Black-hole lattices as cosmological models

• The search for solutions of Einstein's equations representing relativistic cosmological models with a discrete matter content has been remarkably fruitful in the last decade. In this review we discuss the progress made in the study of a specific subclass of discrete cosmologies, black-hole lattice models. In particular, we illustrate the techniques used for the construction of these spacetimes, and examine their resulting physical properties. This includes their large-scale dynamics, the dressing of mass due to the interaction between individual black holes, along with features of direct observational interest such as the distance-to-redshift relation. This collection of results provides a novel perspective on the physical effects of averaging in general relativity, as well as on the emergence of gravitational structures from solutions with isolated objects.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

black holes

inhomogeneous cosmologies

numerical relativity

discrete cosmologies

cosmological backreaction

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)