Towards observational constraints on a negative (1+z)4 type contribution in the Friedmann equation

Abstract

Abstract We discuss certain issues related to the limitations of density parameters for a “radiation”-like contribution to the Friedmann equation using kinematical or geometrical measurements. We analyse the observational constraint of a negative ( 1 + z ) 4 -type contribution in cosmological models. We argue that it is not possible to determine the energy densities of individual components of matter scaling like radiation from astronomical observations. We find three different interpretations of the presence of the radiation term: (1) the FRW universe filled with a massless scalar field in a quantum regime (the Casimir effect), (2) the Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) model in the Randall–Sundrum scenario with dark radiation, (3) the cosmological model with global rotation. From supernovae type Ia (SNIa) data, Fanaroff–Riley type IIb (FRIIb) radio galaxy (RG) data, baryon oscillation peak and cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) observations we obtain bounds for the negative radiation-like term. A small negative contribution of dark radiation can reconcile the tension in nucleosynthesis and remove also the disagreement between H 0 values obtained from both SNIa and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite data.