyclic, then the presence of cosmological hysteresis, $\oint p~dV \neq 0$ during successive cycles, causes an arrow of time to emerge in a system which is formally dissipationless. An important analogy is drawn between the arrow of time in cyclic cosmology and an arrow of time in an $N$-body system of gravitationally interacting particles. We find that, like the $N$-body system, a cyclic universe can evolve from a single past into two futures with oppositely directed arrows of time.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Can a variable gravitational constant resolve the Faint Young Sun Paradox ?

Solar models suggest that four billion years ago the young Sun was about 25% fainter than it is today, rendering Earth's oceans frozen and lifeless. However, there is ample geophysical evidence that Earth had a liquid ocean teeming with life 4 Gyr ago. Since ${\cal L_\odot} \propto G^7M_\odot^5$, the Sun's luminosity ${\cal L_\odot}$ is exceedingly sensitive to small changes in the gravitational constant $G$. We show that a percent-level increase in $G$ in the past would have prevented Earth's oceans from freezing, resolving the faint young Sun paradox. Such small changes in $G$ are consistent with observational bounds on ${ΔG}/G$. Since ${\cal L}_{\rm SNIa} \propto G^{-3/2}$, an increase in $G$ leads to fainter supernovae, creating tension between standard candle and standard ruler probes of dark energy. Precisely such a tension has recently been reported by the Planck team.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Model independent evidence for dark energy evolution from Baryon Acoustic Oscillations

Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) allow us to determine the expansion history of the Universe, thereby shedding light on the nature of dark energy. Recent observations of BAO's in the SDSS DR9 and DR11 have provided us with statistically independent measurements of $H(z)$ at redshifts of 0.57 and 2.34, respectively. We show that these measurements can be used to test the cosmological constant hypothesis in a model independent manner by means of an improved version of the $Om$ diagnostic. Our results indicate that the SDSS DR11 measurement of $H(z) = 222 \pm 7$ km/sec/Mpc at $z = 2.34$, when taken in tandem with measurements of $H(z)$ at lower redshifts, imply considerable tension with the standard $Λ$CDM model. Our estimation of the new diagnostic $Omh^2$ from SDSS DR9 and DR11 data, namely $Omh^2 \approx 0.122 \pm 0.01$, which is equivalent to $Ω_{0m}h^2$ for the spatially flat $Λ$CDM model, is in tension with the value $Ω_{0m}h^2 = 0.1426 \pm 0.0025$ determined for $Λ$CDM from Planck+WP. This tension is alleviated in models in which the cosmological constant was dynamically screened (compensated) in the past. Such evolving dark energy models display a pole in the effective equation of state of dark energy at high redshifts, which emerges as a smoking gun test for these theories.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Emergent Cosmology Revisited

We explore the possibility of emergent cosmology using the effective potential formalism. We discover new models of emergent cosmology which satisfy the constraints posed by the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We demonstrate that, within the framework of modified gravity, the emergent scenario can arise in a universe which is spatially open/closed. By contrast, in general relativity (GR) emergent cosmology arises from a spatially closed past-eternal Einstein Static Universe (ESU). In GR the ESU is unstable, which creates fine tuning problems for emergent cosmology. However, modified gravity models including Braneworld models, Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC) and Asymptotically Free Gravity result in a stable ESU. Consequently, in these models emergent cosmology arises from a larger class of initial conditions including those in which the universe eternally oscillates about the ESU fixed point. We demonstrate that such an oscillating universe is necessarily accompanied by graviton production. For a large region in parameter space graviton production is enhanced through a parametric resonance, casting serious doubts as to whether this emergent scenario can be past-eternal.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Ya. B. Zeldovich (1914-1987): Chemist, Nuclear Physicist, Cosmologist

Ya.B. Zeldovich was a pre-eminent Soviet physicist whose seminal contributions spanned many fields ranging from physical chemistry to nuclear and particle physics, and finally astrophysics and cosmology. March 8, 2014 marks Zeldovich's birth centenary, and this article attempts to convey the zest with which Zeldovich did science, and the important role he played in fostering and mentoring a whole generation of talented Scientists.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2013

Resurrecting power law inflation in the light of Planck results

It is well known that a canonical scalar field with an exponential potential can drive power law inflation (PLI). However, the tensor-to-scalar ratio in such models turns out to be larger than the stringent limit set by recent Planck results. We propose a new model of power law inflation for which the scalar spectra index, the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the non-gaussianity parameter $f_{_{\mathbf{NL}}}^{\mathrm{equil}}$ are in excellent agreement with Planck results. Inflation, in this model, is driven by a non-canonical scalar field with an inverse power law potential. The Lagrangian for our model is structurally similar to that of a canonical scalar field and has a power law form for the kinetic term. A simple extension of our model resolves the graceful exit problem which usually afflicts models of power law inflation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

A no-boundary proposal for braneworld perturbations

We propose a novel approach to the problem of cosmological perturbations in a braneworld model with induced gravity, which leads to a closed system of equations on the brane. We focus on a spatially closed brane that bounds the interior four-ball of the bulk space. The background cosmological evolution on the brane is now described by the normal branch, and the boundary conditions in the bulk become the regularity conditions for the metric everywhere inside the four-ball. In this approach, there is no spatial infinity or any other boundary in the bulk space since the spatial section is compact, hence, we term this setup as a no-boundary proposal. Assuming that the bulk cosmological constant is absent and employing the Mukohyama master variable, we argue that the effects of nonlocality on brane perturbations may be ignored if the brane is marginally closed. In this case, there arises a relation that closes the system of equations for perturbations on the brane. Perturbations of pressureless matter and dark radiation can now be described by a system of coupled second-order differential equations. Remarkably, this system can be exactly solved in the matter-dominated and de Sitter regimes. In this case, apart from the usual growing and decaying modes, we find two additional modes that behave monotonically on super-Hubble spatial scales and exhibit rapid oscillations with decaying amplitude on sub-Hubble spatial scales.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Searching for systematics in SNIa and galaxy cluster data using the cosmic duality relation

We compare two different probes of the expansion history of the universe, namely, luminosity distances from type Ia supernovae and angular diameter distances from galaxy clusters, using the Bayesian interpretation of Crossing statistic [1, 2] in conjunction with the assumption of cosmic duality relation. Our analysis is conducted independently of any a-priori assumptions about the nature of dark energy. The model independent method which we invoke searches for inconsistencies between SNIa and galaxy cluster data sets. If detected such an inconsistency would imply the presence of systematics in either of the two data sets. Simulating observations based on expected WFIRST supernovae data and X-ray eROSITA + SZ Planck cluster data, we show that our method allows one to detect systematics with high precision and without advancing any hypothesis about the nature of dark energy.

astro-ph.CO↗