showing 55 related works from this author
Geometric inequivalence of metric and Palatini formulations of General Relativity
2020
Projective invariance is a symmetry of the Palatini version of General Relativity which is not present in the metric formulation. The fact that the Riemann tensor changes nontrivially under projective transformations implies that, unlike in the usual metric approach, in the Palatini formulation this tensor is subject to a gauge freedom, which allows some ambiguities even in its scalar contractions. In this sense, we show that for the Schwarzschild solution there exists a projective gauge in which the (affine) Kretschmann scalar, K≡R R , can be set to vanish everywhere. This puts forward that the divergence of curvature scalars may, in some cases, be avoided by a gauge transformation of the …
Born-Infeld gravity and its functional extensions
2014
We investigate the dynamics of a family of functional extensions of the (Eddington-inspired) Born-Infeld gravity theory, constructed with the inverse of the metric and the Ricci tensor. We provide a generic formal solution for the connection and an Einstein-like representation for the metric field equations of this family of theories. For particular cases we consider applications to the early-time cosmology and find that non-singular universes with a cosmic bounce are very generic and robust solutions.
Metric-affine f(R,T) theories of gravity and their applications
2018
We study $f(R,T)$ theories of gravity, where $T$ is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor ${T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$, with independent metric and affine connection (metric-affine theories). We find that the resulting field equations share a close resemblance with their metric-affine $f(R)$ relatives once an effective energy-momentum tensor is introduced. As a result, the metric field equations are second-order and no new propagating degrees of freedom arise as compared to GR, which contrasts with the metric formulation of these theories, where a dynamical scalar degree of freedom is present. Analogously to its metric counterpart, the field equations impose the nonconservatio…
Mapping nonlinear gravity into General Relativity with nonlinear electrodynamics
2018
We show that families of nonlinear gravity theories formulated in a metric-affine approach and coupled to a nonlinear theory of electrodynamics can be mapped into General Relativity (GR) coupled to another nonlinear theory of electrodynamics. This allows to generate solutions of the former from those of the latter using purely algebraic transformations. This correspondence is explicitly illustrated with the Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld theory of gravity, for which we consider a family of nonlinear electrodynamics and show that, under the map, preserve their algebraic structure. For the particular case of Maxwell electrodynamics coupled to Born-Infeld gravity we find, via this corresponden…
Coupling matter in modified $Q$-gravity
2018
We present a novel theory of gravity by considering an extension of symmetric teleparallel gravity. This is done by introducing, in the framework of the metric-affine formalism, a new class of theories where the nonmetricity $Q$ is nonminimally coupled to the matter Lagrangian. More specifically, we consider a Lagrangian of the form $L \sim f_1(Q) + f_2(Q) L_M$, where $f_1$ and $f_2$ are generic functions of $Q$, and $L_M$ is the matter Lagrangian. This nonminimal coupling entails the nonconservation of the energy-momentum tensor, and consequently the appearance of an extra force. The motivation is to verify whether the subtle improvement of the geometrical formulation, when implemented in …
Multicenter solutions in Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity
2020
We find multicenter (Majumdar-Papapetrou type) solutions of Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity coupled to electromagnetic fields governed by a Born-Infeld-like Lagrangian. We construct the general solution for an arbitrary number of centers in equilibrium and then discuss the properties of their one-particle configurations, including the existence of bounces and the regularity (geodesic completeness) of these spacetimes. Our method can be used to construct multicenter solutions in other theories of gravity.
