The deceleration parameter in `tilted' Friedmann universes: Newtonian vs relativistic treatment

TL;DR

This paper investigates how large-scale peculiar motions influence the measurement of the universe's deceleration parameter, revealing significant differences between Newtonian and relativistic treatments that could impact cosmological interpretations.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of Newtonian and relativistic effects on deceleration parameter measurements in tilted Friedmann universes, highlighting the importance of relativistic considerations.

Findings

Newtonian effects are too weak to affect measurements significantly.

Relativistic effects cause substantial differences in deceleration parameters.

Potential for misinterpreting the universe's kinematic status due to relativistic effects.

Abstract

Although bulk peculiar motions are commonplace in the universe, most theoretical studies either bypass them, or take the viewpoint of the idealised Hubble-flow observers. As a result, the role of these peculiar flows remains largely unaccounted for, despite the fact that relative-motion effects have led to the misinterpretation of the observations in a number of occasions. Here, we examine the implications of large-scale peculiar flows for the interpretation of the deceleration parameter. We compare, in particular, the deceleration parameters measured by the Hubble-flow observers and by their bulk-flow counterparts. In so doing, we use Newtonian theory and general relativity and employ closely analogous theoretical tools, which allows for the direct and transparent comparison of the two studies. We find that the Newtonian relative-motion effects are generally too weak to make a difference between the two measurements. In relativity, however, the deceleration parameters measured in the two frames differ considerably, even at the linear level. This could deceive the unsuspecting observers to a potentially serious misinterpretation of the universe's global kinematic status. We also discuss the implications and the observational viability of the relativistic study.