Dynamical spatial curvature as a fit to Type Ia supernovae

Abstract

Few statements in cosmology can be made without assuming a cosmological model within which to interpret data. Statements about cosmic acceleration are no exception to this rule, and the inferred positive volume acceleration of our universe often quoted in the literature is valid in the context of the standard Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) class of spacetimes. Using the Joint Light-curve Analysis (JLA) catalogue of supernovae Type Ia (SNIa), we examine the fit of a class of exact scaling solutions with dynamical spatial curvature formulated in the framework of a scalar averaging scheme for relativistic inhomogeneous spacetimes. In these models, global volume acceleration may emerge as a result of the nonlocal variance between expansion rates of clusters and voids, the latter gaining volume dominance in the late-epoch universe. We find best-fit parameters for a scaling model of backreaction that are reasonably consistent with previously found constraints from SNIa, CMB, and baryon acoustic oscillations data. The quality of fit of the scaling solutions is indistinguishable from that of the ΛCDM model and the timescape cosmology from an Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) perspective. This indicates that a broad class of models can account for the [Formula: see text] expansion history.