Many recent researches have investigated the deviations from the Friedmannian cosmological model, as well as their consequences on unexplained cosmological phenomena, such as dark matter and the acceleration of the Universe. On the one hand, a first order perturbative study of matter inhomogeneity returned a partial explanation of dark matter and dark energy, as relativistic effects due to the retarded potentials of far objects. On the other hand, the fractal cosmology, now modeled with a Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) metric, results in distortions of the luminosity distances of SNe Ia, explaining the acceleration as apparent. In this work we extend the LTB metric to ancient times. The origin of the fractal distribution of matter is explained as the matter remnant after the matter-antimatter recombination epoch. We show that the evolution of such a inhomogeneity necessarily requires a dynamical generalization of LTB, and we propose a particular solution.
We solve the quantum constraint equations of the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi model in a semiclassical approximation in which an expansion is performed with respect to the Planck length. We recover in this way the standard expression for the Hawking temperature as well as its first quantum gravitational correction. We then interpret this correction in terms of the one-loop trace anomaly of the energy-momentum tensor and thereby make contact with earlier work on quantum black holes.
Previous papers dealt with the quantization of the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) model for vanishing cosmological constant $Λ$. Here we extend the analysis to the case $Λ>0$. Our main goal is to present solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, to give their interpretation, and to derive Hawking radiation from them. We restrict ourselves to a discussion of those points that are different from the $Λ=0$-case. These have mainly to do with the occurrence of two horizons.
We study backreaction analytically using the parabolic Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi universe as a toy model. We calculate the average expansion rate and energy density on two different hypersurfaces and compare the results. We also consider the Hubble law and find that backreaction slows down the expansion if measured with proper time, but speeds it up if measured with energy density.
We investigate the fate of the classical singularity in a collapsing dust cloud. For this purpose, we quantize the marginally bound Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi model for spherically-symmetric dust collapse by considering each dust shell in the cloud individually, taking the outermost shell as a representative. Because the dust naturally provides a preferred notion of time, we can construct a quantum mechanical model for this shell and demand unitary evolution for wave packets. It turns out that the classical singularity can generically be avoided provided the quantization ambiguities fulfill some we…
The paper deals with anisotropic spherically symmetric Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi model of the universe bounded by the apparent horizon. Using Hamilton-Jacobi method for both massive and massless test particles, we are able to show that the temperature associated with the apparent horizon due to Hawking radiation is the usual Hawking Temperature. Also the usual Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi model and the transformed r-gauge Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi model are shown to be equivalent. Finally, the results of Tunneling approach agree with the Hamiltonian-Jacobi method.
We propose a Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi system mimicking a two-body system to address the problem of the cosmological expansion versus local dynamics. This system is strongly bound but participates in the cosmic expansion and is exactly comoving with the cosmic substratum.
In the Tolman model there exist two quite different branches of solutions - generic Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) ones and T-spheres as a special case. We show that, nonetheless, T-spheres can be obtained as a limit of the class of LTB solutions having no origin and extending to infinity with the areal radius approaching constant. It is shown that all singularities of T-models are inherited from those of corresponding LBT solutions. In doing so, the disc type singularity of a T-sphere is the analog of shell-crossing.
We present new exact solutions {which presumably describe} black holes in the background of a spatially flat, pressureless dark matter (DM)-, or dark matter plus dark energy (DM+DE)-, or quintom-dominated universe. These solutions generalize Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi metrics. For a DM- or (DM+DE)-dominated universe, the area of the black hole apparent horizon (AH) decreases with the expansion of the universe while that of the cosmic AH increases. However, for a quintom-dominated universe, the black hole AH first shrinks and then expands, while the cosmic AH first expands and then shrinks. A (DM+DE…
We analyze Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi models in presence of the cosmological constant Λthrough the classical Weierstrass criterion. Precisely, we show that the Weierstrass approach allows us to classify the dynamics of these inhomogeneous spherically symmetric Universes taking into account their relationship with the sign of Λ.
