Instability of the one-texture universe

Journal Article · Fri Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Physical Review, D

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.56.2051· OSTI ID:538656

Chen, X ^[1]; Hindmarsh, M ^[2]; Kamionkowski, M ^[1]; Liddle, A R ^[3]

---

1. Department of Physics, Columbia University, 538 West 120th Street, New York, New York 10027 (United States)
2. Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QH (United Kingdom)
3. Astronomy Centre, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QH (United Kingdom)

The one-texture universe, introduced by Davis in 1987, is a homogeneous mapping of a scalar field with an S{sup 3} vacuum into a closed universe. It has long been known to mathematicians that such solutions, although static, are unstable. We show by explicit construction that there are four degenerate lowest modes which are unstable, corresponding to collapse of the texture towards a single point, in the case where gravitational back reaction is neglected. We discuss the instability time scale in both static and expanding space-times; in the latter case it is of order of the present age of the universe, suggesting that, though unstable, the one-texture universe could survive to the present. The cosmic microwave background constrains the initial magnitude of this unstable perturbation to be less than {approximately}10{sup {minus}3}. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

• Research Organization: Columbia University
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-92ER40699
• OSTI ID: 538656
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D, Journal Name: Physical Review, D Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 56; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMOLOGY
GRAVITATION
INSTABILITY
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PERTURBATION THEORY
SCALAR FIELDS
SPACE-TIME
TEXTURE
UNIVERSE