Search results for " Cosmology"
showing 10 items of 1486 documents
Transplanckian inflation as gravity echoes
2015
In this work, we show that, in the presence of non-minimal coupling to gravity, it is possible to generate sizeable tensor modes in single-field models without transplanckian field values. These transplanckian field values apparently needed in Einstein gravity to accommodate the experimental results may only be due to our insistence of imposing a minimal coupling of the inflaton field to gravity in a model with non-minimal couplings. We present three simple single-field models that prove that it is possible accommodate a large tensor-to-scalar ratio without requiring transplanckian field values within the slow-roll regime.
Born-Infeld f(R) gravity
2014
Motivated by the properties of matter quantum fields in curved space-times, we work out a gravity theory that combines the Born-Infeld gravity Lagrangian with an $f(R)$ piece. To avoid ghost-like instabilities, the theory is formulated within the Palatini approach. This construction provides more freedom to address a number of important questions such as the dynamics of the early universe and the cosmic accelerated expansion, among others. In particular, we consider the effect that adding an $f(R)=a R^2$ term has on the early-time cosmology. We find that bouncing solutions are robust against these modifications of the Lagrangian whereas the solutions with {\it loitering} behavior of the ori…
Modular fluxes, elliptic genera, and weak gravity conjectures in four dimensions
2019
We analyse the Weak Gravity Conjecture for chiral four-dimensional F-theory compactifications with N=1 supersymmetry. Extending our previous work on nearly tensionless heterotic strings in six dimensions, we show that under certain assumptions a tower of asymptotically massless states arises in the limit of vanishing coupling of a U(1) gauge symmetry coupled to gravity. This tower contains super-extremal states whose charge-to-mass ratios are larger than those of certain extremal dilatonic Reissner-Nordstrom black holes, precisely as required by the Weak Gravity Conjecture. Unlike in six dimensions, the tower of super-extremal states does not always populate a charge sub-lattice. The main t…
Stability analysis of black holes in massive gravity: a unified treatment
2014
We consider the analytic solutions of massive (bi)gravity which can be written in a simple form using advanced Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates. We analyse the stability of these solutions against radial perturbations. First we recover the previously obtained result on the instability of the bidiagonal bi-Schwarzschild solutions. In the non-bidiagonal case (which contains, in particular, the Schwarzschild solution with Minkowski fiducial metric) we show that generically there are physical spherically symmetric perturbations, but no unstable modes.
An alternative scenario for critical scalar field collapse in $AdS_3$
2016
In the context of gravitational collapse and black hole formation, we reconsider the problem to describe analytically the critical collapse of a massless and minimally coupled scalar field in $2+1$ gravity.
Hawking radiation of massive modes and undulations
2012
We compute the analogue Hawking radiation for modes which posses a small wave vector perpendicular to the horizon. For low frequencies, the resulting mass term induces a total reflection. This generates an extra mode mixing that occurs in the supersonic region, which cancels out the infrared divergence of the near horizon spectrum. As a result, the amplitude of the undulation (0-frequency wave with macroscopic amplitude) emitted in white hole flows now saturates at the linear level, unlike what was recently found in the massless case. In addition, we point out that the mass introduces a new type of undulation which is produced in black hole flows, and which is well described in the hydrodyn…
Hawking radiation correlations in Bose-Einstein condensates using quantum field theory in curved space
2013
The density-density correlation function is computed for the Bogoliubov pseudoparticles created in a Bose-Einstein condensate undergoing a black hole flow. On the basis of the gravitational analogy, the method used relies only on quantum field theory in curved spacetime techniques. A comparison with the results obtained by ab initio full condensed matter calculations is given, confirming the validity of the approximation used, provided the profile of the flow varies smoothly on scales compared to the condensate healing length.
Limits on neutrino Lorentz violation from multimessenger observations of TXS 0506+056
2019
The observation by the IceCube Collaboration of a high-energy ($E \gtrsim 200$ TeV) neutrino from the direction of the blazar TXS 0506+056 and the coincident observations of enhanced $\gamma$-ray emissions from the same object by MAGIC and other experiments can be used to set stringent constraints on Lorentz violation in the propagation of neutrinos that is linear in the neutrino energy: $\Delta v = - E/M_1$, where $\Delta v$ is the deviation from the velocity of light, and $M_1$ is an unknown high energy scale to be constrained by experiment. Allowing for a difference in neutrino and photon propagation times of $\sim 10$ days, we find that $M_1 \gtrsim 3 \times 10^{16}$ GeV. This improves …
The quantum clock: a critical discussion on space-time
2016
We critically discuss the measure of very short time intervals. By means of a Gedankenexperiment, we describe an ideal clock based on the occurrence of completely random events. Many previous thought experiments have suggested fundamental Planck-scale limits on measurements of distance and time. Here we present a new type of thought experiment, based on a different type of clock, that provide further support for the existence of such limits. We show that the minimum time interval $\Delta t$ that this clock can measure scales as the inverse of its size $\Delta r$. This implies an uncertainty relation between space and time: $\Delta r$ $\Delta t$ $> G \hbar / c^4$; where G, $\hbar$ and c are …
Gravitational footprints of massive neutrinos and lepton number breaking
2020
We investigate the production of primordial Gravitational Waves (GWs) arising from First Order Phase Transitions (FOPTs) associated to neutrino mass generation in the context of type-I and inverse seesaw schemes. We examine both "high-scale" as well as "low-scale" variants, with either explicit or spontaneously broken lepton number symmetry $U(1)_L$ in the neutrino sector. In the latter case, a pseudo-Goldstone majoron-like boson may provide a candidate for cosmological dark matter. We find that schemes with softly-broken $U(1)_L$ and with single Higgs-doublet scalar sector lead to either no FOPTs or too weak FOPTs, precluding the detectability of GWs in present or near future measurements.…