A class of homogeneous cosmological models III: Asymptotic behaviour

The behaviour near to and far from an initial singularity in a broad subclass of the models studied in previous papers [1–3] is examined. The influence of the matter on the evolution at these times is discussed. The singularity types for the various models, which are mostly of cigar or oscillatory nature, are found. It is discovered that among these models, only those of the same Bianchi type as a Robertson-Walker model can become approximately Robertson-Walker in a sense defined in the paper. Qualitative conclusions concerning black-body isotropy, the Hubble relation, helium abundance and horizon structure are given.