Structure and stability of traversable thin-shell wormholes in Palatini f(R) gravity
2020
We study the structure and stability of traversable wormholes built as (spherically symmetric) thin shells in the context of Palatini f(R) gravity. Using a suitable junction formalism for these theories we find that the effective number of degrees of freedom on the shell is reduced to a single one, which fixes the equation of state to be that of massless stress-energy fields, contrary to the general relativistic and metric f(R) cases. Another major difference is that the surface energy density threading the thin shell, needed in order to sustain the wormhole, can take any sign and may even vanish, depending on the desired features of the corresponding solutions. We illustrate our results by…
Geodesically complete BTZ-type solutions of $2+1$ Born-Infeld gravity
2016
We study Born-Infeld gravity coupled to a static, nonrotating electric field in $2+1$ dimensions and find exact analytical solutions. Two families of such solutions represent geodesically complete, and hence nonsingular, spacetimes. Another family represents a point-like charge with a singularity at the center. Despite the absence of rotation, these solutions resemble the charged, rotating BTZ solution of General Relativity but with a richer structure in terms of horizons. The nonsingular character of the first two families turn out to be attached to the emergence of a wormhole structure on their innermost region. This seems to be a generic prediction of extensions of General Relativity for…
The quantum, the geon, and the crystal
2015
Effective geometries arising from a hypothetical discrete structure of space-time can play an important role in the understanding of the gravitational physics beyond General Relativity. To discuss this question, we make use of lessons from crystalline systems within solid state physics, where the presence of defects in the discrete microstructure of the crystal determine the kind of effective geometry needed to properly describe the system in the macroscopic continuum limit. In this work we study metric-affine theories with non-metricity and torsion, which are the gravitational analog of crystalline structures with point defects and dislocations. We consider a crystal-motivated gravitationa…
Correspondence between modified gravity and general relativity with scalar fields
2018
We describe a novel procedure to map the field equations of nonlinear Ricci-based metric-affine theories of gravity, coupled to scalar matter described by a given Lagrangian, into the field equations of General Relativity coupled to a different scalar field Lagrangian. Our analysis considers examples with a single and $N$ real scalar fields, described either by canonical Lagrangians or by generalized functions of the kinetic and potential terms. In particular, we consider several explicit examples involving $f(R)$ theories and the Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity model, coupled to different scalar field Lagrangians. We show how the nonlinearities of the gravitational sector of these t…
Reissner-Nordstr\"om black holes in extended Palatini theories
2012
We study static, spherically symmetric solutions with an electric field in an extension of general relativity (GR) containing a Ricci-squared term and formulated in the Palatini formalism. We find that all the solutions present a central core whose area is proportional to the Planck area times the number of charges. Far from the core, curvature invariants quickly tend to those of the usual Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution, though the structure of horizons may be different. In fact, besides the structures found in the Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution of GR, we find black hole solutions with just one nondegenerate horizon (Schwarzschild-like), and nonsingular black holes and naked cores. The charge…
Light ring images of double photon spheres in black hole and wormhole spacetimes
2022
The silhouette of a black hole having a critical curve (an unstable bound photon orbit) when illuminated by an optically thin accretion disk whose emission is confined to the equatorial plane shows a distinctive central brightness depression (the shadow) whose outer edge consists of a series of strongly lensed, self-similar rings superimposed with the disk's direct emission. While the size and shape of the critical curve depend only on the background geometry, the pattern of bright and dark regions (including the size and depth of the shadow itself) in the image is strongly influenced by the (astro)physics of the accretion disk. This aspect makes it difficult to extract clean and clear obse…
What is a singular black hole beyond general relativity?
2017
Exploring the characterization of singular black hole spacetimes, we study the relation between energy density, curvature invariants, and geodesic completeness using a quadratic $f(R)$ gravity theory coupled to an anisotropic fluid. Working in a metric-affine approach, our models and solutions represent minimal extensions of General Relativity (GR) in the sense that they rapidly recover the usual Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m solution from near the inner horizon outwards. The anisotropic fluid helps modify only the innermost geometry. Depending on the values and signs of two parameters on the gravitational and matter sectors, a breakdown of the correlations between the finiteness/divergence of the…
Nonsingular charged black holes \`{a} la Palatini
2012
We argue that the quantum nature of matter and gravity should lead to a discretization of the allowed states of the matter confined in the interior of black holes. To support and illustrate this idea, we consider a quadratic extension of General Relativity formulated \`{a} la Palatini and show that nonrotating, electrically charged black holes develop a compact core at the Planck density which is nonsingular if the mass spectrum satisfies a certain discreteness condition. We also find that the area of the core is proportional to the number of charges times the Planck area.
Structure and stability of traversable thin-shell wormholes in Palatini $f(\mathcal{R})$ gravity
2020
We study the structure and stability of traversable wormholes built as (spherically symmetric) thin shells in the context of Palatini $f(\mathcal{R})$ gravity. Using a suitable junction formalism for these theories we find that the effective number of degrees of freedom on the shell is reduced to a single one, which fixes the equation of state to be that of massless stress-energy fields, contrary to the general relativistic and metric $f(R)$ cases. Another major difference is that the surface energy density threading the thin-shell, needed in order to sustain the wormhole, can take any sign, and may even vanish, depending on the desired features of the corresponding solutions. We illustrate…
Black Holes in Extended Gravity Theories in Palatini Formalism
2013
We consider several physical scenarios where black holes within classical gravity theories including R 2 and Ricci-squared corrections and formulated a la Palatini can be analytically studied.
