Several authors have argued that self-consistent $f(R)$ gravity models distinct from $Λ$CDM are almost ruled out. Confronting such claims, we present a particular two-parameter $f(R)$ model that: (a) is cosmologically viable and distinguishable from $Λ$CDM; (b) is compatible with the existence of relativistic stars; (c) is free of singularities of the Ricci scalar during the cosmological evolution and (d) allows the addition of high curvature corrections that could be relevant for inflation.
The curvature singularity in viable f(R) gravity models is examined when the background density is dense. This singularity could be eliminated by adding the $R^{2}$ term in the Lagrangian. Some of cosmological consequences, in particular the source for the scalar mode of gravitational waves, are discussed.
We study future singularity in teleparallel dark energy models, particularly its behavior and its (non)occurrence in the observationally viable models. For the models with a general self-potential of the scalar field, we point out that both at early times and in the future near the singularity the behavior of dark energy can be described by the analytic solutions of the scalar field we obtained for the model with no self-potential. As to the (non)occurrence in the viable models, we consider a natural binding-type self-potential, the quadratic potential, when fitting observational data, and ill…
We construct an asymptotic series for a general solution of the Einstein equations near a sudden singularity. The solution is quasi isotropic and contains nine independent arbitrary functions of the space coordinates as required by the structure of the initial value problem.
A modified f(R) gravity model has been recently proposed in Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 221101 (2009) [arXiv:0905.1941] whose cosmological behaviour is clearly distinguishable from LCDM. Contrary to previous opinions which consider that self-consistent f(R) gravity models distinct from LCDM are almost ruled out, the authors claim that the proposed model is cosmologically viable. Here we show that although the model satisfies some consistency conditions, precisely because of its departure from LCDM behaviour, it does not satisfy local gravity constraints and, in addition, the predicted matter power s…
In this paper we investigate a class of phenomenologically viable $F(R,{\cal G})$ theories that are able to avoid the cosmological constant issue. While the absence of ghosts and other kinds of instability issues is of prime importance, other reasonable requirements such as vanishing effective (low curvature) cosmological constant, including the flat space as a stable vacuum solution, are also imposed on the viable models. These are free of the cosmological constant problem thanks to the following outstanding feature: the de Sitter space is an attractor of the asymptotic cosmological dynamics,…
Modified f(R) gravity is one of the most promising candidates for dark energy, and even for the unification of the whole cosmological evolution, including the inflationary phase. Within this class of theories, the so-called viable modified gravities represent realistic theories that are capable of reproducing late-time acceleration, and satisfy strong constraints at local scales, where General Relativity is recovered. The present manuscript deals with the analysis of the cosmological evolution for some of these models, which indicates that the evolution may enter into a phantom phase, but the …
A cosmological model of a flat Friedmann universe filled with a mixture of anti-Chaplygin gas and dust-like matter exhibits a future soft singularity, where the pressure of the anti-Chaplygin gas diverges (while its energy density is finite). Despite infinite tidal forces the geodesics pass through the singularity. Due to the dust component, the Hubble parameter has a non-zero value at the encounter with the singularity, therefore the dust implies further expansion. With continued expansion however, the energy density and the pressure of the anti-Chaplygin gas would become ill-defined, hence f…
We study an alternative geometrical approach on the problem of classical cosmological singularity. It is based on a generalized function $f (x, y) = x^{2} + y^{2} = (1 - z)z^{n}$ which consists of a cusped coupled isosurface. Such a geometry is computed and discussed into the context of Friedmann singularity-free cosmology where a pre-big bang scenario is considered. Assuming that the mechanism of cusp formation is described by non-linear oscillations of a pre-big bang extended very high energy density field ($> 3 \times 10^{94} kg/m^{3} $), we show that the action under the gravitational fiel…
The black hole observations obtained so far indicate one thing: similar "donuts" exist in the sky. But what if some of the observed black hole shadows that will obtained in the future are different from the others? In this work the aim is to show that a difference in the shadow of some observed black holes in the future, might explain the $H_0$-tension problem. In this letter we investigate the possible effects of a pressure cosmological singularity on the circular photon orbits and the shadow of galactic supermassive black holes at cosmological redshifts. Since the pressure singularity is a g…
