Chapter 5.

Observational parameters

The Friedmann and fluid equations:

2
𝑎ሶ 8𝜋𝐺 𝑘
= 𝜌− 2
𝑎 3 𝑎
𝑎ሶ 𝑝
𝜌ሶ + 3 𝜌 + 2 = 0
𝑎 𝑐
Outline

The expansion rate 𝑯𝟎

The density parameter 𝛀𝟎

The deceleration parameter 𝒒𝟎

 The Hubble’s law

The Hubble-Lemaître law:

𝑣 = 𝐻0 𝐷
where:
- 𝑣 is the recessional velocity, typically expressed
in km/s An analogy for explaining Hubble's law, using raisins
- H0 is Hubble's constant in a rising loaf of bread in place of galaxies. If a
raisin is twice as far away from a place as another
- 𝐷 is the proper distance from the galaxy to the raisin, then the farther raisin would move away
observer, measured in mega parsecs (Mpc). from that place twice as quickly.
Edwin Powell Hubble

The 100-inch (2.5 m) Hooker telescope at Mount Wilson

Observatory that Hubble used to measure galaxy distances
and a value for the rate of expansion of the universe.
 The present Hubble parameter 𝐻0
Year Authors Hubble parameter
𝑯𝟎 = 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝒉 𝐤𝐦𝐬 −𝟏 𝐌𝐩𝐜 −𝟏
1927 Georges Lemaître (First measurement and interpretation as a sign of ℎ = 6.25
the expansion of the universe)
1929 Edwin Hubble (Hooker telescope) ℎ = 5.00
1956 Humason, Mayall and Sandage ℎ = 1.80
1958 Allan Sandage (This was the first good estimate of H0, but it would be ℎ = 0.75
decades before a consensus was achieved.)
early 1970s Allan Sandage and Gustav Tammann ℎ = 0.55
mid 1970's Gérard de Vaucouleurs (De Vaucouleurs believed he had improved the ℎ = 1.0 ± 0.1
accuracy of Hubble's constant from Sandage's because he used 5x
more primary indicators, 10x more calibration methods, 2x more
secondary indicators, and 3x as many galaxy data points to derive his
100 ± 10.)
1994 Supernova 1a Light Curve Shapes (Determined relationship between ℎ = 0.67 ± 0.07
luminosity of SN 1a's and their Light Curve Shapes. Riess et al used this
ratio of the light curve of SN 1972E and the Cepheid distance to NGC
5253 to determine the constant.)
 The present Hubble parameter 𝐻0

Estimated values of the Hubble constant, 2001–2020. Estimates in black represent calibrated distance ladder measurements
which tend to cluster around 73 (km/s)/Mpc; red represents early universe CMB/BAO measurements with ΛCDM parameters
which show good agreement on a figure near 67 (km/s)/Mpc, while blue are other techniques, whose uncertainties are not
yet small enough to decide between the two.
 The density parameter 𝛀𝟎
𝑎ሶ
- Hubble parameter: 𝐻 ≡
𝑎
- The critical density:
3𝐻 2
𝜌𝑐 𝑡 =
8𝜋𝐺

𝜌𝑐 𝑡0 = 1.88ℎ2 × 10−26 kgm−3 or, 𝜌𝑐 𝑡0 = 2.78ℎ−1 × 1011 𝑀⊙ ℎ−1 𝑀𝑝𝑐 3

- The density parameter:

𝜌
Ω 𝑡 ≡
𝜌𝐶
- The Friedmann equation is written as:
𝑘𝑐 2
Ω−1= 2 2
𝑎 𝐻
𝑘𝑐 2
- If Ω𝑘 ≡ − 2 2, one has:
𝑎 𝐻
Ω + Ω𝑘 = 1
 The deceleration parameter 𝒒𝟎
- A Taylor expansion of the scale factor about the present time:
1
𝑎 𝑡 = 𝑎 𝑡0 + 𝑎ሶ 𝑡0 𝑡 − 𝑡0 + 𝑎ሷ 𝑡0 𝑡 − 𝑡0 2 + ⋯
2
or:
𝑎 𝑡 𝑞0 2
= 1 + 𝐻0 𝑡 − 𝑡0 − 𝐻0 𝑡 − 𝑡0 2 + ⋯
𝑎 𝑡0 2

Where the deceleration parameter 𝑞0 is defined as:

𝑎ሷ 𝑡0 1 𝑎 𝑡0 𝑎ሷ 𝑡0
𝑞0 = − 2 =−
𝑎 𝑡0 𝐻0 𝑎ሶ 2 𝑡0
- In the case of matter dominated, 𝑝 = 0, from the acceleration equation, ones have:
Ω0
𝑞0 =
2
Problems