Geons in Palatini Theories of Gravity
2017
An explicit implementation of geons in the context of gravitational theories extending general relativity is discussed in detail. Such extensions are formulated in the Palatini approach, where metric and affine connection are regarded as independent entities. This formulation is inspired on the macroscopic description of the physics of crystalline structures with defects in the context of solid-state physics, whose study can provide valuable lessons for going beyond GR. We discuss several theories for the gravitational field including additional contributions of the Ricci tensor in four and higher dimensions. As opposed to the standard metric approach, the Palatini formulation generates gho…
Post-editorial of the special issue "Wormholes in space-time: theory and facts"
2020
Wormholes made their first appearance in gravitational physics as soon as in 1916 but, as with their black hole cousins, it took a long time and effort for their true nature to be properly understood [...]
Classical resolution of black hole singularities in arbitrary dimension
2015
A metric-affine approach is employed to study higher-dimensional modified gravity theories involving different powers and contractions of the Ricci tensor. It is shown that the field equations are \emph{always} second-order, as opposed to the standard metric approach, where this is only achieved for Lagrangians of the Lovelock type. We point out that this property might have relevant implications for the AdS/CFT correspondence in black hole scenarios. We illustrate these aspects by considering the case of Born-Infeld gravity in $d$ dimensions, where we work out exact solutions for electrovacuum configurations. Our results put forward that black hole singularities in arbitrary dimensions can…
Geometric aspects of charged black holes in Palatini theories
2015
Charged black holes in gravity theories in the Palatini formalism present a number of unique properties. Their innermost structure is topologically nontrivial, representing a wormhole supported by a sourceless electric flux. For certain values of their effective mass and charge curvature divergences may be absent, and their event horizon may also disappear yielding a remnant. We give an overview of the mathematical derivation of these solutions and discuss their geodesic structure and other geometric properties.
New horizons for fundamental physics with LISA
2022
K. G. Arun et al.
An infinite class of exact rotating black hole metrics of modified gravity
2022
We build an infinite class of exact axisymmetric solutions of a metric-affine gravity theory, namely, Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity, coupled to an anisotropic fluid as a matter source. The solution-generating method employed is not unique of this theory but can be extended to other Ricci-Based Gravity theories (RBGs), a class of theories built out of contractions of the Ricci tensor with the metric. This method exploits a correspondence between the space of solutions of General Relativity and that of RBGs, and is independent of the symmetries of the problem. For the particular case in which the fluid is identified with non-linear electromagnetic fields we explicitly derive the corr…
Accelerated observers and the notion of singular spacetime
2017
Geodesic completeness is typically regarded as a basic criterion to determine whether a given spacetime is regular or singular. However, the principle of general covariance does not privilege any family of observers over the others and, therefore, observers with arbitrary motions should be able to provide a complete physical description of the world. This suggests that in a regular spacetime, all physically acceptable observers should have complete paths. In this work we explore this idea by studying the motion of accelerated observers in spherically symmetric spacetimes and illustrate it by considering two geodesically complete black hole spacetimes recently described in the literature. We…
Stellar structure models in modified theories of gravity: Lessons and challenges
2019
The understanding of stellar structure represents the crossroads of our theories of the nuclear force and the gravitational interaction under the most extreme conditions observably accessible. It provides a powerful probe of the strong field regime of General Relativity, and opens fruitful avenues for the exploration of new gravitational physics. The latter can be captured via modified theories of gravity, which modify the Einstein-Hilbert action of General Relativity and/or some of its principles. These theories typically change the stellar structure equations, thus having a large impact on the astrophysical properties of the corresponding stars and opening a new window to constrain these …
Minimum main sequence mass in quadratic Palatini f(R) gravity
2019
General relativity yields an analytical prediction of a minimum required mass of roughly $\ensuremath{\sim}0.08--0.09\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ for a star to stably burn sufficient hydrogen to fully compensate photospheric losses and, therefore, to belong to the main sequence. Those objects below this threshold (brown dwarfs) eventually cool down without any chance to stabilize their internal temperature. In this work we consider quadratic Palatini $f(\mathcal{R})$ gravity and show that the corresponding Newtonian hydrostatic equilibrium equation contains a new term whose effect is to introduce a weakening/strengthening of the gravitational interaction inside astrophysical…
Mapping Ricci-based theories of gravity into general relativity
2018
We show that the space of solutions of a wide family of Ricci-based metric-affine theories of gravity can be put into correspondence with the space of solutions of general relativity (GR). This allows us to use well-established methods and results from GR to explore new gravitational physics beyond it.
