Abstract A cosmological model has been constructed in the framework of Brans-Dicke (BD) gravity, based on an inter-conversion between matter and dark energy, for a spatially flat universe in the era of pressureless dust. To account for the non-conservation of the matter content, a function of time f(t) has been arbitrarily put into the expression for the density of matter (\(ρa^3= f(t)ρ_0a_0^3\)). By definition, f(t) is proportional to the matter content of the universe. Using suitable ansatzes for the scale factor and scalar field, the functional form of f(t) has been determined from the BD field equations. The scale factor has been so chosen that it would cause a signature flip in the deceleration parameter with time. The function f(t) decreases monotonically with time, indicating a transformation of matter into dark energy. The time dependence of the proportions of matter and dark energy in the universe has been determined. The effect of non-conservation of the matter content upon various cosmological parameters has been explored in the present study. Two models of matter-energy interaction have been proposed and f(t) has been expressed as a function of their interaction term. The dark energy equation-of-state (EoS) parameter has been expressed and analyzed in terms of f(t).
Keywords cosmology: cosmological parameters — dark energy — Brans-Dicke theory
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