Abstract
One focus of research in cosmology regards the growth of structure in the universe: how we end up with stars, galaxies, galaxy clusters, and large scale structure in a universe that appears homogeneous and isotropic on large scales. Using cosmological perturbation theory, we investigate the evolution of density and velocity perturbations corresponding to a universe that is slowly contracting (Ijjas and Steinhardt), testing with and comparing different values for the equation-of-state parameter. This allows for the comparison of the growth of large scale structure in scenarios including a matter-dominated expanding universe, a dark energy-dominated expanding universe, and now, an ekpyrotic scalar field-dominated contracting universe. Further, we consider the timescales on which deviations from ΛCDM in favor of the model considered could become relevant.
Thesis Completion
2023
Semester
Fall
Thesis Chair/Advisor
Cooney, James
Degree
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Physics
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Release Date
12-15-2023
Recommended Citation
Bitcon, Olivia R., "Evolution of Density and Velocity Perturbations in a Slowly Contracting Universe" (2023). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 1541.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/1541