cosmology universe **
THEORETICAL COSMOLOGY ARTICLES PRIOR TO 1994.
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...In 1988–1989, when we published these three initial papers, a few authors had speculated that certain physical constants—such as the gravitational constant G, or particle masses—might have varied over time, on the scale of cosmic evolution. But no one would have even imagined for a moment that the speed of light could have varied too. Thus, we were, at that time, the first to touch upon this pillar of physics. These three articles passed completely unnoticed.
...When we created this website, we wondered whether we should include these early papers. The lengthy article published in 1995 in Astrophysics and Space Science, which extended this work, contained a synthesis of these three initial studies.
...But time has passed. By the end of the 1990s (1998), the first papers began to appear, hinting at the idea of a secular variation in the speed of light, alongside similar variations in other constants, as one would expect. Of course, none of the authors involved could have imagined that this topic had already been addressed (by a Frenchman!) ten years earlier. Hence, these earlier works were not cited in their bibliographies.
...Not all institutes and laboratories automatically have Modern Physics Letters A in their library. Fortunately, there is the Web. By including these works on the site, it will be easier to draw the attention of relevant researchers to them, and to the prior existence of this type of variable-speed-of-light cosmological model.
...In cosmology as in theoretical physics, everything is a matter of fashion. Just as there are times for long dresses and times for short skirts, there are moments when physical constants are treated as immutable, and other moments when one dares to play with them.
...One must take this phenomenon philosophically. There are now people who are beginning to vary practically anything (and often in a rather arbitrary way). Is it justified to grant oneself such freedom? It's still a bit early to conclude, but it's nonetheless heartening to know one is not alone. If this trend continues, Hubert Reeves might even end up discussing it one day, who knows?
...In this section "Geometrical Physics A," the reader will find a whole series of articles. Another, spanning about twenty pages, titled "Scale Invariant Cosmology," will soon be added to this list, having just been accepted by a reputable peer-reviewed journal, where the variation of constants is treated as a gauge phenomenon.
...A brief note in passing (March 1999). Researchers had the idea of using supernovae as distance markers for very high redshifts. The result was a renewed credibility for this old mythical serpent, this phoenix that continually rises from its ashes—the cosmological constant.
...For the uninitiated, this constant, introduced by mathematician Elie Cartan into Einstein's field equations, is equivalent to a (rather mysterious) force that only manifests itself at very large distances. Depending on the sign chosen, it can be either attractive or repulsive.
...Thus, this force becomes significant when objects in the universe have moved far enough apart.
...Measurements made using supernovae exploding in the most distant galaxies do not fit well with a "standard model" with zero cosmological constant. To account for these observations, astrophysicists therefore introduce a cosmological constant representing a "repulsive power of the vacuum." This phenomenon has become so significant that it now largely governs cosmic dynamics.
...There is already talk of a Nobel Prize for those who first demonstrated the importance of the cosmological constant, providing a reasonably precise measurement.
...Regarding this mysterious "repulsive power of the vacuum," questions arise. Our cosmological explorers search for words, for images. Some even speak of a kind of "antigravity."
...There exists an alternative interpretation—ours: if our universe is seen to accelerate its expansion, it is because its twin universe "pushes it forward," so to speak. Matter and its twin matter repel each other. For further explanation, we suggest the reader consult either the articles (if a specialist), or the introductory, popularizing text included on the website, or even the book "We Have Lost Half the Universe," published in 1998 by Albin Michel, which has long disappeared from bookstores but can still be ordered.
...The twin universe concept is not yet fashionable—or perhaps not yet fashionable. In ten years, other researchers may well take up this idea (first proposed in 1967 by Andrei Sakharov). For now, science journalists show little interest.
...As my friend Rémy Chauvin once reminded me:
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When you embark on something, you immediately face three groups of people:
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Those doing the same thing.
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Those doing the opposite.
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Those doing nothing.