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Magnitude-Redshift Relation for SNe Ia, Time Dilation, and Plasma Redshift

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Ari Brynjolfsson

Astrophysics · Submitted 22 Feb 2006 · 17 references

Pith's verdict: A plainly argued alternative-cosmology paper whose central fit is not independent evidence: Eq. (1) bakes in the no-time-dilation assumption it then claims to confirm.

T0 · AI review

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arXiv IDastro-ph/0602500 (version 1)
Pith IDCI5VEH5J, Pith's permanent record of this paper and its review
CitationAri Brynjolfsson. "Magnitude-Redshift Relation for SNe Ia, Time Dilation, and Plasma Redshift." arXiv:astro-ph/0602500 (2006). https://pith.science/paper/CI5VEH5J
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The paper

The paper claims

The paper claims the best Type Ia supernova data fit a plasma-redshift cosmology with no cosmic time dilation, implying a static, infinite universe.

The reading

This paper argues that the best Type Ia supernova data, including the 117-object sample from the Supernova Legacy Survey, fit the magnitude-redshift relation predicted by the plasma-redshift cosmology, in which light loses energy to a hot intergalactic electron plasma rather than being stretched by cosmic expansion. The central observational claim is that there is no cosmic time dilation: once published absolute magnitudes are corrected by dropping the (1+z) width-stretch factor, the plasma-redshift curve matches the data with a scatter of about 0.14 magnitudes. If this is right, the supernova Hubble diagram requires neither dark energy nor dark matter and the universe is quasi-static, infinite, and everlasting, with the microwave and X-ray backgrounds produced by plasma heating rather than by a Big Bang.

What carries the argument

The central object is the plasma-redshift mechanism: a photon traversing a hot, sparse electron plasma loses energy in repeated Compton-like interactions and is redshifted without any expansion of space. In this paper the mechanism is expressed as Eq. (2), whose distance term is $$d=\frac{c\$cdot10^{6}$}{H_0}\ln(1+z),$$ together with a $2.5\log(1+z)$ photon-energy term and a $5\log(1+z)$ photon-removal term. The same machinery predicts an intrinsic redshift of about $z\approx0.000925$ from the Milky Way's corona and the host galaxy's corona, which is subtracted when computing distances. The second load-bearing piece is Eq. (1), $M\approx M_{\rm exp}-2.5\log(1+z)$, which transfers the nearby width-luminosity calibration to the no-time-dilation case by identifying observed width with stretch factor.

Extended reading notes

Core claim

On its own terms, the paper's central discovery is that the SNLS supernova magnitudes satisfy $$m=5\log\left(\frac{c\$cdot10^{6}$}{H_0}\ln(1+z)\right)+2.5\log(1+z)+5\log(1+z)+M-5,$$ with $M=M_{\rm exp}-2.5\log(1+z)$. The correction effectively says that the observed light-curve width $w$ is itself the stretch factor $s$, rather than $w/(1+z)$, so the published absolute magnitudes are shifted brighter for high-redshift supernovae. The best fit to the full sample gives $H_0\approx63$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$; after removing ten outlying points the standard deviation is $\sigma\approx0.136$ magnitudes. Because the plasma-redshift curve and the flat-$\Lambda$ big-bang curve differ by less than 0.11 magnitudes out to $z=2$, the paper identifies the absolute-magnitude correction, not the curve shape, as the decisive difference, and reads the good fit as evidence that the universe is not expanding.

Load-bearing premise

The load-bearing premise is that there is no cosmic time dilation, so the observed light-curve width $w$ can be used directly as the stretch factor and published absolute magnitudes can be re-centered by $M\approx M_{\rm exp}-2.5\log(1+z)$; if time dilation is real, or if the nearby width-luminosity relation does not extend to high redshift, the claimed $\sigma\approx0.14$ fit collapses.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

