Open AccessDistances in inhomogeneous quintessence cosmology
Author(s) -
Sereno M.,
Covone G.,
Piedipalumbo E.,
De Ritis R.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04731.x
Subject(s) - physics , quintessence , redshift , dark energy , smoothness , cosmology , equation of state , astrophysics , degeneracy (biology) , cosmological constant , angular diameter , degenerate energy levels , universe , theoretical physics , mathematical physics , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics , mathematical analysis , bioinformatics , stars , mathematics , galaxy , biology
We investigate the properties of cosmological distances in locally inhomogeneous universes with pressureless matter and dark energy ( quintessence ), with constant equation of state, , . We give exact solutions for angular diameter distances in the empty beam approximation. In this hypothesis, the distance–redshift equation is derived from the multiple‐lens‐plane theory. The case of a flat universe is considered with particular attention. We show how this general scheme makes distances degenerate with respect to w X and the smoothness parameters α i , accounting for the homogeneously distributed fraction of energy of the i ‐components. We analyse how this degeneracy influences the critical redshift where the angular diameter distance takes its maximum, and discuss future prospects for measuring the smoothness parameter of the pressureless matter, α M .