Nonsingular electrovacuum solutions with dynamically generated cosmological constant
2013
We consider static spherically symmetric configurations in a Palatini extension of General Relativity including R-2 and Ricci-squared terms, which is known to replace the central singularity by a wormhole in the electrovacuum case. We modify the matter sector of the theory by adding to the usual Maxwell term a nonlinear electromagnetic extension which is known to implement a confinement mechanism in flat space. One feature of the resulting theory is that the nonlinear electric field leads to a dynamically generated cosmological constant. We show that with this matter source the solutions of the model are asymptotically de Sitter and possess a wormhole topology. We discuss in some detail the…
Rotating black holes in Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity: an exact solution
2020
We find an exact, rotating charged black hole solution within Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity. To this end we employ a recently developed correspondence or {\it mapping} between modified gravity models built as scalars out of contractions of the metric with the Ricci tensor, and formulated in metric-affine spaces (Ricci-Based Gravity theories) and General Relativity. This way, starting from the Kerr-Newman solution, we show that this mapping bring us the axisymmetric solutions of Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity coupled to a certain model of non-linear electrodynamics. We discuss the most relevant physical features of the solutions obtained this way, both in the spherically sym…
Black holes in five-dimensional Palatinif(R)gravity and implications for the AdS/CFT correspondence
2014
We show that theories having second-order field equations in the context of higher-dimensional modified gravity are not restricted to the family of Lovelock Lagrangians, but can also be obtained if no a priori assumption on the relation between the metric and affine structures of space-time is made (the Palatini approach). We illustrate this fact by considering the case of Palatini $f(R)$ gravities in five dimensions. Our results provide an alternative avenue to explore new domains of the AdS/CFT correspondence without resorting to ad hoc quasitopological constructions.
On gravitational waves in Born-Infeld inspired non-singular cosmologies
2017
We study the evolution of gravitational waves for non-singular cosmological solutions within the framework of Born-Infeld inspired gravity theories, with special emphasis on the Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld theory. We review the existence of two types of non-singular cosmologies, namely bouncing and asymptotically Minkowski solutions, from a perspective that makes their features more apparent. We study in detail the propagation of gravitational waves near these non-singular solutions and carefully discuss the origin and severity of the instabilities and strong coupling problems that appear. We also investigate the role of the adiabatic sound speed of the matter sector in the regularisatio…
Multiring images of thin accretion disk of a regular naked compact object
2022
We discuss the importance of multi-ring images in the optical appearance of a horizonless spherically symmetric compact object, when illuminated by an optically thin accretion disk. Such an object corresponds to a sub-case of an analytically tractable extension of the Kerr solution dubbed as the {\it eye of the storm} by Simpson and Visser in [JCAP \textbf{03} (2022) 011], which merits in removing curvature singularities via an asymptotically Minkowski core, while harbouring both a critical curve and an infinite potential barrier at the center for null geodesics. This multi-ring structure is induced by light rays winding several times around the object, and whose luminosity is significantly…
Robustness of braneworld scenarios against tensorial perturbations
2015
Inspired by the peculiarities of the effective geometry of crystalline structures, we reconsider thick brane scenarios from a metric-affine perspective. We show that for a rather general family of theories of gravity, whose Lagrangian is an arbitrary function of the metric and the Ricci tensor, the background and scalar field equations can be written in first-order form, and tensorial perturbations have a non negative definite spectrum, which makes them stable under linear perturbations regardless of the form of the gravity Lagrangian. We find, in particular, that the tensorial zero modes are exactly the same as predicted by Einstein's theory regardless of the scalar field and gravitational…
Geodesic completeness in a wormhole spacetime with horizons
2015
The geometry of a spacetime containing a wormhole generated by a spherically symmetric electric field is investigated in detail. These solutions arise in high-energy extensions of General Relativity formulated within the Palatini approach and coupled to Maxwell electrodynamics. Even though curvature divergences generically arise at the wormhole throat, we find that these spacetimes are geodesically complete. This provides an explicit example where curvature divergences do not imply spacetime singularities.