In an earlier paper, we obtained exact solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) model of gravitational collapse, employing a lattice regularization. In this paper, we derive Hawking radiation in non-marginally bound models from our exact solutions. We show that a non-vanishing energy function does not spoil the (approximate) Planck spectrum near the horizon. We can also reliably compute corrections to the Bogoliubov coefficient because our solutions are exact. The corrections are obtained by going beyond the near horizon region and are shown to introduce add…
We describe Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi cosmological models where an anisotropic pressures is considered. By using recent astronomical observations coming from supernova of Ia types we constraint the values of the parameters that characterize our models.
Here we consider our universe as inhomogeneous spherically symmetric Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi Model and analyze the thermodynamics of this model of the universe. The trapping horizon is calculated and is found to coincide with the apparent horizon. The Einstein field equations are shown to be equivalent with the unified first law of thermodynamics. Finally assuming the first law of thermodynamics validity of the generalized second law of thermodynamics is examined at the apparent horizon for the perfect fluid and at the event horizon for holographic dark energy.
We consider cosmological backreaction effects in Buchert's averaging formalism on the basis of an explicit solution of the Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) dynamics which is linear in the LTB curvature parameter and has an inhomogeneous bang time. The volume Hubble rate is found in terms of the volume scale factor which represents a derivation of the simplest phenomenological solution of Buchert's equations in which the fractional densities corresponding to average curvature and kinematic backreaction are explicitly determined by the parameters of the underlying LTB solution at the boundary of the …
We explore the effects coming from the nested structures on propagation of radial light rays going through them in the simple self-similar configuration containing pairs of voids and overdense regions. Each pair can be described with the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi metric and is composed of interior dust ball and exterior Schwarzschild region. A relation between the redshift and amount of nested pairs is studied numerically in order to answer a question whether a strong relativistic effect can be obtained when every component of the structure can be described by the weak field approximation of gener…
The character of the central density profile in the Lemaître-Tolman (LT) solutions plays a fundamental role in their application as cosmological models. This same character is studied here for these solutions used to model complete gravitational collapse. A necessary condition for the development of a black hole (not even locally naked singularities) is developed. This condition allows central density cusps, the central feature of the LT solutions when used to match cosmological observations without invoking the cosmological constant.
Recent progress of black hole thermodynamics due to Hawking radiation has been applied to universal thermodynamics with universe as inhomogeneous LTB model. Hawking-like temperature with quantum corrections has been evaluated using HJ method and the semiclassical part of the temperature coincides with that formulated in radial null geodesic method.
Utilizing the ADM equations, we derive a metric and reduced field equations describing a general, spherically symmetric perfect fluid. The metric describes both the interior perfect fluid region and exterior vacuum Schwarzschild spacetime in a single coordinate patch. The exterior spacetime is in generalized Painleve-Gullstrand coordinates which is an infinite class of coordinate systems. In the static limit the system reduces to a Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation on the interior with the exterior in Schwarzschild coordinates. We show the coordinate transformation for the non-static cases t…
We propose to explain the dimming of distant supernovae as the combined effect of dark energy and a Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) metric. We take dark energy to have a shear-dependent pressure $p_{DE}=(w_0+εw_1)ρ_{DE}$ where $ε$ is the ratio of LTB shear to LTB expansion.
We investigate the possible occurrence of a positive cosmic acceleration in a spatially averaged, expanding, unbound Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi cosmology. By studying an approximation in which the contribution of three-curvature dominates over the matter density, we construct numerical models which exhibit acceleration.
Our universe hosts various large-scale structures from voids to galaxy clusters, so it would be interesting to find some simple and reasonable measure to describe the inhomogeneities in the universe. We explore two different methods for this purpose: the Kullback-Leibler entropy and the Weyl curvature tensor. These two quantities characterize the deviation of the actual distribution of matter from the unperturbed background. We calculate these two measures in the spherically symmetric Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi model in the dust universe. Both exact and perturbative calculations are presented, and …
We construct two models of the formation a galaxy with a central black hole, starting from a small initial fluctuation at recombination. This is an application of previously developed methods to find a Lemaitre-Tolman model that evolves from a given initial density or velocity profile to a given final density profile. We show that the black hole itself could be either a collapsed object, or a non-vacuum generalisation of a full Schwarzschild-Kruskal-Szekeres wormhole. Particular attention is paid to the black hole's apparent and event horizons.