  • The Hubble constant inferred from the supernova fits becomes about 63 km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, corresponding to an average intergalactic electron density near $2\times10^{-4}$ cm$^{-3}$.
  • The same intergalactic plasma is heated to roughly 3 million K, which the paper claims produces the isotropic cosmic microwave background and the cosmic X-ray background without needing an expansion phase.
  • If the fit is correct, the supernova Hubble diagram requires no dark energy and no dark matter, and the universe is quasi-static, infinite, and everlasting.
  • High-redshift published absolute magnitudes would be underestimated by up to about 1.08 magnitudes at $z=2$, so the usual derivation of cosmic acceleration from SNe Ia would need to be redone.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • If the no-time-dilation reading is right, then the width-luminosity relation should be expressible entirely in terms of observed width, with no extra $(1+z)$ factor; a search for a residual $\alpha$ in a $(1+z)^{\alpha}$ width scaling in the existing light curves would settle it.
  • Because the two competing Hubble-diagram curves are numerically close, the decisive evidence will come from independent clocks: quasar variability timescales and galaxy surface brightness versus redshift, exactly the data the paper invokes.
  • The claimed average electron density $N_e\approx2\times10^{-4}$ cm$^{-3}$ is testable independently of supernovae through dispersion and absorption measures of extragalactic radio sources, which would check the density that anchors the plasma-redshift interpretation.
Original abstract

We have previously shown that the type Ia supernovae data by Riess et al. match the prediction of the magnitude-redshift relation in the plasma-redshift cosmology. In this article, we also show that the recent SNLS data, which have a slightly narrower distribution as reported by Astier et al. in 2005, match the predictions of the plasma-redshift cosmology. The standard deviation of the SNLS-magnitude from the predicted curve is only about 0.14. The data indicate that there is no cosmic time dilation. The big-bang cosmology therefore appears false. The plasma redshift, which follows from exact evaluation of photons interaction with hot sparse electron plasma, leads to a quasi-static, infinite, and everlasting universe. It does not need big bang, dark energy, or dark matter for describing the observations. It predicts intrinsic redshifts of galaxies consistent with what is observed. The Hubble constant that best fits the SNLS data is about 63 km per sec per Mpc. This corresponds to an average electron density of about 0.0002 per cubic centimeter in intergalactic space. This density together with the plasma redshift heating to an average plasma temperature in intergalactic space of about 3 million K explains the observed isotropic cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the cosmic X-ray background.

The compiled record

The paper's own sentences, arranged, kept beside the review and separate from it. Each label is drawn from a closed vocabulary; the number beside it is the probability the classifier gave that label. Numbers in the tables are the authors', checked by code. No sentence in this record was written by a model.

Compiled by classifier-1.13.0 via TypeSafe API, question bank abstract-p1-20260923, 2026-09-23: 1 request, 8,128 input tokens.

What the abstract itself states, as probabilities: claims first 0.05 · states limitation 0.06 · human participants 0.02 · controlled comparison 0.12 · randomized assignment 0.01 · states quantitative result 0.98 · compares with prior results 0.89 · mentions code or data availability 0.02.

The abstract, sentence by sentence

arXiv listing abstract v1. Results and the main claim are underlined; .

We have previously shown that the type Ia supernovae data by Riess et al. match the prediction of the magnitude-redshift relation in the plasma-redshift cosmology. In this article, we also show that the recent SNLS data, which have a slightly narrower distribution as reported by Astier et al. in 2005, match the predictions of the plasma-redshift cosmology. The standard deviation of the SNLS-magnitude from the predicted curve is only about 0.14. The data indicate that there is no cosmic time dilation. The big-bang cosmology therefore appears false. The plasma redshift, which follows from exact evaluation of photons interaction with hot sparse electron plasma, leads to a quasi-static, infinite, and everlasting universe. It does not need big bang, dark energy, or dark matter for describing the observations. It predicts intrinsic redshifts of galaxies consistent with what is observed. The Hubble constant that best fits the SNLS data is about 63 km per sec per Mpc. This corresponds to an average electron density of about 0.0002 per cubic centimeter in intergalactic space. This density together with the plasma redshift heating to an average plasma temperature in intergalactic space of about 3 million K explains the observed isotropic cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the cosmic X-ray background.