Standard dynamical system analysis of Einstein-Maxwell equation in $f(R)$ theories is considered in this work. We investigate cosmological dynamics of a uniform magnetic field in the Orthogonal Spatially Homogeneous (OSH) Bianchi type I universe with viable $f(R)$ models of gravity. In this work, the $f(R) = R -αR^n$ and $f(R) = \left( R^b - Λ\right)^c$ models are examined by using our dynamical system analysis. Our results show that both of two $f(R)$ models have a viable cosmological consequence identical to the analysis present in Ref.\cite{Amendola:2007nt} for the FLRW background. Contrary…
A complete analysis of the dynamics of the Hu-Sawicki modification to General Relativity is presented. In particular, the full phase-space is given for the case in which the model parameters are taken to be n=1, c1=1, and several stable de Sitter equilibrium points together with an unstable "matter-like" point are identified. We find that if the cosmological parameters are chosen to take on their Lambda CDM values today, this results in a universe which, until very low redshifts, is dominated by an equation of state parameter equal t1/3, leading to an expansion history very different from Lamb…
We find the general conditions for viable cosmological solution at the background level in bigravity models. Furthermore, we constrain the parameters by comparing to the Union 2.1 supernovae catalog and identify, in some cases analytically, the best fit parameter or the degeneracy curve among pairs of parameters. We point out that a bimetric model with a single free parameter predicts a simple relation between the equation of state and the density parameter, fits well the supernovae data and is a valid and testable alternative to $Λ$CDM. Additionally, we identify the conditions for a phantom b…
One of the so-called viable modified gravities is analyzed. This kind of gravity theories are characterized by a well behavior at local scales, where General Relativity is recovered, while the modified terms become important at the cosmological level, where the late-time accelerating era is reproduced, and even the inflationary phase. In the present work, the future cosmological evolution for one of these models is studied. A transition to the phantom phase is observed. Furthermore, the scalar-tensor equivalence of f(R) gravity is also considered, which provides important information concernin…
In this work we review the issue of imposing the conservation of the energy-momentum tensor as a necessary condition to recover the equivalence between the unimodular gravity and General Relativity (GR) equipped with a cosmological constant. This procedure is usually interpreted as an {\it ad hoc} imposition on the unimodular theory's structure. Whereas the consequences of avoiding the conservation of the total energy-momentum tensor has been already introduced in the literature, it has been not widely explored so far. We study an expanding universe sourced by a single effective perfect fluid …
For a class of viable cosmological models in $f(R)$ gravity which deviation from the Einstein gravity decreases as a inverse power law of the Ricci scalar $R$ for large $R$, an analytic solution for density perturbations in the matter component during the matter dominated stage is obtained in terms of hypergeometric functions. An analytical expression for the matter transfer function at scales much less than the present Hubble scale is also obtained.
In this paper, we will show that the equations of motion of the quadratic in curvature, ghost free, infinite derivative theory of gravity will not permit an anisotropic collapse of a homogeneous Universe for a Kasner-type vacuum solution.
Dynamical systems methods are used to investigate cosmological model with non-minimally coupled scalar field. Existence of an asymptotically unstable de Sitter state distinguishes values of the non-minimal coupling constant parameter $\frac{3}{16}\leξ<\frac{1}{4}$, which correspond to conformal coupling in higher dimensional theories of gravity.
In this paper we present cosmological constraints on several well-known $f(R)$ models, but also on a new class of models that are variants of the Hu-Sawicki one of the form $f(R)=R-\frac{2Λ}{1+b\;y(R,Λ)}$, that interpolate between the cosmological constant model and a matter dominated universe for different values of the parameter $b$, which is usually expected to be small for viable models and which in practice measures the deviation from General Relativity. We use the latest growth rate, Cosmic Microwave Background, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, Supernovae type Ia and Hubble parameter data t…
We study the equation of state for dark energy and explicitly demonstrate that the future crossings of the phantom divide line $w_{\mathrm{DE}}=-1$ are the generic feature in the existing viable $f(R)$ gravity models. We also explore the future evolution of the cosmological horizon entropy and illustrate that the cosmological horizon entropy oscillates with time due to the oscillatory behavior of the Hubble parameter. The important cosmological consequence is that in the future, the sign of the time derivative of the Hubble parameter changes from negative to positive in these viable $f(R)$ gra…
We generalize the action for point particle motion to a double field theory background. After deriving the general equations of motion for these particle geodesics, we specialize to the case of a cosmological background with vanishing antisymmetric tensor field and constant dilaton. We then show that the geodesics can be extended to infinity in both time directions once we define the appropriate physical clock. Following this prescription, we also show the existence of a singularity-free cosmological solution.
