Using a simple thermo-hydrodynamic model that respects relativistic causality, we revisit the analysis of qualitative features of acoustic oscillations in the photon-baryon fluid. The growing photon mean free path introduces transient effects that can be modelled by the causal generalization of relativistic Navier-Stokes-Fourier theory. Causal thermodynamics provides a more satisfactory hydrodynamic approximation to kinetic theory than the quasi-stationary (and non-causal) approximations arising from standard thermodynamics or from expanding the photon distribution to first order in the Thomson scattering time. The causal approach introduces small corrections to the dispersion relation obtained in quasi-stationary treatments. A dissipative contribution to the speed of sound slightly increases the frequency of the oscillations. The diffusion damping scale is slightly increased by the causal corrections. Thus quasi-stationary approximations tend to over-estimate the spacing and under-estimate the damping of acoustic peaks. In our simple model, the fractional corrections at decoupling are $\gtrsim 10^{-3}$.Comment: Improved version with new quantitative estimates and some corrections. We show how quasi-stationary approximations based on expanding the photon distribution to first order in the Thomson time tend to under-estimate the frequency and damping of acoustic oscillation

We investigate cosmological density perturbations in a covariant and gauge-invariant formalism, incorporating relativistic causal thermodynamics to give a self-consistent description. The gradient of density inhomogeneities splits covariantly into a scalar part, equivalent to the usual density perturbations, a rotational vector part that is determined by the vorticity, and a tensor part that describes the shape. We give the evolution equations for these parts in the general dissipative case. Causal thermodynamics gives evolution equations for viscous stress and heat flux, which are coupled to the density perturbation equation and to the entropy and temperature perturbation equations. We give the full coupled system in the general dissipative case, and simplify the system in certain cases. A companion paper uses the general formalism to analyze damping of density perturbations before last scattering.Comment: Minor corrections to some equations. To appear Phys. Rev.

Recently, the phenomenological description of cosmological particle production processes in terms of effective viscous pressures has attracted some attention. Using a simple creation rate model we discuss the question to what extent this approach is compatible with the kinetic theory of a relativistic gas. We find the effective viscous pressure approach to be consistent with this model for homogeneous spacetimes but not for inhomogeneous ones.

Particle production processes in the expanding universe are described within a simple kinetic model. The equilibrium conditions for a Maxwell-Boltzmann gas with variable particle number are investigated. We find that radiation and nonrelativistic matter may be in equilibrium at the same temperature provided the matter particles are created at a rate that is half the expansion rate. Using the fact that the creation of particles is dynamically equivalent to a nonvanishing bulk pressure we calculate the back reaction of this process on the cosmological dynamics. It turns out that the 'adiabatic' creation of massive particles with an equilibrium distribution for the latter necessarily implies power-law inflation. Exponential inflation in this context is shown to become inconsistent with the second law of thermodynamics after a time interval of the order of the Hubble time.

We derive a new class of exact solutions characterized by the Szekeres-Szafron metrics (of class I), admitting in general no isometries. The source is a fluid with viscosity but zero heat flux (adiabatic but irreversible evolution) whose equilibrium state variables satisfy the equations of state of: (a) ultra-relativistic ideal gas, (b) non-relativistic ideal gas, (c) a mixture of (a) and (b). Einstein's field equations reduce to a quadrature that is integrable in terms of elementary functions (cases (a) and (c)) and elliptic integrals (case (b)). Necessary and sufficient conditions are provided for the viscous dissipative stress and equilibrium variables to be consistent with the theoretical framework of Extended Irreversible Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory of the Maxwell-Boltzmann and radiative gases. Energy and regularity conditions are discussed. We prove that a smooth matching can be performed along a spherical boundary with a FLRW cosmology or with a Vaidya exterior solution. Possible applications are briefly outlined. *