A Cosmological Uncertainty Relation and Late-Universe Acceleration
TLDR
This paper proposes a cosmological uncertainty relation that modifies the Friedmann equation, explaining late-time acceleration or a Big Bang bounce.
Key contributions
- Introduces a cosmological uncertainty relation for the universe's size and expansion rate.
- Modifies the Friedmann equation with a geometric correction, driven by a single exponent.
- Predicts late-time dark energy (w > -1) or a non-singular Big Bang bounce based on exponent sign.
- Explains cosmic acceleration as a macroscopic imprint of quantum gravity at the cosmological horizon.
Why it matters
This paper offers a novel approach to understanding cosmic acceleration and the Big Bang singularity without introducing new particles. It reinterprets quantum gravity effects at the cosmological horizon, providing testable predictions for late-time dark energy.
Original Abstract
We propose that the size of the universe and its rate of expansion cannot be simultaneously specified with arbitrary precision, a quantum mechanical statement encoded in a deformed commutation relation for the scale factor. The deformation modifies the Friedmann equation by adding a geometric correction to the expansion rate, and the sign and magnitude of a single free exponent determine the cosmological behavior. When the exponent is positive, the model predicts late-time dark energy with $w > -1$, testable with current and next-generation surveys. When the exponent is sufficiently negative, the same deformation produces a non-singular classical bounce that resolves the Big Bang singularity. The model introduces no new particles or fields and preserves a scale-invariant primordial power spectrum. The deformation has a natural interpretation as a horizon-scale phenomenon, with the cosmological horizon, and not the Planck length, setting its characteristic scale. The late-universe regime is then its generic application, with the expansion history as the primary observable signature. Cosmic acceleration may be the macroscopic imprint of quantum gravity at the cosmological horizon.
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