Chaplygin gas in decelerating DGP gravity

TL;DR

This paper explores a combined cosmological model using Chaplygin gas and a self-decelerating DGP gravity branch, fitting supernovae data well without reducing to LambdaCDM, offering a novel alternative to standard dark energy explanations.

Contribution

It introduces a three-parameter model combining Chaplygin gas with DGP gravity that fits observational data and is distinct from existing models.

Findings

Model fits supernovae data as well as LambdaCDM

Does not reduce to LambdaCDM for any parameters

Provides an alternative explanation for cosmic acceleration

Abstract

Explanations to the accelerated expansion of the Universe are usually sought either in modifications of Einstein gravity or in new forms of energy density. An example of modified gravity is the braneworld Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) model which is characterized by a length scale which marks the cross-over between physics occurring in our four-dimensional brane and in a five-dimensional bulk space. An example of dark energy is Chaplygin gas which has similar asymptotic properties at early and late cosmic times. Since Chaplygin gas gives too much acceleration we combine it with the self-decelerating branch of the DGP model, taking the cross-over scales to be proportional. This 3-parameter model fits supernovae data with a goodness-of-fit equalling that of the LambdaCDM model. In contrast to generalized DGP models and Chaplygin gas models, this model is unique in the sense that it does not reduce to LambdaCDM for any choice of parameters.