Cosmological models with fluid matter undergoing velocity diffusion

Abstract

A new type of fluid matter model in general relativity is introduced, in which the fluid particles are subject to velocity diffusion without friction. In order to compensate for the energy gained by the fluid particles due to diffusion, a cosmological scalar field term is added to the left hand side of the Einstein equations. This hypothesis promotes diffusion to a new mechanism for accelerated expansion in cosmology. It is shown that diffusion alters not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively the global dynamical properties of the standard cosmological models.