Semiclassical geons as solitonic black hole remnants
2013
We find that the end state of black hole evaporation could be represented by non-singular and without event horizon stable solitonic remnants with masses of the order the Planck scale and up to similar to 16 units of charge. Though these objects are locally indistinguishable from spherically symmetric, massive electric (or magnetic) charges, they turn out to be sourceless geons containing a wormhole generated by the electromagnetic field. Our results are obtained by interpreting semiclassical corrections to Einstein's theory in the first-order (Palatini) formalism, which yields second-order equations and avoids the instabilities of the usual (metric) formulation of quadratic gravity. We als…
NONSINGULAR BLACK HOLES IN PALATINI EXTENSIONS OF GENERAL RELATIVITY
2015
An introduction to extended theories of gravity formulated in metric-affine (or Palatini) spaces is presented. Focusing on spherically symmetric configurations with electric fields, we will see that in these theories the central singularity present in General Relativity is generically replaced by a wormhole structure. The resulting space-time becomes geodesically complete and, therefore, can be regarded as non-singular. We illustrate these properties considering two different models, namely, a quadratic f(R) theory and a Born-Infeld like gravity theory.
Nonsingular Black Holes in $f(R)$ Theories
2015
We study the structure of a family of static, spherically symmetric space-times generated by an anisotropic fluid and governed by a particular type of $f(R)$ theory. We find that for a range of parameters with physical interest, such solutions represent black holes with the central singularity replaced by a finite size wormhole. We show that time-like geodesics and null geodesics with nonzero angular momentum never reach the wormhole throat due to an infinite potential barrier. For null radial geodesics, it takes an infinite affine time to reach the wormhole. This means that the resulting space-time is geodesically complete and, therefore, nonsingular despite the generic existence of curvat…
Eternal versus singular observers in interacting dark-energy-dark-matter models
2022
Interacting dark-energy-dark-matter models have been widely analyzed in the literature in an attempt to find traces of new physics beyond the usual cosmological (ΛCDM) models. Such a coupling between both dark components is usually introduced in a phenomenological way through a flux in the continuity equation. However, models with a Lagrangian formulation are also possible. A class of the latter assumes a conformal/disformal coupling that leads to a fifth force on the dark-matter component, which consequently does not follow the same geodesics as the other (baryonic, radiation, and dark-energy) matter sources. Here we analyze how the usual cosmological singularities of the standard matter f…
New scalar compact objects in Ricci-based gravity theories
2019
Taking advantage of a previously developed method, which allows to map solutions of General Relativity into a broad family of theories of gravity based on the Ricci tensor (Ricci-based gravities), we find new exact analytical scalar field solutions by mapping the free-field static, spherically symmetric solution of General Relativity (GR) into quadratic $f(R)$ gravity and the Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity. The obtained solutions have some distinctive feature below the would-be Schwarzschild radius of a configuration with the same mass, though in this case no horizon is present. The compact objects found include wormholes, compact balls, shells of energy with no interior, and a new …
Melvin Universe in Born-Infeld gravity
2015
We consider a magnetic flux pointing in the $z$ direction of an axially symmetric space-time (Melvin Universe) in a Born-Infeld-type extension of General Relativity (GR) formulated in the Palatini approach. Large magnetic fields could have been produced in the early Universe, and given rise to interesting phenomenology regarding wormholes and black hole remnants. We find a formal analytic solution to this problem that recovers the GR result in the appropriate limits. Our results set the basis for further extensions that could allow the embedding of pairs of black hole remnants in geometries with intense magnetic fields.
