ROBERTSON-WALKER COSMOLOGICAL MODELS WITH

C O N F O R M A L L Y INVARIANT S C A L A R F I E L D AND T R A C E - F R E E
ENERGY-MOMENTUM TENSOR
(Letter to the Editor)

A. BEESHAM
Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, South Africa

(Received 11June, 1993)

Abstract. Several authors have studied solutions of Einstein's field equations for a conformally
invariant scalar field with trace-free energy-momentum tensor for the Robertson-Walkermodels for
K = 0, =kl. The relationship of these solutions to a previously existing one by Som (1985) is
discussed. The K = 0 model derived by Innaiah and Reddy (1985) is shown to be a special case of
the BiancM type-I models due to Accioly,Vaidyaand Som (1983a).

1. Introduction

An altemative gravitational theory has been presented by Callan, Coleman and

Jackiw (1970) which is conformally invariant. A trace-free energy-momentum
tensor generates the gravitational field and the matter field is a massless scalar
field.
A number of authors have investigated various aspects of the theory. Some
of them are as follows. Froyland (1982) found the static spherically symmetric
solution, Vaidya and Som (1983) the static plane symmetric one and Accioly,
Vaidya and Som (1983a, b) found the Bianchi type-I anisotropic model (without
and with an electromagnetic fieid, respectively). The K = 0 Robertson-Walker
model was investigated by Innaiah and Reddy (1985) and also by Som (1985).
Maharaj, Maartens and Beesham (1990) showed that it is not possible to have an
inhomogeneous and isotropic scalar field coupled to a Robertson-Walker geometry.
The general static, asymptoticaily flat, sphericaily symmetric class of solutions was
constructed by Xanthopoulos and Zannias (1991), who also studied the Kantowski-
Sachs metrics (Xanthopoulos and Zannias, 1992).
We now focus upon the K -- 4-1 Robertson-Walker solutions. Deng and Mann-
heim (1988) found these solutions. Maharaj and Beesham (1987) also investigated
these cases, but their analysis contained an error (which was kindly pointed out
by an anonymous referee, for which the authors are grateful) which was corrected
in Maharaj, Maartens and Beesham (1990). The error in analysis stemmed from
an equation incorrectly given in Innaiah and Reddy (1985), and which incorrect
equation again appears in Singh and Singh (1992), who, once again, give the
K = + 1 solutions.

Astrophysics and Space Science 207: 301-304, 1993.

(~) 1993 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in Belgium.
302 A. BEESHAM

However, all the above-mentioned authors who investigated the K = i l cases

appear to have overlooked an investigation into the same problem by Som (1985).
The paper by Som (1985) which seems to have gone largely unnoticed gave the
solutions in a form which is not as explicit as those given by Deng and Mannheim
(1985).
Innaiah and Reddy (1985) found the K = 0 Robertson-Walker model. However,
their model is but a special case of the Bianchi type-I models derived previously
by Accioly et al. (1983a). It is weil known that the Bianchi type-I anisotropic
models constitute a generalization of the K = 0 Robertson-Walker model. We
show explicitly in this paper how the model of Innaiah and Reddy (1985) can be
deduced from that of Accioly et al. (1983a).

2. Field E q u a t i o n s a n d S o l u t i o n

The theory of Callan et al. (1970) is derived in the usual way by variation of the
following integral
1 «
I = f [1R(1- ~2/6) + ~~«qo ] vf~d4x. (1)

Consider the Bianchi type-I metric

ds 2 = - d t 2 + a2(t)dx 2 + a2(t)dy 2 + a~(t)dz 2. (2)

Following Accioly et al. (1983a), we let

u 2 = q02/6. (3)

The Bianchi type-I solution is then given by (Accioly et al., 1983a)

2 = ki
ai f{(1 - u)/(1 + u)} ~x, (4)
where
f = 1- u 2, (5)
and the ki's and Ai's are constants of integration satisfying
~1/~2 nt- ,~2~ 3 -t- /~3~1 = 3. (6)
Let
[(I - u)]
= In L(I + u ) J ' (7)
1
A = I'I v / ~ ' (8)
1 3
p = ~ Y~~ Ai. (9)
i*---~ 1
 ROBERTSON-WALKER COSMOLOG1CAL MODELS 303

Then we have

[½exp(p~){pcosh(~/2) - ½sinh(~/2)}] = - ( A t + B)
(p2 _ ¼) (1o)

where B is a constant of integration.

Equations (4), (6) and (10) constitute the solution to the Bianchi type-I metric.
To show how the solution above reduces to the Robertson-Walker K = 0
solution, we let

al = a z = a 3 = a (11)

together with

•~1 = "~2 = )t3 ~ )~ (12)

and

kl = k2 = k3 ~ k (13)

Equation (6) then implies that $ = 4-1 and in order to make the relationship
between the two solutions transparent, we choose

A = -1. (14)

From equations (4), (5), (11), (12), (13) and (14), we then find that

v~
« - ~------3"
(1 + (15)

From equation (9), we obtain

3
p = -- (16)
2
By making use of equations (7) and (16), we find that equation (10) yields
2
u = - 1 + [1 + 8(At + B)]I/2" (17)

Equations (15) and (17) then show finally that

a = (Dt + E) 1/2,
G
u=F+--
a

where D, E, F and G a r e appropriate constants. This solution is the same as that

presented by Innaiah and Reddy (1985).
304 A. BEESHAM

3. Conclusion
We have shown that the K = 0 Robertson-Walker model derived by Innaiah and
Reddy (1985) is a special case of the Bianchi type-I models presented by Accioly
et al. (1983a). This is to be expected since the Bianchi type-I solutions constitute
a generalization of the K = 0 Robertson-Walker ones.
We have also remarked that the K = -4-1 solutions were first studied by Som
(1985) and that this paper was not mentioned in later investigations by Maharaj
and Beesham (1987), Deng and Mannheim (1988) and Singh and Singh (1992).

Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to the University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, UK for
hospitality, the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune,
India for hospitality and support, the University of Zululand for leave and support
and the Foundation for Research Development, South Africa for partial support.
Finally, an anonymous referee is sincerely thanked for critical appraisal of earlier
versions of this manuscript, which led to substantial improvements.

References
Accioly, A. J., Vaidya, A. N. and Som, M. M.: 1983a, Phys. Rev. D 27, 2282.
Accioly, A. J., Vaidya, A. N. and Som, M. M.: 1983b, Phys. Rev. D 28, 1853.
Callan, C. G., Coleman, S. and Jackiw, R.: 1970, Ann. Phys. 59, 42.
Deng, Y. and Mannheim, P. D.: 1988, Astrophys. J. 324, 1o
Froyland, Y.: 1982, Phys. Rev. D 25, 1470.
Innaiah, P. and Reddy, D.R.K.: 1985, Astrophys. Space Sci. 117, 65.
Maharaj, S. D. and Beesham, A.: 1987, Astrophys. Space Sci. 136, 315.
Maharaj, S. D., Maartens, R., and Beesham, A.: 1990, Astrophys. Space Sci. 167, 329.
Singh, N. 1. and Singh, N. B.: 1992, Astrophys. Space Sci. 188, 165.
Som, M. M.: 1985, in: N. Dadhich et al. (eds.), A Random Walk in Relativity and Cosmology, Wiley
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Vaidya, A. N. and Som, M. M.: 1983, Phys. Rev. D 27, 1782.
Xanthopoulos, B. C. and Zannias, T.: 1991, J. Math. Phys. 32, 1875.
Xanthopoulos, B. C. and Zannias0 T.: 1992, J. Math. Phys. 33, 1420.