Cosmographic evaluation of deceleration parameter using SNe Ia data

Abstract

The apparent magnitude-redshift data of SNe Ia call for modifications in the standard model energy densities. Under the circumstance that this modification cannot be limited to the addition of a mere cosmological constant, a serious situation has emerged in cosmology, in which the energy densities in the universe have become largely speculative. In this situation, an equation of state of the form p=w \rho itself is not well-motivated. In this paper, we argue that the reasonable option left is to make a model-independent analysis of SNe data, without reference to the energy densities. In this basically kinematic approach, we limit ourselves to the observationally justifiable assumptions of homogeneity and isotropy; i.e., to the assumption that the universe has a RW metric. This cosmographic approach is historically the original one to cosmology. We perform the analysis by expanding the scale factor into a polynomial of order 5, which assumption can be further generalised to any order. The present expansion rates h, q_0, r_0 etc. are evaluated by computing the marginal likelihoods for these parameters. These values are relevant, since any cosmological solution would ultimately need to explain them.