Rescuing Palindromic Universes with Improved Recombination Modelling

TL;DR

This paper improves the modelling of recombination in palindromic universes, leading to primordial power spectra that align well with observational data, offering an alternative cosmological model comparable to Lambda-CDM.

Contribution

It introduces advanced recombination techniques and higher-order photonic hierarchy calculations for palindromic universes, enhancing the accuracy of primordial power spectrum predictions.

Findings

Predicted power spectra are consistent with observational data.

Identified the lowest allowed wavenumber and linear spacing for wavevector quantisation.

Achieved fits comparable to the Lambda-CDM model.

Abstract

We explore the linearly quantised primordial power spectra associated with palindromic universes. Extending the results of Lasenby et al. [1] and Bartlett et al. [2], we improve the modelling of recombination and include higher orders in the photonic Boltzmann hierarchy. In so doing, we find that the predicted power spectra become largely consistent with observational data. The improved recombination modelling involves developing further techniques for dealing with the future conformal boundary, by integrating the associated perturbation equations both forwards and backwards in conformal time. The resulting wavevector quantisation gives a lowest allowed wavenumber ${k_0 = 9.93 \times 10^{-5} \textrm{Mpc}^{-1}}$ and linear spacing ${\Delta k = 1.63 \times 10^{-4} \textrm{Mpc}^{-1}}$, providing fits consistent with observational data equivalent in quality to the $\Lambda$CDM model.