background contribution method result interpretation main claim

What the classifier reports for each sentence. The number is the probability it gave the label.
#sentencerolethe authors' own workstates the main conclusionstrength
s0 We have previously shown that the type Ia supernovae data by Riess et al. match the prediction of the magnitude-redshift relation in the plasma-redshift cosmology. background 0.95 0.69 0.10 asserted 1.00
s1 In this article, we also show that the recent SNLS data, which have a slightly narrower distribution as reported by Astier et al. in 2005, match the predictions of the plasma-redshift cosmology. contribution 0.57 0.86 0.09 asserted 1.00
s2 The standard deviation of the SNLS-magnitude from the predicted curve is only about 0.14. result 1.00 0.79 0.05 asserted 0.99
s3 The data indicate that there is no cosmic time dilation. result 0.92 0.79 0.26 hedged possibility 0.73
s4 The big-bang cosmology therefore appears false. interpretation 1.00 0.32 0.51 hedged possibility 0.87
s5 The plasma redshift, which follows from exact evaluation of photons interaction with hot sparse electron plasma, leads to a quasi-static, infinite, and everlasting universe. interpretation 0.83 0.49 0.32 asserted 1.00
s6 It does not need big bang, dark energy, or dark matter for describing the observations. interpretation 0.88 0.31 0.18 asserted 1.00
s7 It predicts intrinsic redshifts of galaxies consistent with what is observed. result 0.90 0.62 0.07 asserted 0.80
s8 The Hubble constant that best fits the SNLS data is about 63 km per sec per Mpc. result 1.00 0.83 0.07 asserted 0.96
s9 This corresponds to an average electron density of about 0.0002 per cubic centimeter in intergalactic space. result 0.93 0.78 0.04 asserted 0.98
s10 This density together with the plasma redshift heating to an average plasma temperature in intergalactic space of about 3 million K explains the observed isotropic cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the cosmic X-ray background. interpretation 0.55 0.65 0.08 asserted 1.00

What kind of paper the classifier reports this is: position or commentary 0.50 · evidence from analysis of existing data 1.00.

What was examined, and what was not

sources read
  • arXiv listing abstract v1
not examined
  • full text
  • figures and tables
  • references and citing sentences
  • relations to other papers
levels run
  • P abstract
not run
  • S sections
  • T body sentences
  • C citations
  • R cross-paper relations

Every quoted sentence on this record is the authors'. Every label is from Pith's closed vocabulary, with the probability shown beside it. Every number in the measurements table is the authors', checked by code. Record as JSON

Figures
Figure 1. The magnitudes, m−M, of SNe Ia on the ordinate versus their redshifts z ′ on the abscissa. The data include all 117 (73 high redshift and 44 low redshift) supernovae, as reported by Astier et al. [9] (see Tables 8 and 9 of that source). The diamonds mark the experimental points, while the heavy black curve shows the theoretical predictions of the plasma-redshift theory in accordance with Eq. (2). The Hubble constant, which is determined from the best fit to all 117 supernovae, is H0 = 62.6 km s−1 Mpc−1 . The standard deviation in a single measurement is σ = 0.23. We have previously…
Figure 2. The magnitudes, m − M, versus the redshifts z ′ on the abscissa. In this case, we have removed 10 of the high redshift supernovae (shown in
Figure 3. The magnitudes, m−M, versus the redshifts z ′ . The data include all 117 (73 high redshift and 44 low redshift) supernovae, as reported in Tables 8 and 9 by Astier et al. [9]. In this case, the Hubble constant, H0 = 64.5 km s−1 Mpc−1 , is derived from best fit to only the 44 nearest supernovae (not all 117 as in
Figure 4. The magnitudes, m − M = m − Mexp, versus the redshifts z = zexp on the abscissa. The data include all 117 (73 high and 44 low redshift) SNe Ia, as reported by Astier et al. [9]. The Hubble constant, H0 = 70.4 km s−1 Mpc−1 , is derived from best fit to only the 44 nearest supernovae. For the 6 highest redshift supernovae, the standard deviation in a single measurement is σ = 0.70 in agreement with Eq. (1). 4 Conclusions and discussions The very best data by the supernova researchers are consistent with the magnitude-redshift relations predicted by the plasma redshift. The data…

Figures reproduced from arXiv:astro-ph/0602500 by the authors.

References
How the literature uses it

3 arXiv papers cite this in 3 sentences

Each citing sentence is taken from the citing paper's LaTeX source and typed by Pith's classifier. A label appears at probability 0.8 or more (0.95 for support), a contest at 0.7 or more; the quoted words are the citing authors'. How each label was checked · JSON

Papers citing it · 2 sentences without a confident label

Compares with it 1 paper
  • A first comparison can be done with the distance modulus in a plasma environment as given by Eq. (7) in [ref] without galactic extinction: [equation] see equation (7) in [ref] .

    On the number of galaxies at high redshift · Tired light · 0.97

Discussion

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