https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-6245-7
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Szekeres universes with homogeneous scalar fields
1
DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Rd., Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK
2
Instituto de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
3
Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Core Curriculum Program, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar, 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
4
Institute of Systems Science, Durban University of Technology, PO Box 1334, Durban, 4000, Republic of South Africa
* e-mail: J.D.Barrow@damtp.cam.ac.uk
Received:
1
August
2018
Accepted:
14
September
2018
Published online:
24
September
2018
We consider the existence of an “inflaton” described by an homogeneous scalar field in the Szekeres cosmological metric. The gravitational field equations are reduced to two families of solutions which describe the homogeneous Kantowski–Sachs spacetime and an inhomogeneous FLRW(-like) spacetime with spatial curvature a constant. The main differences with the original Szekeres spacetimes containing only pressure-free matter are discussed. We investigate the stability of the two families of solution by studying the critical points of the field equations. We find that there exist stable solutions which describe accelerating spatially-flat FLRW geometries.
© The Author(s), 2018
