Strong observational support for the Rh=ct timeline in the early universe

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1 Scopus citations

Abstract

JWST's recent discovery of well-formed galaxies and supermassive black holes only a few hundred Myr after the big bang seriously challenges the timeline predicted by ΛCDM. Now, the latest identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at z=6.71, together with these earlier inconsistencies, makes the time compression problem in this model quite overwhelming. We consider the timeline associated with the formation and growth of PAH grains based on current astrophysical models and argue that their appearance at z=6.71 favors the structure formation history in Rh=ct rather than that of Planck-ΛCDM. We estimate the time at which they must have started growing in each case, and then trace their history through various critical events, such as the end of the ‘dark ages’, the beginning of Pop III star formation, and the onset of reionization. Together, these three distinct discoveries by JWST, viz. high-z galaxies, high-z quasars and the surprisingly early appearance of PAHs, all paint a fully consistent picture in which the timeline in ΛCDM is overly compressed at z≳6, while strongly supporting the expansion history in the early Universe predicted by Rh=ct.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number101587
JournalPhysics of the Dark Universe
Volume46
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2024

Keywords

  • Cosmic equation of state
  • Structure formation
  • The R = ct universe

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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