Rippled Cosmological Dark Matter from Damped Oscillating Newton Constant

TL;DR

This paper proposes a model where a damped oscillating Brans-Dicke scalar field mimics the universe's evolution through dark radiation, dark matter, and dark energy phases, with testable ripples in the scale factor.

Contribution

It introduces a cosmological model with a damped oscillating Newton constant scalar field that reproduces standard cosmic evolution without extra matter fields.

Findings

The model reproduces the dark radiation to dark energy sequence.

Testable ripples are predicted in the FRW scale factor.

The scalar field could also act as the inflaton.

Abstract

Let the reciprocal Newton 'constant' be an apparently non-dynamical Brans-Dicke scalar field damped oscillating towards its General Relativistic VEV. We show, without introducing additional matter fields or dust, that the corresponding cosmological evolution averagely resembles, in the Jordan frame, the familiar dark radiation -> dark matter -> dark energy domination sequence. The fingerprints of our theory are fine ripples, hopefully testable, in the FRW scale factor; they die away at the General Relativity limit. The possibility that the Brans-Dicke scalar also serves as the inflaton is favorably examined.