Matter-vacuum age endpoint limits 2026-10-14
The age of a flat matter-Lambda universe is . The large-argument expansion gives the first limit. Its small-argument expansion gives the second. The divergence at the pure-vacuum endpoint reflects the absence of a finite Big Bang time in the expanding flat de Sitter spacetime patch.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 62 1 b i Solution 2026-10-14
As , use to obtainAt fixed Hubble constant, the age of a flat matter-Lambda universe diverges logarithmically. The limiting purely vacuum-dominated de Sitter spacetime has an exponential scale factor and no Big Bang at a finite value of cosmic time in this flat slicing.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 62 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For , set and choose the expanding branch of the Friedmann equation. ThenSeparating variables and choosing cosmic time at the Big Bang givesThus the flat dust-and-vacuum expansion isSetting gives the age of a flat matter-Lambda universe,The two matter-vacuum age endpoint limits follow below.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 73 2 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The age of an FLRW universe at an epoch is the elapsed cosmic time since the Big Bang, not the lookback time from today. For positive matter and positive cosmological constant, integrating givesPut ; then . The integral becomes the age of a flat matter-Lambda universe:Choose such that . The upper-limit value of is , andConsequentlyThe integration constant is fixed by as , where . Equivalently, differentiating changes the last integral to , recovering the supplied trigonometric identity. The formula assumes positive and ; its zero-vacuum limit is regular even though this parametrization is singular.