2000/02/29 by P. P. Avelino, P.P. Avelino, J. P. M. de Carvalho +3
Physics and Astronomy · #Cosmic microwave background #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Interpretation (philosophy) #Prima facie #State (computer science) #Supernova #Type (biology) #astro-ph #gr-qc #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/s0370-2693(01)00151-4
published as Phys.Lett. B501 (2001) 257-263 · 10 LaTeX pages, 4 eps figures, version to appear in Phys. Lett. B
arxiv created 2001/01/15 · openalex publication_date 2001/03/01 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We re-analyze the question of the use of cosmological observations to infer the present state and future evolution of our patch of the universe. In particular, we discuss under which conditions one might be able to infer that our patch will enter an inflationary stage, as a prima facie interpretation of the Type Ia supernovae and CMB data would suggest. We then establish a `physical' criterion for the existence of inflation, to be contrasted with the more `mathematical' one recently proposed by Starkman et al. \citeSTV.