Bianchi type I universe with viscous fluid

Abstract

We study the evolution of a homogeneous, anisotropic Universe given by a Bianchi type-I cosmological model filled with viscous fluid, in the presence of a cosmological constant $\Lambda$. The role of viscous fluid and $\Lambda$ term in the evolution the BI space-time is studied. Though the viscosity cannot remove the cosmological singularity, it plays a crucial part in the formation of a qualitatively new behavior of the solutions near singularity. It is shown that the introduction of the $\Lambda$ term can be handy in the elimination of the cosmological singularity. In particular, in case of a bulk viscosity, it provides an everlasting process of evolution ($\Lambda < 0$), whereas, for some positive values of $\Lambda$ and the bulk viscosity being inverse proportional to the expansion, the BI Universe admits a singularity-free oscillatory mode of expansion. In case of a constant bulk viscosity and share viscosity being proportional to expansion, the model allows oscillatory mode accompanied by an exponential growth even with a negative $\Lambda$. Space-time singularity in this case occurs at $t \to -\infty$.