Phenomenology of brane-world cosmological models

Abstract

We present a brief review of brane-world models - models in which our observable Universe with its standard matter fields is assumed as localized on a domain wall (three-brane) in a higher dimensional surrounding (bulk) spacetime. Models of this type arise naturally in M-theory and have been intensively studied during the last years. We pay particular attention to the covariant projection approach, the Cardassian scenario, to induced gravity models, self-tuning models and the Ekpyrotic scenario. A brief discussion is given of their basic properties and their connection with conventional FRW cosmology.

Comments: To appear in the proceedings of Astrophysics and Cosmology after Gamow: Theory and Observations: Gamow Memorial International Conference dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of George Gamow, Odessa, Ukraine, 8-14 August 2004; 18 pages, 2 figures; minor improvements, Refs. added