The influence of gravitational binding energy on cosmic expansion dynamics: new perspectives for cosmology

Abstract

Confronted with microwave background observations by WMAP and with consternating supernova locations in the magnitude–redshift diagram modern cosmology feels enforced to call for cosmic vacuum energy as a necessary cosmological ingredient. Most often this vacuum energy is associated with Einstein’s cosmological constant Λ or with so-called “dark energy”. A positive value of Λ describes an inflationary action on cosmic dynamics which in view of recent cosmological data appears as an absolute need. In this article, however, we question the hypothesis of a constant vacuum energy density since not justifiable on physical grounds. Instead we show that gravitational binding energy of cosmic matter, connected with ongoing structure formation during cosmic expansion, acts similar to vacuum energy, since it reduces the effective gravitating proper mass density. Thus one may be encouraged to believe that actions of cosmic vacuum energy and gravitational binding energy concerning their cosmological effects are closely related to each other, perhaps in some respects even have identical phenomenologies.