On the Holographic Principle in a Radiation Dominated Universe
Erik Verlinde
Abstract
The holographic principle is studied in the context of a $n+1$ dimensional radiation dominated closed Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universe. The radiation is represented by a conformal field theory with a large central charge. Following recent ideas on holography, it is argued that the entropy density in the early universe is bounded by a multiple of the Hubble constant. The entropy of the CFT is expressed in terms of the energy and the Casimir energy via a universal Cardy formula that is valid for all dimensions. A new purely holographic bound is postulated which restricts the sub-extensive entropy associated with the Casimir energy. Unlike the Hubble bound, the new bound remains valid throughout the cosmological evolution. When the new bound is saturated the Friedman equation exactly coincides with the universal Cardy formula, and the temperature is uniquely fixed in terms of the Hubble parameter and its time-derivative.