We argued in a previous paper [R. A. Vanderveld et al. 2006, arXiv:astro-ph/0602476] that negative deceleration parameters at the center of symmetry in Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi cosmological models can only occur if the model is not smooth at the origin. Here we demonstrate explicitly the connection between non-smoothness and the failure of positivity theorems for deceleration. We also address some confusion that has arisen in the literature and respond to some recent criticisms of our arguments.
We present a new analytical solution of the Einstein field equations describing a wormhole shell of zero thickness joining two Lemaıtre-Tolman-Bondi universes, with no radial accretion. The material on the shell satisfies the energy conditions and, at late times, the shell becomes comoving with the dust-dominated cosmic substratum.
New exact solutions emerge by replacing the dust source of the Lemâitre-Tolman-Bondi metrics with a viscous fluid satisfying the monatomic gas equation of state. The solutions have a consistent thermodynamical interpretation. The most general transport equation of Extended Irreversible Thermodynamics is satisfied, with phenomenological coefficients bearing a close resemblance to those characterizing a non relativistic Maxwell-Bolzmann gas.
Within the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi formalism for gravitational collapse of inhomogeneous dust we analyze the parameter space that leads to the formation of a globally covered singularity (i.e. a black hole) when some physically reasonable requirements are imposed (namely positive radially decreasing and quadratic profile for the energy density and avoidance of shell crossing singularities). It turns out that a black hole can occur as the endstate of collapse only if the singularity is simultaneous as in the standard Oppenheimer-Snyder scenario. Given a fixed density profile then there is one vel…
In this paper we consider gauge invariant linear perturbations of the metric and matter tensors describing the self-similar Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (timelike dust) spacetime containing a naked singularity. We decompose the angular part of the perturbation in terms of spherical harmonics and perform a Mellin transform to reduce the perturbation equations to a set of ordinary differential equations with singular points. We fix initial data so the perturbation is finite on the axis and the past null cone of the singularity, and follow the perturbation modes up to the Cauchy horizon. There we argue …
Structure formation within the Lemaitre-Tolman model is investigated in a general manner. We seek models such that the initial density perturbation within a homogeneous background has a smaller mass than the structure into which it will develop, and the perturbation then accretes more mass during evolution. This is a generalisation of the approach taken by Bonnor in 1956. It is proved that any two spherically symmetric density profiles specified on any two constant time slices can be joined by a Lemaitre-Tolman evolution, and exact implicit formulae for the arbitrary functions that determine t…
In this work, we try to obtain a stable Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) static universe, which is spherically symmetric and radially inhomogeneous. However, this is not an easy task, and fails in general relativity (GR) and various modified gravity theories, because the corresponding LTB static universes must reduce to the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) static universes. We find a way out in a new type of modified gravity theory, in which the conservation of energy and momentum is broken. In this work, we have proposed a novel modification to the original Rastall gravity. In some sense, our Rast…
We study fluid distributions endowed with hyperbolical symmetry, which share many common features with Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) solutions (e.g. they are geodesic, shearing, non--conformally flat and the energy density is inhomogeneous). As such they may be considered as hyperbolically symmetric versions of LTB, with spherical symmetry replaced by hyperbolical symmetry. We start by considering pure dust models, and afterwards we extend our analysis to dissipative models with anisotropic pressure. In the former case the complexity factor is necessarily non-vanishing, whereas in the latter cas…
We start a systematic study of the Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) model as applied to the large scale structure and its evolution. Here we study three possible initial conditions of the LTB models which are asymptotically FRW at large scales: bang time, fractal density (with fractal dimension D=2), and velocity law. Any two of these determine the third one. Fractal density and simultaneous bang time provide a quantitative estimate for the scale beyond which the deflection from the linear Hubble law is small. This border may be identified with the zero-velocity surface. For fractal density and lin…
The Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi solution has received much attention as a possible alternative to Dark Energy, as it is able to account for the apparent acceleration of the Universe without any exotic matter content. However, in order to make rigorous comparisons between these models and cosmological observations, such as the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect, baryon acoustic oscillations and the observed matter power spectrum, it is absolutely necessary to have a proper understanding of the linear perturbation theory about them. Here we present this theory in a fully general, and gauge-invariant form. …
Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) solutions have traditionally been confined to systems with no pressure in which the gravity is due to massive dust, but the solutions are little changed in form if, as in cosmology, the pressure is uniform in space at each comoving time. This allows the equations of cosmology to be deduced in a manner that more closely resembles classical mechanics. It also gives some inhomogeneous solutions with growing condensations and black holes. We give criteria by which the sizes of different closed models of the universe can be compared and discuss conditions for self-closur…
We describe several new ways of specifying the behaviour of Lemaitre-Tolman (LT) models, in each case presenting the method for obtaining the LT arbitrary functions from the given data, and the conditions for existence of such solutions. In addition to our previously considered `boundary conditions', the new ones include: a simultaneous big bang, a homogeneous density or velocity distribution in the asymptotic future, a simultaneous big crunch, a simultaneous time of maximal expansion, a chosen density or velocity distribution in the asymptotic future, only growing or only decaying fluctuation…
We provide a formula for estimating the redshift and its secular change (redshift drift) in Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) spherically symmetric universes. We compute the scaling of the redshift drift for LTB models that predict Hubble diagrams indistinguishable from those of the standard cosmological model, the flat $Λ$ Cold Dark Matter ($Λ$CDM) model. We show that the redshift drift for these degenerate LTB models is typically different from that predicted in the $Λ$CDM scenario. We also highlight and discuss some unconventional redshift-drift signals that arise in LTB universes and give them d…
The Maxwell electromagnetic theory embedded in an inhomogeneous Lema\^ıtre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) spacetime background was described a few years back in the literature. However, terms concerning the mass or high-derivatives were no explored. In this work we studied the inhomogeneous spacetime effects on high-derivatives and massive electromagnetic models. We used the LTB metric and calculated the physical quantities of interest, namely the scale factor, density of the electromagnetic field and Hubble constant, for the Proca and higher-derivative Podolsky models. We found a new singularity in both …
It has been argued in the literature that in order to make a matter dominated Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe compatible with the generalized second law of thermodynamics, one must invoke dark energy, or modified gravity. In the present article we investigate if in a similar spirit, inhomogeneous cosmological models can be motivated on thermodynamic grounds. We examine a particular minimal void Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi inhomogeneous model which agrees well with observations. While on the one hand we find that the entropy associated with the apparent horizon is not well-behaved thermo…
In this work we have obtained the set of new exact solutions of the Einstein equations that generalize the known Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi solution for the certain case of nonzero pressure under zero spatial curvature. These solutions are pretending to describe the black hole immersed in the nonstatic cosmological background and give a possibility to investigate the problems concerning the effects of the cosmological expansion in gravitationally bounded systems. They may also be used as a seed models in the problem of structure formation in the universe at the epoch of matter and radiation decoupl…
We consider extensions of Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) spacetimes to the dissipative case. For doing that we previously carry out a systematic study on LTB. This study is based on two different aspects of LTB. On the one hand, a symmetry property of LTB will be presented. On the other hand, the description of LTB in terms of some fundamental scalar functions (structure scalars) appearing in the orthogonal splitting of Riemann tensor will be provided. We shall consider as "natural" generalizations of LTB (hereafter referred to as GLTB) either those metrics admitting some similar kind of symmetry…
The motion of a spherical dust cloud is described by the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi solution and is completely specified by initial values of distributions of the rest mass density and specific energy of the dust fluid. From generic initial conditions of this spherically symmetric collapse, there appears a naked singularity at the symmetric center in the course of the gravitational collapse of the dust cloud. So this might be a counter example to the cosmic censorship hypothesis. To investigate the genericity of this example, we examine the stability of the `nakedness' of this singularity against o…
