1,291 research outputs found
Curvature singularities, tidal forces and the viability of Palatini f(R) gravity
In a previous paper we showed that static spherically symmetric objects
which, in the vicinity of their surface, are well-described by a polytropic
equation of state with 3/2<Gamma<2 exhibit a curvature singularity in Palatini
f(R) gravity. We argued that this casts serious doubt on the validity of
Palatini f(R) gravity as a viable alternative to General Relativity. In the
present paper we further investigate this characteristic of Palatini f(R)
gravity in order to clarify its physical interpretation and consequences.Comment: 15 pages. CQG in press. Part of the material moved to an appendix,
discussion on the meV scale predictions of Palatini f(R) gravity adde
Corrections and Comments on the Multipole Moments of Axisymmetric Electrovacuum Spacetimes
Following the method of Hoenselaers and Perj\'{e}s we present a new corrected
and dimensionally consistent set of multipole gravitational and electromagnetic
moments for stationary axisymmetric spacetimes. Furthermore, we use our results
to compute the multipole moments, both gravitational and electromagnetic, of a
Kerr-Newman black hole.Comment: This is a revised and corrected versio
Spontaneous scalarization of black holes and compact stars from a Gauss-Bonnet coupling
We identify a class of scalar-tensor theories with coupling between the scalar and the Gauss–Bonnet invariant that exhibit spontaneous scalarization for both black holes and compact stars. In particular, these theories formally admit all of the stationary solutions of general relativity, but these are not dynamically preferred if certain conditions are satisfied. Remarkably, black holes exhibit scalarization if their mass lies within one of many narrow bands. We find evidence that scalarization can occur in neutron stars as well
theory and geometric origin of the dark sector in Horava-Lifshitz gravity
Inclusion of term in the action of Horava-Lifshitz quantum gravity
with projectability but without detailed balance condition is investigated,
where denotes the 3-spatial dimensional Ricci scalar. Conditions for the
spin-0 graviton to be free of ghosts and instability are studied. The
requirement that the theory reduce to general relativity in the IR makes the
scalar mode unstable in the Minkowski background but stable in the de Sitter.
It is remarkable that the dark sector, dark matter and dark energy, of the
universe has a naturally geometric origin in such a setup. Bouncing universes
can also be constructed. Scalar perturbations in the FRW backgrounds with
non-zero curvature are presented.Comment: Mod. Phys. Lett. A26, 387-398 (2011
Cosmological perturbations in Palatini modified gravity
Two approaches to the study of cosmological density perturbations in modified
theories of Palatini gravity have recently been discussed. These utilise,
respectively, a generalisation of Birkhoff's theorem and a direct linearization
of the gravitational field equations. In this paper these approaches are
compared and contrasted. The general form of the gravitational lagrangian for
which the two frameworks yield identical results in the long-wavelength limit
is derived. This class of models includes the case where the lagrangian is a
power-law of the Ricci curvature scalar. The evolution of density perturbations
in theories of the type is investigated numerically. It is
found that the results obtained by the two methods are in good agreement on
sufficiently large scales when the values of the parameters (b,c) are
consistent with current observational constraints. However, this agreement
becomes progressively poorer for models that differ significantly from the
standard concordance model and as smaller scales are considered
Torsion and accelerating expansion of the universe in quadratic gravitation
Several exact cosmological solutions of a metric-affine theory of gravity
with two torsion functions are presented. These solutions give a essentially
different explanation from the one in most of previous works to the cause of
the accelerating cosmological expansion and the origin of the torsion of the
spacetime. These solutions can be divided into two classes. The solutions in
the first class define the critical points of a dynamical system representing
an asymptotically stable de Sitter spacetime. The solutions in the second class
have exact analytic expressions which have never been found in the literature.
The acceleration equation of the universe in general relativity is only a
special case of them. These solutions indicate that even in vacuum the
spacetime can be endowed with torsion, which means that the torsion of the
spacetime has an intrinsic nature and a geometric origin. In these solutions
the acceleration of the cosmological expansion is due to either the scalar
torsion or the pseudoscalar torsion function. Neither a cosmological constant
nor dark energy is needed. It is the torsion of the spacetime that causes the
accelerating expansion of the universe in vacuum. All the effects of the
inflation, the acceleration and the phase transformation from deceleration to
acceleration can be explained by these solutions. Furthermore, the energy and
pressure of the matter without spin can produce the torsion of the spacetime
and make the expansion of the universe decelerate as well as accelerate.Comment: 20 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with gr-qc/0604006,
arXiv:1110.344
Conformal transformation in theories
It is well-known that theories are dynamically equivalent to a
particular class of scalar-tensor theories. In analogy to the extension
of the Einstein-Hilbert action of general relativity, theories are
generalizations of the action of teleparallel gravity. The field equations are
always second order, remarkably simpler than theories. It is interesting
to investigate whether theories have the similar conformal features
possessed in theories. It is shown, however, that theories are
not dynamically equivalent to teleparallel action plus a scalar field via
conformal transformation, there appears an additional scalar-torsion coupling
term. We discuss briefly what constraint of this coupling term may be put on
theories from observations of the solar system.Comment: 4 pages, Revision to be publishe
The influence of the Lande -factor in the classical general relativistic description of atomic and subatomic systems
We study the electromagnetic and gravitational fields of the proton and
electron in terms of the Einstenian gravity via the introduction of an
arbitrary Lande -factor in the Kerr-Newman solution. We show that at length
scales of the order of the reduced Compton wavelength, corrections from
different values of the -factor are not negligible and discuss the presence
of general relativistic effects in highly ionized heavy atoms. On the other
hand, since at the Compton-wavelength scale the gravitational field becomes
spin dominated rather than mass dominated, we also point out the necessity of
including angular momentum as a source of corrections to Newtonian gravity in
the quantum description of gravity at this scale.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure
The phase portrait of a matter bounce in Horava-Lifshitz cosmology
The occurrence of a bounce in FRW cosmology requires modifications of general
relativity. An example of such a modification is the recently proposed
Horava-Lifshitz theory of gravity, which includes a ``dark radiation'' term
with a negative coefficient in the analog of the Friedmann equation. This paper
describes a phase space analysis of models of this sort with the aim of
determining to what extent bouncing solutions can occur. A simplification,
valid in the relevant region, allows a reduction of the dimension of phase
space so that visualization in three dimensions is possible. It is found that a
bounce is possible, but not generic in models under consideration. Apart from
previously known bouncing solutions some new ones are also described. Other
interesting solutions found include ones which describe a novel sort of
oscillating universes.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure
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