Chameleon fields and solar physics

In this article we discuss some aspects of solar physics from the standpoint of the so-called chameleon fields (i.e. quantum fields, typically scalar, where the mass is an increasing function of the matter density of the environment). Firstly, we analyze the effects of a chameleon-induced deviation from standard gravity just below the surface of the Sun. In particular, we develop solar models which take into account the presence of the chameleon and we show that they are inconsistent with the helioseismic data. This inconsistency presents itself not only with the typical chameleon set-up discussed in the literature (where the mass scale of the potential is fine-tuned to the meV), but also if we remove the fine-tuning on the scale of the potential. Secondly, we point out that, in a model recently considered in the literature (we call this model "Modified Fujii's Model"), a conceivable interpretation of the solar oscillations is given by quantum vacuum fluctuations of a chameleon.Comment: 17 pages including figure

Electrodynamics of a Cosmic Dark Fluid

Cosmic Dark Fluid is considered as a non-stationary medium, in which electromagnetic waves propagate, and magneto-electric field structures emerge and evolve. A medium - type representation of the Dark Fluid allows us to involve into analysis the concepts and mathematical formalism elaborated in the framework of classical covariant electrodynamics of continua, and to distinguish dark analogs of well-known medium-effects, such as optical activity, pyro-electricity, piezo-magnetism, electro- and magneto-striction and dynamo-optical activity. The Dark Fluid is assumed to be formed by a duet of a Dark Matter (a pseudoscalar axionic constituent) and Dark Energy (a scalar element); respectively, we distinguish electrodynamic effects induced by these two constituents of the Dark Fluid. The review contains discussions of ten models, which describe electrodynamic effects induced by Dark Matter and/or Dark Energy. The models are accompanied by examples of exact solutions to the master equations, correspondingly extended; applications are considered for cosmology and space-times with spherical and pp-wave symmetries. In these applications we focused the attention on three main electromagnetic phenomena induced by the Dark Fluid: first, emergence of Longitudinal Magneto-Electric Clusters; second, generation of anomalous electromagnetic responses; third, formation of Dark Epochs in the Universe history.Comment: 39 pages, 0 figures, replaced by the version published in MDPI Journal "Symmetry" (Special Issue: Symmetry: Feature Papers 2016); typos correcte

Cosmological Effects of Radion Oscillations

We show that the redshift of pressureless matter density due to the expansion of the universe generically induces small oscillations in the stabilized radius of extra dimensions (the radion field). The frequency of these oscillations is proportional to the mass of the radion and can have interesting cosmological consequences. For very low radion masses $m_b$ ($m_b\sim10-100 H_0\simeq10^{-32} eV$) these low frequency oscillations lead to oscillations in the expansion rate of the universe. The occurrence of acceleration periods could naturally lead to a resolution of the coincidence problem, without need of dark energy. Even though this scenario for low radion mass is consistent with several observational tests it has difficulty to meet fifth force constraints. If viewed as an effective Brans-Dicke theory it predicts $\omega=-1+\frac{1}{D}$ ($D$ is the number of extra dimensions), while experiments on scales larger than $1mm$ imply $\omega>2500$. By deriving the generalized Newtonian potential corresponding to a massive toroidally compact radion we demonstrate that Newtonian gravity is modified only on scales smaller than $m_b^{-1}$. Thus, these constraints do not apply for $m_b>10^{-3} eV$ (high frequency oscillations) corresponding to scales less than the current experiments ($0.3mm$). Even though these high frequency oscillations can not resolve the coincidence problem they provide a natural mechanism for dark matter generation. This type of dark matter has many similarities with the axion.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev. D. Clarifying comments added in the text and some additional references include

Symmetron Cosmology

The symmetron is a scalar field associated with the dark sector whose coupling to matter depends on the ambient matter density. The symmetron is decoupled and screened in regions of high density, thereby satisfying local constraints from tests of gravity, but couples with gravitational strength in regions of low density, such as the cosmos. In this paper we derive the cosmological expansion history in the presence of a symmetron field, tracking the evolution through the inflationary, radiation- and matter-dominated epochs, using a combination of analytical approximations and numerical integration. For a broad range of initial conditions at the onset of inflation, the scalar field reaches its symmetry-breaking vacuum by the present epoch, as assumed in the local analysis of spherically-symmetric solutions and tests of gravity. For the simplest form of the potential, the energy scale is too small for the symmetron to act as dark energy, hence we must add a cosmological constant to drive late-time cosmic acceleration. We briefly discuss a class of generalized, non-renormalizable potentials that can have a greater impact on the late-time cosmology, though cosmic acceleration requires a delicate tuning of parameters in this case.Comment: 42 page

Beyond-one-loop quantum gravity action yielding both inflation and late-time acceleration

A unified description of early-time inflation with the current cosmic acceleration is achieved by means of a new theory that uses a quadratic model of gravity, with the inclusion of an exponential $F(R)$-gravity contribution for dark energy. High-curvature corrections of the theory come from higher-derivative quantum gravity and yield an effective action that goes beyond the one-loop approximation. It is shown that, in this theory, viable inflation emerges in a natural way, leading to a spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio that are in perfect agreement with the most reliable Planck results. At low energy, late-time accelerated expansion takes place. As exponential gravity, for dark energy, must be stabilized during the matter and radiation eras, we introduce a curing term in order to avoid nonphysical singularities in the effective equation of state parameter. The results of our analysis are confirmed by accurate numerical simulations, which show that our model does fit the most recent cosmological data for dark energy very precisely.Comment: 20 pages, to appear in NP