In continuing our earlier research, we find the formulae needed to determine the arbitrary functions in the Lemaitre-Tolman model when the evolution proceeds from a given initial velocity distribution to a final state that is determined either by a density distribution or by a velocity distribution. In each case the initial and final distributions uniquely determine the L-T model that evolves between them, and the sign of the energy-function is determined by a simple inequality. We also show how the final density profile can be more accurately fitted to observational data than was done in our …
This paper describes the Fortran 77 code SIMU, version 1.1, designed for numerical simulations of observational relations along the past null geodesic in the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) spacetime. SIMU aims at finding scale invariant solutions of the average density, but due to its full modularity it can be easily adapted to any application which requires LTB's null geodesic solutions. In version 1.1 the numerical output can be read by the GNUPLOT plotting package to produce a fully graphical output, although other plotting routines can be easily adapted. Details of the code's subroutines are …
A piecewise Tolman-Bondi-Lemaitre (TBL) cell-model for the universe incorporating local collapsing and expanding inhomogeneities is presented here. The cell-model is made up of TBL underdense and overdense spherical regions surrounded by an intermediate region of TBL shells embedded in an expanding universe. The cell-model generalizes the Friedmann as well as Einstein-Straus swiss-cheese models and presents a number of advantages over other models, and in particular the time evolution of the cosmological inhomogeneities is now incorporated within the scheme. Important problem of gravitational …
We consider Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi spacetimes from the point of view of a tilted observer, i.e. one with respect to which the fluid is radially moving. The imperfect fluid and the congruence described by its four-velocity, as seen by the tilted observer is studied in detail. It is shown that from the point of view of such tilted observer the fluid evolves non-reversibly (i.e. with non-vanishing rate of entropy production). The non-geodesic character of the tilted congruence is related to the non-vanishing of the divergence of the 4-vector entropy flow. We determine the factor related to the exi…
We present in this paper a new application of the geodesic light-cone (GLC) gauge for weak lensing calculations. Using interesting properties of this gauge, we derive an exact expression of the amplification matrix - involving convergence, magnification and shear - and of the deformation matrix - involving the optical scalars. These expressions are simple and non-perturbative as long as no caustics are created on the past light-cone and are, by construction, free from the thin lens approximation. We apply these general expressions on the example of an Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) model with an …
This work provides a general discussion of the spatially inhomogeneous Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) cosmology, as well as its basic properties and many useful relevant quantities, such as the cosmological distances. We apply the concept of the single null geodesic to produce some simple analytical solutions for observational quantities such as the redshift. As an application of the single null geodesic technique, we carry out a fractal approach to the parabolic LTB model, comparing it to the spatially homogeneous Einstein-de Sitter cosmology. The results obtained indicate that the standard mode…
Recently, some Lema{\^ı}tre-Tolman-Bondi metrics have been considered as models alternative to the dark energy within the Friedmann-Lema{\^ı}tre-Robertson-Walker universes. The vanishing of the intrinsic energy of these metrics is examined since such a vanishing, in the present case and in general, could be interpreted as a necessary condition to consider the possibility of the quantum creation of a metric. More specifically, this vanishing is examined in the particular case where the Lema{\^ı}tre-Tolman-Bondi metrics behave asymptotically like a Friedmann-Lema{\^ı}tre-Robertson-Walker univers…
We build a simple cosmological model by means of a parabolic Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) metric up to a redshift $z\simeq 0.4$, an hyperbolic Friedmann metric for $z\sim 0.4$ up to the scale where dimming galaxies are observed ($z\sim 1.4$) and a bulk spatially flat metric up to the last scattering surface. Following Wiltshire, by taking into account the different rate of clocks for an observer at the centre of a parabolic LTB spacetime with respect to a one in the hyperbolic Friedmann metric, an "apparent" negative deceleration parameter is perceived by the observer at the centre of LTB, prov…
The aim of this paper is to check if the models with realistic inhomogeneous matter distribution and without cosmological constant can explain the dimming of the supernovae in such a way that it can be interpreted as an acceleration of the Universe. Employing the simplest inhomogeneous model, i.e. Lemaitre-Tolman model, this paper examines the impact of inhomogeneous matter distribution on light propagation. These analyses show that realistic matter fluctuations on small scales induce brightness fluctuations in the residual Hubble diagram of amplitude around 0.15 mag, and thus can mimic accele…
