Axion-like-particle search with high-intensity lasers

We study ALP-photon-conversion within strong inhomogeneous electromagnetic fields as provided by contemporary high-intensity laser systems. We observe that probe photons traversing the focal spot of a superposition of Gaussian beams of a single high-intensity laser at fundamental and frequency-doubled mode can experience a frequency shift due to their intermittent propagation as axion-like-particles. This process is strongly peaked for resonant masses on the order of the involved laser frequencies. Purely laser-based experiments in optical setups are sensitive to ALPs in the $\mathrm{eV}$ mass range and can thus complement ALP searches at dipole magnets.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figure

The Cosmological Constant

This is a review of the physics and cosmology of the cosmological constant. Focusing on recent developments, I present a pedagogical overview of cosmology in the presence of a cosmological constant, observational constraints on its magnitude, and the physics of a small (and potentially nonzero) vacuum energy.Comment: 50 pages. Submitted to Living Reviews in Relativity (http://www.livingreviews.org/), December 199

Small dark energy and stable vacuum from Dilaton–Gauss–Bonnet coupling in TMT

Abstract In two measures theories (TMT), in addition to the Riemannian measure of integration, being the square root of the determinant of the metric, we introduce a metric-independent density $$\Phi$$ Φ in four dimensions defined in terms of scalars $$\varphi _a$$ φ a by $$\Phi =\varepsilon ^{\mu \nu \rho \sigma } \varepsilon _{abcd} (\partial _{\mu }\varphi _a)(\partial _{\nu }\varphi _b) (\partial _{\rho }\varphi _c) (\partial _{\sigma }\varphi _d)$$ Φ = ε μ ν ρ σ ε a b c d ( ∂ μ φ a ) ( ∂ ν φ b ) ( ∂ ρ φ c ) ( ∂ σ φ d ) . With the help of a dilaton field $$\phi$$ ϕ we construct theories that are globally scale invariant. In particular, by introducing couplings of the dilaton $$\phi$$ ϕ to the Gauss–Bonnet (GB) topological density $$\, {\sqrt{-g}} \, \phi \left( R_{\mu \nu \rho \sigma }^2 - 4 R_{\mu \nu }^2 + R^2 \right) \,$$ - g ϕ R μ ν ρ σ 2 - 4 R μ ν 2 + R 2 we obtain a theory that is scale invariant up to a total divergence. Integration of the $$\varphi _a$$ φ a field equation leads to an integration constant that breaks the global scale symmetry. We discuss the stabilizing effects of the coupling of the dilaton to the GB-topological density on the vacua with a very small cosmological constant and the resolution of the ‘TMT Vacuum-Manifold Problem’ which exists in the zero cosmological-constant vacuum limit. This problem generically arises from an effective potential that is a perfect square, and it gives rise to a vacuum manifold instead of a unique vacuum solution in the presence of many different scalars, like the dilaton, the Higgs, etc. In the non-zero cosmological-constant case this problem disappears. Furthermore, the GB coupling to the dilaton eliminates flat directions in the effective potential, and it totally lifts the vacuum-manifold degeneracy

The dark side of the torsion: dark energy from propagating torsion

An extension to the Einstein-Cartan (EC) action is discussed in terms of cosmological solutions. The torsion incorporated in the EC Lagrangian is assumed to be totally anti-symmetric, represented by a time-like axial vector $S^\mu$. The dynamics of torsion is invoked by a novel kinetic term. Here we show that this kinetic term gives rise to dark energy, while the quadratic torsion term, emanating from the EC part, represents a stiff fluid that leads to a bouncing cosmology solution. A constraint on the bouncing solution is calculated using cosmological data from different epochs

Equivalent off-diagonal cosmological models and ekpyrotic scenarios in f(R)f(R) f ( R ) -modified, massive, and einstein gravity

We re-investigate how generic off-diagonal cosmological solutions depending, in general, on all spacetime coordinates can be constructed in massive and f-modified gravity using the anholonomic frame deformation method. There are constructed new classes of locally anisotropic and (in) homogeneous cosmological metrics with open and closed spatial geometries. By resorting such solutions, we show that they describe the late time acceleration due to effective cosmological terms induced by nonlinear off-diagonal interactions, possible modifications of the gravitational action and graviton mass. The cosmological metrics and related St\" uckelberg fields are constructed in explicit form up to nonholonomic frame transforms of the Friedmann-Lama\^{\i}tre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) coordinates. The solutions include matter, graviton mass and other effective sources modelling nonlinear gravitational and matter fields interactions with polarization of physical constants and deformations of metrics, which may explain dark energy and dark matter effects. However, we argue that it is not obligatory always to modify gravity if we consider effective generalized Einstein equations with nontrivial vacuum and/or non-minimal coupling with matter. Indeed, we state certain conditions when such configurations mimic interesting solutions in general relativity and modifications, for instance, when we can extract the general Painlev\' e-Gullstrand and FLRW metrics. In a more general context, we elaborate on a reconstruction procedure for off-diagonal cosmological solutions which describe cyclic and ekpyrotic universes. Finally, there are discussed open issues and further perspectives.Comment: 16 pages, latex2e; it is a regular article variant extended and modified following requests of the Editor and accepted by EPJC; this version contains new results and details comparing to the letter variant arXiv:1304.108