Could a thin-shell configuration lie hidden within the universe?

Abstract This article explores the cosmological scenario in which our Universe contains a hidden thin-shell configuration. We investigate a degenerate modification of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker metric obtained through a coordinate transformation applied to the radial coordinate, analogous to recent approaches that address the Big Bang singularity via spacetime defects. The resulting metric, while formally satisfying the standard homogeneous Friedmann equations, actually describes an evolving wormhole geometry with two asymptotically flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker regions connected by a throat located at the coordinate singularity. Using Israel’s junction formalism, we demonstrate that this coordinate singularity corresponds to a thin shell characterized by exotic matter with well-defined surface energy density and isotropic pressure. The shell obeys the barotropic equation of state $$p = -\rho /2$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>p</mml:mi> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>ρ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> , confirming the presence of exotic matter that violates the standard energy condition, which is a requirement for maintaining wormhole geometries. As the universe expands, this thin shell becomes increasingly diluted, scaling as 1/ a ( t ) with the cosmic scale factor.