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Volume 14: Pages 314-319, 2001

Connecting c to the Expansion of the Universe: Cosmological Consequences

B. Vigoureux, J. M. Vigoureux, P. Vigoureux

Laboratoire de Physique Moléculaire, UMR CNRS 6624, Université de Franche‐Comté, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France

Recent papers suggest that a possible variation of c with time in the early universe could explain a number of cosmological problems. However, they do not dwell on the possible law expressing the variation of the speed of light. Noting that it appears as a logical necessity to define c from the geometry of the universe (that is, from its size and its age), we postulate that c is connected to the expansion of the universe. Among its cosmological consequences, we show that this connection radically changes the causal structure of the universe and may shed light on some cosmological problems. In conclusion, we show that our definition of c can also be justified by using the Einstein‐Friedmann equation as found in the case of time‐varying speed of light cosmologies with the usual expression of the Mach principle.

Keywords: cosmology, varying speed of light, light, velocity of light, electromagnetism, gravitation

Received: June 1, 2001; Published online: December 15, 2008