Model independent tests of the standard cosmological model

Journal Article · Thu Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.81.083537· OSTI ID:21409589

Shafieloo, Arman ^[1]; Clarkson, Chris ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX13NP (United Kingdom)
2. Centre for Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Gravitation and Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701 (South Africa)

The dark energy problem has led to speculation that not only may {Lambda}CDM be wrong, but that the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker models themselves may not even provide the correct family of background models. We discuss how direct measurements of H(z) can be used to formulate tests of the standard paradigm in cosmology. On their own, such measurements can be used to test for deviations from flat {Lambda}CDM. When combined with supernovae distances, Hubble rate measurements provide a test of the Copernican principle and the homogeneity assumption of the standard model, which is independent of dark energy or a metric based the theory of gravity. A modification of this test also provides a model independent observable for flatness which decorrelates curvature determination from dark energy. We investigate these tests using Hubble rate measurements from age data, as well as from a Hubble rate inferred from recent measurements of the baryon acoustic oscillations. While the current data are too weak to say anything significant, these tests are exciting prospects for the future.

• OSTI ID: 21409589
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 81, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.81.083537; (c) 2010 The American Physical Society; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BARYONS
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS
COSMOLOGY
GRAVITATION
METRICS
MODIFICATIONS
NONLUMINOUS MATTER
OSCILLATIONS
STANDARD MODEL
SUPERNOVAE
BINARY STARS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
GRAND UNIFIED THEORY
HADRONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATTER
PARTICLE MODELS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
STARS
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
VARIABLE STARS