Importance of torsion and invariant volumes in Palatini theories of gravity
2013
We study the field equations of extensions of general relativity formulated within a metric-affine formalism setting torsion to zero (Palatini approach). We find that different (second-order) dynamical equations arise depending on whether torsion is set to zero (i) a priori or (ii) a posteriori, i.e., before or after considering variations of the action. Considering a generic family of Ricci-squared theories, we show that in both cases the connection can be decomposed as the sum of a Levi-Civita connection and terms depending on a vector field. However, while in case (i) this vector field is related to the symmetric part of the connection, in (ii) it comes from the torsion part and, therefo…
Nonsingular black holes, wormholes, and de Sitter cores from anisotropic fluids
2017
We study Born-Infeld gravity coupled to an anisotropic fluid in a static, spherically symmetric background. The free function characterizing the fluid is selected on the following grounds: i) recovery of the Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution of GR at large distances, ii) fulfillment of classical energy conditions and iii) inclusion of models of nonlinear electrodynamics as particular examples. Four branches of solutions are obtained, depending on the signs of two parameters on the gravity and matter sectors. On each branch, we discuss in detail the modifications on the innermost region of the corresponding solutions, which provides a plethora of configurations, including nonsingular black holes…
Geonic black holes and remnants in Eddington-inspired Born–Infeld gravity
2014
We show that electrically charged solutions within the Eddington-inspired Born–Infeld theory of gravity replace the central singularity by a wormhole supported by the electric field. As a result, the total energy associated with the electric field is finite and similar to that found in the Born–Infeld electromagnetic theory. When a certain charge-to-mass ratio is satisfied, in the lowest part of the mass and charge spectrum the event horizon disappears, yielding stable remnants. We argue that quantum effects in the matter sector can lower the mass of these remnants from the Planck scale down to the TeV scale.
Black hole formation from a null fluid in extended Palatini gravity
2012
We study the formation and perturbation of black holes by null fluxes of neutral matter in a quadratic extension of General Relativity formulated a la Palatini. Working in a spherically symmetric space-time, we obtain an exact analytical solution for the metric that extends the usual Vaidya-type solution to this type of theories. We find that the resulting space-time is formally that of a Reissner-Nordstrom black hole but with an effective charge term carrying the wrong sign in front of it. This effective charge is directly related to the luminosity function of the radiation stream. When the ingoing flux vanishes, the charge term disappears and the space-time relaxes to that of a Schwarzsch…
Semiclassical geons at particle accelerators
2014
We point out that in certain four-dimensional extensions of general relativity constructed within the Palatini formalism stable self-gravitating objects with a discrete mass and charge spectrum may exist. The incorporation of nonlinearities in the electromagnetic field may effectively reduce their mass spectrum by many orders of magnitude. As a consequence, these objects could be within (or near) the reach of current particle accelerators. We provide an exactly solvable model to support this idea.
Planck scale physics and topology change through an exactly solvable model
2014
We consider the collapse of a charged radiation fluid in a Planck-suppressed quadratic extension of General Relativity (GR) formulated à la Palatini. We obtain exact analytical solutions that extend the charged Vaidya-type solution of GR, which allows to explore in detail new physics at the Planck scale. Starting from Minkowski space, we find that the collapsing fluid generates wormholes supported by the electric field. We discuss the relevance of our findings in relation to the quantum foam structure of space–time and the meaning of curvature divergences in this theory.
Junction conditions in Palatinif(R) gravity
2020
We work out the junction conditions for $f(R)$ gravity formulated in metric-affine (Palatini) spaces using a tensor distributional approach. These conditions are needed for building consistent models of gravitating bodies with an interior and exterior regions matched at some hypersurface. Some of these conditions depart from the standard Darmois-Israel ones of General Relativity and from their metric $f(R)$ counterparts. In particular, we find that the trace of the stress-energy momentum tensor in the bulk must be continuous across the matching hypersurface, though its normal derivative need not to. We illustrate the relevance of these conditions by considering the properties of stellar sur…
Palatini $f(R)$ Black Holes in Nonlinear Electrodynamics
2011
The electrically charged Born-Infeld black holes in the Palatini formalism for $f(R)$ theories are analyzed. Specifically we study those supported by a theory $f(R)=R\pm R^2/R_P$, where $R_P$ is Planck's curvature. These black holes only differ from their General Relativity counterparts very close to the center, but may give rise to different geometrical structures in terms of inner horizons. The nature and strength of the central singularities are also significantly affected. In particular, for the model $f(R)=R - R^2/R_P$ the singularity is shifted to a finite radius, $r_+$, and the Kretschmann scalar diverges only as $1/(r-r_+)^{2}$.
Non-Riemannian geometry: towards new avenues for the physics of modified gravity
2015
Less explored than their metric (Riemannian) counterparts, metric-affine (or Palatini) theories bring an unexpected phenomenology for gravitational physics beyond General Relativity. Lessons of crystalline structures, where the presence of defects in their microstructure requires the use of non-Riemannian geometry for the proper description of their properties in the macroscopic continuum level, are discussed. In this analogy, concepts such as wormholes and geons play a fundamental role. Applications of the metric-affine formalism developed by the authors in the last three years are reviewed.
