General relativistic dynamics of irrotational dust: Cosmological implications

Abstract

The nonlinear dynamics of cosmological perturbations of an irrotational collisionless fluid is analyzed within general relativity. Relativistic and Newtonian solutions are compared, stressing the different role of boundary conditions in the two theories. Cosmological implications of relativistic effects, already present at second order in perturbation theory, are studied and the dynamical role of the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor is elucidated.