Zel'dovich-type approximation for an inhomogeneous universe in general relativity: Second-order solutions.

The gravitational instability of inhomogeneities in the expanding universe is studied by the relativistic second-order approximation. Using the tetrad formalism we consider irrotational dust universes and get equations very similar to those given in the Lagrangian perturbation theory in Newtonian cosmology. Neglecting the cosmological constant and assuming a flat background model we give the solutions of the nonlinear dynamics of cosmological perturbations. We present the complete second-order solutions, which extend and improve earlier works. Typeset using REVTEX 1