Electromagnetic Waves in Cosmological Space-Time II. Luminosity Distance

TL;DR

This paper derives explicit solutions for electromagnetic wave propagation in expanding cosmological spacetime, revealing potential modifications to luminosity distance calculations and implications for cosmological parameters, fitting supernova data without a cosmological constant.

Contribution

It provides explicit solutions for electromagnetic waves in expanding spacetime, offering an alternative to geometric optics and null geodesics in cosmological models.

Findings

Alternative model fits supernova data without cosmological constant

Proposes modifications to standard luminosity distance formula

Suggests a universe with stiff or ultra-stiff matter instead of dark energy

Abstract

In this article, we continue our investigation on how the electromagnetic waves propagate in the Friedman-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker spacetime. Unlike the standard approach, which relies on null geodesics and geometric optics approximation, we derive explicit solutions for electromagnetic waves in expanding spacetime and examine their implications for cosmological observations. In particular, our analysis reveals potential modifications to the standard luminosity distance formula. Its effect on other cosmological parameters, e.g., the amount of cold dust matter in the Universe, is considered and estimated from Type Ia supernovae data. We see that this alternative model is able to fit the supernova data, but it gives a qualitatively different Universe without a cosmological constant but with stiff or ultra-stiff matter.