Cosmic curvature from de Sitter equilibrium cosmology

Abstract

I show that the de Sitter Equilibrium cosmology generically predicts observable levels of curvature in the Universe today. The predicted value of the curvature depends only on the ratio of the density of non-relativistic matter to energy density in cosmological constant, and the value of the curvature from the initial bubble that starts the inflation. The result is independent of the scale of inflation, the shape of the potential during inflation, and many other details of the cosmology. Future cosmological measurements of the matter density, cosmological constant and curvature will open up a window on the very beginning of our Universe and offer an opportunity to support or falsify the de Sitter Equilibrium cosmology.

4 pages including 4 figures. V2: Final version accepted for publication in PRL. Clarifications added, including comments relating this work to other holographic bounds on inflation. Also, small adjustments to meet page limit. The ideas, technical results and conclusions are unchanged