LRS Bianchi type-I bouncing cosmological models in f(R,T) gravity

In this work, we have investigated the cosmological bouncing solution in LRS Bianchi-I space-time in framework of f(R,T) gravity. Our study in this paper is based on the modeling of matter bounce scenario in which the universe starts with a matter-dominated contraction phase and transitions into an ekpyrotic phase. Mathematical simulations have been done in the modified general theory of relativity in the form of f(R,T) theory proposed by Harko et al. [f(R, T) gravity, Phys. Rev. D 84 (2011) 024020], whose functional form is as f(R,T) = R + 2μT, where R is Ricci scalar, T is trace of energy-momentum tensor and μ is constant. Taking the non-vanishing scale factor in LRS Bianchi-I space-time, the geometrical parameters such as Hubble parameter and deceleration parameter have been derived and their subsequent use in the expression of pressure, density and EoS parameter ω confirms qualitatively the initial conditions of the universe at the bounce. With the non-vanishing nature of scale factor, initial universe in finite means ruled out the initial singularity problem. The analysis of violation of energy conditions near the bouncing region and stability of the model shows that the matter bounce approach is highly unstable at the bounce but the rapid decay of perturbations away from the bounce supports the stability of the model.