Born-Infeld Cosmologies

We present a model for an inhomogeneous and anisotropic early universe filled with a nonlinear electromagnetic field of Born-Infeld (BI) type. The effects of the BI field are compared with the linear case (Maxwell). Since the curvature invaria nts are well behaved then we conjecture that our model does not present an initial big bang singularity. The existence of the BI field modifies the curvature invariants at t=0 as well as sets bounds on the amplitude of the conformal metric functionComment: 13 pages, latex, 6 eps figure

Exact inhomogeneous Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton cosmologies

We present solution generating techniques which permit to construct exact inhomogeneous and anisotropic cosmological solutions to a four-dimensional low energy limit of string theory containing non-minimally interacting electromagnetic and dilaton fields. Some explicit homogeneous and inhomogeneous cosmological solutions are constructed. For example, inhomogeneous exact solutions presenting Gowdy - type EMD universe are obtained. The asymptotic behaviour of the solutions is investigated. The asymptotic form of the metric near the initial singularity has a spatially varying Kasner form. The character of the space-time singularities is discussed. The late evolution of the solutions is described by a background homogeneous and anisotropic universe filled with weakly interacting gravitational, dilatonic and electromagnetic waves.Comment: 10 pages, latex; v2: English corrected, new comments and reference added in section 1, acknowledgments added; v3: final version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Solution generating in scalar-tensor theories with a massless scalar field and stiff perfect fluid as a source

We present a method for generating solutions in some scalar-tensor theories with a minimally coupled massless scalar field or irrotational stiff perfect fluid as a source. The method is based on the group of symmetries of the dilaton-matter sector in the Einstein frame. In the case of Barker's theory the dilaton-matter sector possesses SU(2) group of symmetries. In the case of Brans-Dicke and the theory with "conformal coupling", the dilaton- matter sector has $SL(2,R)$ as a group of symmetries. We describe an explicit algorithm for generating exact scalar-tensor solutions from solutions of Einstein-minimally-coupled-scalar-field equations by employing the nonlinear action of the symmetry group of the dilaton-matter sector. In the general case, when the Einstein frame dilaton-matter sector may not possess nontrivial symmetries we also present a solution generating technique which allows us to construct exact scalar-tensor solutions starting with the solutions of Einstein-minimally-coupled-scalar-field equations. As an illustration of the general techniques, examples of explicit exact solutions are constructed. In particular, we construct inhomogeneous cosmological scalar-tensor solutions whose curvature invariants are everywhere regular in space-time. A generalization of the method for scalar-tensor-Maxwell gravity is outlined.Comment: 10 pages,Revtex; v2 extended version, new parts added and some parts rewritten, results presented more concisely, some simple examples of homogeneous solutions replaced with new regular inhomogeneous solutions, typos corrected, references and acknowledgements added, accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.

G1 Cosmologies with Gravitational and Scalar Waves

I present here a new algorithm to generate families of inhomogeneous massless scalar field cosmologies. New spacetimes, having a single isometry, are generated by breaking the homogeneity of massless scalar field $G_2$ models along one direction. As an illustration of the technique I construct cosmological models which in their late time limit represent perturbations in the form of gravitational and scalar waves propagating on a non-static inhomogeneous background. Several features of the obtained metrics are discussed, such as their early and late time limits, structure of singularities and physical interpretation.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figure

Phenomenology of the Gowdy Universe on T3×RT^3 \times R

Numerical studies of the plane symmetric, vacuum Gowdy universe on $T^3 \times R$ yield strong support for the conjectured asymptotically velocity term dominated (AVTD) behavior of its evolution toward the singularity except, perhaps, at isolated spatial points. A generic solution is characterized by spiky features and apparent ``discontinuities'' in the wave amplitudes. It is shown that the nonlinear terms in the wave equations drive the system generically to the ``small velocity'' AVTD regime and that the spiky features are caused by the absence of these terms at isolated spatial points.Comment: 19 pages, 21 figures, uses Revtex, psfi

Acceleration of the universe, vacuum metamorphosis, and the large-time asymptotic form of the heat kernel

We investigate the possibility that the late acceleration observed in the rate of expansion of the universe is due to vacuum quantum effects arising in curved spacetime. The theoretical basis of the vacuum cold dark matter (VCDM), or vacuum metamorphosis, cosmological model of Parker and Raval is revisited and improved. We show, by means of a manifestly nonperturbative approach, how the infrared behavior of the propagator (related to the large-time asymptotic form of the heat kernel) of a free scalar field in curved spacetime causes the vacuum expectation value of its energy-momentum tensor to exhibit a resonance effect when the scalar curvature R of the spacetime reaches a particular value related to the mass of the field. we show that the back reaction caused by this resonance drives the universe through a transition to an accelerating expansion phase, very much in the same way as originally proposed by Parker and Raval. Our analysis includes higher derivatives that were neglected in the earlier analysis, and takes into account the possible runaway solutions that can follow from these higher-derivative terms. We find that the runaway solutions do not occur if the universe was described by the usual classical FRW solution prior to the growth of vacuum energy-density and negative pressure (i.e., vacuum metamorphosis) that causes the transition to an accelerating expansion of the universe in this theory.Comment: 33 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review D15 (Dec 23, 2003). v2: 1 reference added. No other change

Initial Conditions in String Cosmology

We take a critical look at a recent conjecture concerning the past attractor in the pre-big-bang scenario. We argue that the Milne universe is unlikely to be a general past attractor for such models and support this with a number of examples.Comment: 10 pages standard Latex format, no figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Inhomogeneous Einstein-Rosen String Cosmology

Families of anisotropic and inhomogeneous string cosmologies containing non-trivial dilaton and axion fields are derived by applying the global symmetries of the string effective action to a generalized Einstein-Rosen metric. The models exhibit a two-dimensional group of Abelian isometries. In particular, two classes of exact solutions are found that represent inhomogeneous generalizations of the Bianchi type VI_h cosmology. The asymptotic behaviour of the solutions is investigated and further applications are briefly discussed.Comment: Minor extension of concluding section; 18 pages, to appear in Phys.Rev.