Independent Researcher · Bhubaneswar, India

Aparajeet
Shadangi

Developing Configurational Dispersal Cosmology (CDC), a testable alternative to dark energy, with ongoing numerical implementation using CAMB and MCMC methods.

CDC proposes that cosmic acceleration emerges from an intrinsic dispersal tendency of matter-energy configurations, rather than from dark energy.

CDC · Cosmology CAMB · MCMC Scroll to explore

01   About

An independent researcher building a testable alternative to dark energy — from mathematical formulation to observational comparison.

I am an independent researcher developing Configurational Dispersal Cosmology (CDC) — a framework that proposes cosmic acceleration arises from an intrinsic dispersal tendency in the universe's configuration space, rather than from a dark energy component. The framework is constructed to be falsifiable: it makes concrete predictions for the expansion history and structure growth that can be tested against observational data.

After completing secondary school, I took a structured gap year dedicated to building CDC as a rigorous scientific program: establishing theoretical foundations, deriving the full mathematical formulation, and beginning numerical implementation. Each stage has been developed carefully, with clear separation between formal results and open conjectures. CDC II, the mathematical formulation paper, has been submitted to Physics of the Dark Universe and is currently under review.

In January 2026, Emergent Ventures funding allowed me to continue full-time and access the computing resources required for numerical testing. The current phase focuses on implementing CDC II's derived system numerically, integrating it into CAMB or CLASS, and running MCMC-based parameter estimation against DESI DR2 BAO, Planck CMB, Pantheon+, and Euclid datasets.

02   Research & Writing

001
CDC: Original Preprint (Dec 2025)
Paper I of the CDC research program. The founding document — establishing the core hypothesis that cosmic acceleration arises from a dispersal tendency in configuration space, and introducing the initial scalar-tensor placeholder framework for subsequent development.
Finished Preprint Zenodo
002
CDC II: The Mathematical Framework
Paper II of the CDC research program. Develops the complete mathematical formulation of CDC: a binding-dependent kinetic suppression model, background evolution equations in dimensionless e-fold form, a perturbation-level framework, and preliminary geometric consistency with observational data. Establishes the formal foundation required for Boltzmann integration and full observational testing. Submitted to Physics of the Dark Universe; currently under review.
Finished Under Review Physics of the Dark Universe
003
Numerical Implementation & Observational Testing
Paper III direction of the CDC research program. Active work on implementing CDC within a full cosmological pipeline — CAMB integration, numerical evolution of the background system, and MCMC-based parameter estimation against DESI DR2 BAO, Planck CMB, Pantheon+, and Euclid. The objective is a quantitative, likelihood-based comparison of CDC against ΛCDM across multiple independent datasets.
In Progress
004
Writings (Substack)
Long-form essays exploring existence, science, and philosophical questions, reflecting a broader intellectual inquiry beyond formal research.
Essays Substack

03   Work in Progress

I Numerical Pipeline

The numerical implementation builds directly from the mathematical system derived in CDC II. Current work focuses on stable background evolution using the dimensionless e-fold system, Runge-Kutta integration of the full ODE system, and preparation for Boltzmann-code integration. The pipeline is being developed toward MCMC-based likelihood analysis against real observational data — the quantitative test that will determine whether CDC is competitive with ΛCDM.

Forward ModelBackground evolution using the e-fold system derived in CDC II
Numerical IntegrationRunge-Kutta methods applied to the dimensionless system
Framework DirectionPreparing integration into CAMB / CLASS
SamplingMCMC planned for full likelihood analysis
DatasetsDESI DR2 BAO · Planck · Pantheon+ · Euclid
StatusActive · April 2026
II Mathematical Formalisation

CDC II develops the original hypothesis into a complete, self-consistent mathematical theory: an effective spacetime action, binding-dependent kinetic suppression, background evolution equations, a dimensionless e-fold formulation, and a perturbation-level structure suitable for Boltzmann integration. The paper has been submitted to Physics of the Dark Universe and is currently under review. Full Boltzmann implementation is the next development step.

Core assumptions and physical motivationDone
Effective spacetime theory and actionDone
Background evolution equationsDone
Dimensionless e-fold systemDone
Perturbation frameworkDone
Full Boltzmann implementationPending
III Open Questions
N01
Dispersal vs Gravitational Binding
Whether the competition between dispersal and binding has a precise crossover scale, or whether binding simply freezes dispersal locally. The answer matters for structure formation predictions. Not resolved.
Structure FormationOpen
N02
Equilibrium in Relativistic Spacetime
The precise definition of configurational equilibrium in an expanding FRW spacetime is not yet clean. Whether the concept maps directly onto the FRW framework or requires modification is still open.
ThermodynamicsFRWOngoing

04   Timeline

July 2025
Idea Originates
The CDC concept begins as a hypothesis about whether cosmic expansion could be connected to an intrinsic dispersal tendency in configuration space.
Dec 2025
First Preprint
Paper I is released on Zenodo as the original CDC preprint, presenting the hypothesis and a scalar-tensor placeholder framework.
Jan 2026
Emergent Ventures Funding
Emergent Ventures funding enables full-time research and access to computing resources for mathematical development and numerical testing.
April 2026
Mathematical Framework Development
CDC II completes the mathematical formulation of the framework: kinetic suppression model, background evolution equations, dimensionless e-fold system, and perturbation-level structure. Paper submitted to Physics of the Dark Universe.
April 2026 – Present
Numerical Implementation and Observational Testing
Active numerical implementation of the CDC II background system; CAMB / CLASS integration in preparation; MCMC-based parameter estimation planned against DESI DR2 BAO, Planck, Pantheon+, and Euclid. Parallel work on CDC II journal submission and referee response.
CAMBMCMCDESI DR2Pantheon+PlanckEuclid

05   Approach

Good science requires ideas that are precisely formulated and honestly tested — the unconventional ones especially.

The standard approach in cosmology is to work within accepted frameworks until evidence demands otherwise. That is the right default. But the persistent uncertainties around dark energy — its unknown physical nature, the cosmological constant problem, and the growing statistical tensions in observational data — create genuine scientific room for alternative models, provided they are rigorously developed and falsifiable.

CDC is built to that standard. The goal is not to claim it is correct, but to develop it to the point where observational data can answer that question. A framework that cannot make falsifiable predictions is not science, regardless of its internal structure. CDC makes concrete predictions for H(z), the CMB shift parameters, and the matter power spectrum that can be compared directly against observation. That is the test that matters.

I try to be precise about what has been established and what has not. Structural consistency is not the same as observational support. Preliminary numerical agreement is not a result. These distinctions matter, and I take them seriously in how I describe the work.

I am 18 and work without institutional affiliation. What I have is uninterrupted time to focus on the problem, access to the same published literature as anyone else, and a commitment to doing the work carefully: verifying the mathematics, implementing the numerics correctly, and comparing against real data.

06   Contact

Open to correspondence. Questions about the framework, potential collaboration, or research-related discussion.