Dr Deaglan Bartlett

Abstract:

We observationally examine cosmological models based on primordial power spectra with quantized wave vectors. Introducing a linearly quantized power spectrum with k0=3.225×10-4 Mpc-1 and spacing Δk=2.257×10-4 Mpc-1 provides a better fit to the Planck 2018 observations than the concordance baseline, with Δχ2=-8.55. Extending the results of Lasenby et al. [preceding paper, Perturbations and the future conformal boundary, Phys. Rev. D 105, 083514 (2022)PRVDAQ2470-001010.1103/PhysRevD.105.083514], we show that the requirement for perturbations to remain finite beyond the future conformal boundary in a universe containing dark matter and a cosmological constant results in a linearly quantized primordial power spectrum. It is found that the infrared cutoffs for this future conformal boundary quantized cosmology do not provide cosmic microwave background power spectra compatible with observations, but future theories may predict more observationally consistent quantized spectra.

Abstract:

The concordance model of cosmology predicts a universe which finishes in a finite amount of conformal time at a future conformal boundary. We show that for particular cases we study, the background variables and perturbations may be analytically continued beyond this boundary and that the "end of the universe"is not necessarily the end of their physical development. Remarkably, these theoretical considerations of the end of the universe might have observable consequences today: perturbation modes consistent with these boundary conditions have a quantized power spectrum which may be relevant to features seen in the large scale cosmic microwave background. Mathematically these cosmological models may either be interpreted as a palindromic universe mirrored in time, a reflecting boundary condition, or a double cover, but are identical with respect to their observational predictions and stand in contrast to the predictions of conformal cyclic cosmologies.

Abstract:

Lorentz invariance violation in quantum gravity (QG) models or a nonzero photon mass, mγ, would lead to an energy-dependent propagation speed for photons, such that photons of different energies from a distant source would arrive at different times, even if they were emitted simultaneously. By developing source-by-source, Monte Carlo-based forward models for such time delays from gamma ray bursts, and marginalizing over empirical noise models describing other contributions to the time delay, we derive constraints on mγ and the QG length scale, ℓQG, using spectral lag data from the BATSE satellite. We find mγ<4.0×10-5 h eV/c2 and ℓQG<5.3×10-18 h GeV-1 at 95% confidence, and demonstrate that these constraints are robust to the choice of noise model. The QG constraint is among the tightest from studies which consider multiple gamma ray bursts and the constraint on mγ, although weaker than from using radio data, provides an independent constraint which is less sensitive to the effects of dispersion by electrons.

Abstract:

Theories of gravity that obey the Weak Equivalence Principle have the same Parametrised Post-Newtonian parameter $\gamma$ for all particles at all energies. The large Shapiro time delays of extragalactic sources allow us to put tight constraints on differences in $\gamma$ between photons of different frequencies from spectral lag data, since a non-zero $\Delta \gamma$ would result in a frequency-dependent arrival time. The majority of previous constraints have assumed that the Shapiro time delay is dominated by a few local massive objects, although this is a poor approximation for distant sources. In this work we consider the cosmological context of these sources by developing a source-by-source, Monte Carlo-based forward model for the Shapiro time delays by combining constrained realisations of the local density field using the Bayesian origin reconstruction from galaxies algorithm with unconstrained large-scale modes. Propagating uncertainties in the density field reconstruction and marginalising over an empirical model describing other contributions to the time delay, we use spectral lag data of Gamma Ray Bursts from the BATSE satellite to constrain $\Delta \gamma < 2.1 \times 10^{-15}$ at $1 \sigma$ confidence between photon energies of $25 {\rm \, keV}$ and $325 {\rm \, keV}$.