Born–Infeld inspired modifications of gravity
2017
General Relativity has shown an outstanding observational success in the scales where it has been directly tested. However, modifications have been intensively explored in the regimes where it seems either incomplete or signals its own limit of validity. In particular, the breakdown of unitarity near the Planck scale strongly suggests that General Relativity needs to be modified at high energies and quantum gravity effects are expected to be important. This is related to the existence of spacetime singularities when the solutions of General Relativity are extrapolated to regimes where curvatures are large. In this sense, Born-Infeld inspired modifications of gravity have shown an extraordin…
Wormholes and nonsingular spacetimes in Palatinif(R)gravity
2015
We reconsider the problem of $f(R)$ theories of gravity coupled to Born-Infeld theory of electrodynamics formulated in a Palatini approach, where metric and connection are independent fields. By studying electrovacuum configurations in a static and spherically symmetric space-time, we find solutions which reduce to their Reissner-Nordstr\"om counterparts at large distances but undergo important non-perturbative modifications close to the center. Our new analysis reveals that the point-like singularity is replaced by a finite-size wormhole structure, which provides a geodesically complete and thus nonsingular space-time, despite the existence of curvature divergences at the wormhole throat. …
Impact of curvature divergences on physical observers in a wormhole space-time with horizons
2016
The impact of curvature divergences on physical observers in a black hole space-time which, nonetheless, is geodesically complete is investigated. This space-time is an exact solution of certain extensions of General Relativity coupled to Maxwell's electrodynamics and, roughly speaking, consists on two Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m (or Schwarzschild or Minkowski) geometries connected by a spherical wormhole near the center. We find that, despite the existence of infinite tidal forces, causal contact is never lost among the elements making up the observer. This suggests that curvature divergences may not be as pathological as traditionally thought.
Minimum main sequence mass in quadratic Palatini $f(\mathcal{R})$ gravity
2019
General Relativity yields an analytical prediction of a minimum required mass of roughly $\sim 0.08-0.09 M_{\odot}$ for a star to stably burn sufficient hydrogen to fully compensate photospheric losses and, therefore, to belong to the main sequence. Those objects below this threshold (brown dwarfs) eventually cool down without any chance to stabilize their internal temperature. In this work we consider quadratic Palatini $f(\mathcal{R})$ gravity and show that the corresponding newtonian hydrostatic equilibrium equation contains a new term whose effect is to introduce a weakening/strenghtening of the gravitational interaction inside astrophysical bodies. This fact modifies the General Relati…
Parameterized nonrelativistic limit of stellar structure equations in Ricci-based gravity theories
2021
We present the non-relativistic limit of the stellar structure equations of Ricci-based gravities, a family of metric-affine theories whose Lagrangian is built via contractions of the metric with the Ricci tensor of an a priori independent connection. We find that this limit is characterized by four parameters that arise in the expansion of several geometric quantities in powers of the stress-energy tensor of the matter fields. We discuss the relevance of this result for the phenomenology of non-relativistic stars, such as main-sequence stars as well as several substellar objects.
Dynamical generation of wormholes with charged fluids in quadratic Palatini gravity
2014
The dynamical generation of wormholes within an extension of General Relativity (GR) containing (Planck's scale-suppressed) Ricci-squared terms is considered. The theory is formulated assuming the metric and connection to be independent (Palatini formalism) and is probed using a charged null fluid as a matter source. This has the following effect: starting from Minkowski space, when the flux is active the metric becomes a charged Vaidya-type one, and once the flux is switched off the metric settles down into a static configuration such that far from the Planck scale the geometry is virtually indistinguishable from that of the standard Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution of GR. However, the innerm…
Brane-world and loop cosmology from a gravity–matter coupling perspective
2015
We show that the effective brane-world and the loop quantum cosmology background expansion histories can be reproduced from a modified gravity perspective in terms of an $f(R)$ gravity action plus a $g(R)$ term non-minimally coupled with the matter Lagrangian. The reconstruction algorithm that we provide depends on a free function of the matter density that must be specified in each case and allows to obtain analytical solutions always. In the simplest cases, the function $f(R)$ is quadratic in the Ricci scalar, $R$, whereas $g(R)$ is linear. Our approach is compared with recent results in the literature. We show that working in the Palatini formalism there is no need to impose any constrai…