Avoidance of singularities in relativity through two-body interactions

The strong-energy condition releavant to the singularity theorems of general relativity is examined in the high-density regime. We find that a class of two-body interactions between particles of a fluid can produce a negative pressure sufficient to violate the strong-energy condition. The cosmological implication of this phenomenon is investigated in a closed Robertson-Walker universe. We present a model in which the collapse of the universe into a singularity is avoided with unit probability. The minimum radius of the universe is determined by the strength of the interaction.