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Phys. Rev. D 60, 023501 (1999) [16 pages]

Density parameter and the anthropic principle

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Jaume Garriga
IFAE, Departament de Fisica, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

Takahiro Tanaka
Department of Earth and Space Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-0043, Japan

Alexander Vilenkin
Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155

Received 25 March 1998; published 25 May 1999

In the context of open inflation, we calculate the probability distribution for the density parameter Ω. A large class of two field models of open inflation do not lead to infinite open universes, but to an ensemble of inflating islands of finite size, or “quasi-open” universes, where the density parameter takes a range of values. Assuming we are typical observers, the models make definite predictions for the value Ω we are most likely to observe. When compared with observations, these predictions can be used to constrain the parameters of the models. We also argue that observers should not be surprised to find themselves living at the time when curvature is about to dominate.

© 1999 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevD.60.023501
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevD.60.023501
PACS:
98.80.Cq