A new null test is proposed to isolate cosmologies with non-FLRW observational relations by characterizing how they violate curvature-consistency tests of the standard FLRW framework.
A general test of the Copernican Principle
5 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
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abstract
The recent discovery of apparent cosmic acceleration has highlighted the depth of our ignorance of the fundamental properties of nature. It is commonly assumed that the explanation for acceleration must come from a new form of energy dominating the cosmos - dark energy - or a modification of Einstein's theory of Relativity. It is often overlooked, however, that a currently viable alternative explanation of the data is radial inhomogeneity which alters the Hubble diagram without any acceleration. This explanation is often ignored for two reasons: radial inhomogeneity significantly complicates analysis and predictions, and so the full details have not been investigated; and it is a philosophically highly controversial idea, revoking as it does the long-held Copernican Principle. To date, there has not been a general way of determining the validity if the Copernican Principle -- that we live at a typical position in the universe -- significantly weakening the foundations of cosmology as a scientific endeavour. Here we present an observational test for the Copernican assumption which can be automatically implemented while we search for dark energy in the coming decade. Our test is entirely independent of any model for dark energy or theory of gravity and thereby represents a model-independent test of the Copernican Principle.
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UNVERDICTED 5representative citing papers
A framework combining derivatives of angular diameter distance with line-of-sight expansion rate enables model-independent tests of FLRW consistency and yields a nonparametric estimator for the cosmic density field independent of Friedmann equations.
Bootstrap-based symbolic regression on supernova and BAO data finds mild 2-4 sigma deviations from FLRW consistency relations, which if real would rule out most FLRW-based solutions to cosmological tensions.
Quasispherical Szekeres models allow a small but less special observer region for CMB dipole consistency and can accommodate significant quadrupole unlike LTB voids.
Generalized second law on the apparent horizon plus w ≥ -1 and the dominant energy condition rules out hyperbolic spatial sections for homogeneous isotropic universes.
citing papers explorer
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Observational Tests for Distinguishing Classes of Cosmological Models
A new null test is proposed to isolate cosmologies with non-FLRW observational relations by characterizing how they violate curvature-consistency tests of the standard FLRW framework.
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Diagnostic Consistency Tests of the Concordance Cosmology
A framework combining derivatives of angular diameter distance with line-of-sight expansion rate enables model-independent tests of FLRW consistency and yields a nonparametric estimator for the cosmic density field independent of Friedmann equations.
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Model-independent constraints on generalized FLRW consistency relations with bootstrap-based symbolic regression
Bootstrap-based symbolic regression on supernova and BAO data finds mild 2-4 sigma deviations from FLRW consistency relations, which if real would rule out most FLRW-based solutions to cosmological tensions.
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CMB dipoles and other low-order multipoles in the quasispherical Szekeres model
Quasispherical Szekeres models allow a small but less special observer region for CMB dipole consistency and can accommodate significant quadrupole unlike LTB voids.
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The Generalized Second Law and the Spatial Curvature Index
Generalized second law on the apparent horizon plus w ≥ -1 and the dominant energy condition rules out hyperbolic spatial sections for homogeneous isotropic universes.