Ekpyrotic universe: Colliding branes and the origin of the hot big bang

Justin Khoury, Burt A. Ovrut, Paul J. Steinhardt, and Neil Turok
Phys. Rev. D 64, 123522 – Published 28 November 2001
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Abstract

We propose a cosmological scenario in which the hot big bang universe is produced by the collision of a brane in the bulk space with a bounding orbifold plane, beginning from an otherwise cold, vacuous, static universe. The model addresses the cosmological horizon, flatness and monopole problems and generates a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of density perturbations without invoking superluminal expansion (inflation). The scenario relies, instead, on physical phenomena that arise naturally in theories based on extra dimensions and branes. As an example, we present our scenario predominantly within the context of heterotic M theory. A prediction that distinguishes this scenario from standard inflationary cosmology is a strongly blue gravitational wave spectrum, which has consequences for microwave background polarization experiments and gravitational wave detectors.

  • Received 29 March 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.64.123522

©2001 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Justin Khoury

  • Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544

Burt A. Ovrut

  • Department of Physics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6396

Paul J. Steinhardt

  • Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544

Neil Turok

  • DAMTP, CMS, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, United Kingdom

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Issue

Vol. 64, Iss. 12 — 15 December 2001

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