An Alternative Approach to the Exact Solution of FRW-Type Spacetime with a Generalized Chaplygin Gas

TL;DR

This paper derives exact solutions for the scale factor in a universe modeled with a generalized Chaplygin gas, bridging dust and accelerating phases, and validates the model against observational data.

Contribution

It introduces a first-order approximation method to solve the non-linear field equations, providing exact solutions that interpolate between different cosmic regimes and match observational data.

Findings

Exact time-dependent solutions for the scale factor were obtained.

The model exhibits an acceleration flip consistent with observational data.

Theoretical $H(z)$ closely matches the Hubble-$57$ dataset.

Abstract

The generalized Chaplygin gas model, characterized by the equation of state $p = - \frac{B}{\rho^{\alpha}}$, is investigated within the framework of a Robertson-Walker spacetime. The resulting field equations governing this model are highly non-linear in the scale factor, forming the central focus of this work. Previous studies have employed this equation to describe both a dust-dominated universe and an accelerating universe in two extreme cases. However, the time evolution of the scale factor between these two extremal cases remains unclear. To address this gap, we have employed a first-order approximation of the key equation and subsequently derived exact time-dependent solutions for the scale factor. The obtained solution converges to the $\Lambda$CDM model at large scale factors and exhibits the desirable feature of an acceleration flip. A detailed analysis of the flip time has been conducted, providing both analytical and graphical insights. The parameters of the model have been constrained using the Hubble-$57$ dataset. The present age of the universe has also been calculated. A comparison of the results from both the theoretical and observational approaches reveals remarkable consistency, with the theoretical graph of $H(z)$ vs. $z$ closely aligning with the best-fit graph obtained from the Hubble-$57$ dataset. Furthermore, the entire scenario has been examined within the context of the well-known Raychaudhuri equation, offering a broader perspective and comparison with previous results.