Interpretations of cosmological spectral shifts

Abstract

AbstractIt is shown that for Robertson-Walker models with flat or closed space sections, all of the cosmological spectral shift can be attributed to the non-flat connection (and thus indirectly to space-time curvature). For Robertson-Walker models with hyperbolic space sections, it is shown that cosmological spectral shifts uniquely split up into “kinematic” and “gravitational” parts provided that distances are small. For large distances no such unique split-up exists in general. A number of common, but incorrect assertions found in the literature regarding interpretations of cosmological spectral shifts, is pointed out.