Tidal dynamics in cosmological spacetimes

Abstract

We study the relative motion of nearby free test particles in cosmological spacetimes, such as the FLRW and LTB models. In particular, the influence of spatial inhomogeneities on local tidal accelerations is investigated by means of simple spherically symmetric models. The implications of our results for the dynamics of the solar system are briefly discussed. That is, on the basis of the models studied in this paper, we estimate the tidal influence of the cosmic gravitational field on the orbit of the Earth around the Sun and show that the corresponding temporal rate of variation of the astronomical unit is negligibly small.