We study the evolution of linear perturbations in a Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) void model with realistic cosmological initial conditions. Linear perturbation theory in LTB models is substantially more complicated than in standard Friedmann universes as the inhomogeneous background causes gauge-invariant perturbations to couple at first order. As shown by Clarkson et al. (2009), the evolution is constrained by a system of linear partial differential equations which need to be integrated numerically. We present a new numerical scheme using finite element methods to solve this equation system an…
We derive a class of non-static inhomogeneous dust solutions in f(R) gravity described by the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) metric. The field equations are fully integrated for all parameter subcases and compared with analogous subcases of LTB dust solutions of GR. Since the solutions do not admit regular symmetry centres, we have two possibilities: (i) a spherical dust cloud with angle deficit acting as the source of a vacuum Schwarzschild-like solution associated with a global monopole, or (ii) fully regular dust wormholes without angle deficit, whose rest frames are homeomorphic to the Schwar…
We consider inhomogeneous spherically symmetric models based on the Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) metric, assuming as its source an interactive mixture of ordinary baryonic matter, cold dark matter and dark energy with a coupling term proportional to the addition of energy densities of both dark fluids. We reduce Einstein's field equations to a first order 7-dimensional autonomous dynamical system of evolution equations and algebraic constraints. We study in detail the evolution of the energy density and spatial curvature profiles along the phase space by means of two subspace projections: a thr…
We develop models of void formation starting from a small initial fluctuation at recombination and growing to a realistic present day density profile in agreement with observations of voids. The model construction is an extension of previously developed algorithms for finding a Lemaitre-Tolman metric that evolves between two profiles of either density or velocity specified at two times. Of the 4 profiles of concern -- those of density and velocity at recombination and at the present day -- two can be specified and the other two follow from the derived model. We find that, in order to reproduce…
In this paper we attempt to answer to the question: can cosmic acceleration of the Universe have a fractal solution? We give an exact solution of a Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) Universe based on the assumption that such a smooth metric is able to describe, on average, a fractal distribution of matter. While the LTB model has a center, we speculate that, when the fractal dimension is not very different from the space dimension, this metric applies to any point of the fractal structure when chosen as center so that, on average, there is not any special point or direction. We examine the observed …
LeMa\^ıtre-Tolman-Bondi models of spherical dust collapse have been used and continue to be used extensively to study various stellar collapse scenarios. It is by now well-known that these models lead to the formation of black holes and naked singularities from regular initial data. The final outcome of the collapse, particularly in the event of naked singularity formation, depends very heavily on quantum effects during the final stages. These quantum effects cannot generally be treated semi-classically as quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field are expected to dominate before the fina…
It is common to think of our universe according to the "block universe" concept, which says that spacetime consists of many "stacked" 3-surfaces, labelled by some kind of proper time, $τ$. Standard ideas do not distinguish past and future, but Ellis "evolving block universe" tries to make a fundamental distinction. One proposal for this proper time is the proper time measured along the timelike Ricci eigenlines, starting from the big bang. This work investigates the shape of the "Ricci time" surfaces relative to the the null surfaces. We use the Lemaitre-Tolman metric as our inhomogeneous spac…
A new class of solutions of Einstein's equations is derived providing a physically plausible hydrodynamic description of cosmological matter in the radiation era of the Universe expansion. The solutions are characterized by the LTB metric with dissipative fluid sources, subjected to the following conditions: (i) tthe nonequilibrium state variables satisfy the equations of state of a mixture of relativistic and non-relativistic ideal gases, where the internal energy of the latter has been neglected, (ii) the particle numbers of the mixture components are independently conserved, (iii) the visco…
We introduce quasi-local integral scalar variables for the study of spherically symmetric Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) dust models. Besides providing a covariant, and theoretically appealing, interpretation for the parameters of these models, these variables allow us to study their dynamics (in their full generality) by means of fluid flow evolution equations that can be handled with simple numerical techniques and has a significant potential for astrophysical and cosmological applications. These evolution equations can also be understood in the framework of a gauge invariant and covariant form…