In this work we present a further investigation about Teleparallel Gravity Cosmology. We demonstrate that according the current astrophysical data (CC+Pantheon+BAO samplers with late universe measurements SH0ES+H0LiCOW), an $f(T,B)$ theory can provide another interpretation to the oscillatory behaviour of the dark energy equation of state when applied to late times. The four $f(T,B)$ cosmological viable models proposed here can undergo an epoch of late-time acceleration and reproduce quintessence and phantom regimes with a transition along the phantom-divided line, making this theory a good ap…
The quantum field theoretic prediction for the vacuum energy density leads to a value for the effective cosmological constant that is incorrect by between 60 to 120 orders of magnitude. We review an old proposal of replacing Einstein's Field Equations by their trace-free part (the Trace-Free Einstein Equations), together with an independent assumption of energy--momentum conservation by matter fields. While this does not solve the fundamental issue of why the cosmological constant has the value that is observed cosmologically, it is indeed a viable theory that resolves the problem of the discr…
Both dark energy models and modified gravity theories could lead to cosmological evolutions different from either the recollapse into a Big Crunch or exponential de Sitter expansion. The newly arising singularities may represent true endpoints of the evolution or allow for the extension of geodesics through them. In the latter case the components of the Riemann tensor representing tidal forces diverge. Sudden Future Singularities (SFS) occur at finite time, finite scale factor and finite Hubble parameter, only the deceleration parameter diverges. The energy density of a perfect fluid is regula…
Bimetric theory describes gravitational interactions in the presence of an extra spin-2 field. Previous work has suggested that its cosmological solutions are generically plagued by instabilities. We show that by taking the Planck mass for the second metric, $M_f$, to be small, these instabilities can be pushed back to unobservably early times. In this limit, the theory approaches general relativity with an effective cosmological constant which is, remarkably, determined by the spin-2 interaction scale. This provides a late-time expansion history which is extremely close to $Λ$CDM, but with a …
One of the greatest problems of standard cosmology is the Big Bang singularity. Previously it has been shown that non-local ghostfree higher-derivative modifications of Einstein gravity in the ultra-violet regime can admit non-singular bouncing solutions. In this paper we study in more details the dynamical properties of the equations of motion for these theories of gravity in presence of positive and negative cosmological constants and radiation. We find stable inflationary attractor solutions in the presence of a positive cosmological constant which renders inflation {\it geodesically comple…
We present a comprehensive analysis of classical scalar, vector and tensor cosmological perturbations in ghost-free massive bigravity. In particular, we find the full evolution equations and analytical solutions in a wide range of regimes. We show that there are viable cosmological backgrounds but, as has been found in the literature, these models generally have exponential instabilities in linear perturbation theory. However, it is possible to find stable scalar cosmological perturbations for a very particular choice of parameters. For this stable subclass of models we find that vector and te…
We investigate particular cosmological models, based either on tachyon fields or on perfect fluids, for which soft future singularities arise in a natural way. Our main result is the description of a smooth crossing of the soft singularity in models with an anti-Chaplygin gas or with a particular tachyon field in the presence of dust. Such a crossing is made possible by certain transformations of matter properties. Some of these cosmological evolutions involving tachyons are compatible with SNIa data. We compute numerically their dynamics involving a first soft singularity crossing, a turning …
We classify singularities in FRW cosmologies, which dynamics can be reduced to the dynamical system of the Newtonian type. This classification is performed in terms of geometry of a potential function if it has poles. At the sewn singularity, which is of a finite scale factor type, the singularity in the past meets the singularity in the future. We show, that such singularities appear in the Starobinsky model in $f(\hat{R})=\hat{R}+γ\hat{R}^2$ in the Palatini formalism, when dynamics is determined by the corresponding piece-wise smooth dynamical system. As an effect we obtain a degenerated sin…
An alternative to the Big Bang cosmologies is obtained by the Big Bounce cosmologies. In this paper, we study a bounce cosmology with a Type IV singularity occurring at the bouncing point, in the context of $F(R)$ modified gravity. We investigate the evolution of the Hubble radius and we examine the issue of primordial cosmological perturbations in detail. As we demonstrate, for the singular bounce, the primordial perturbations originating from the cosmological era near the bounce, do not produce a scale invariant spectrum and also the short wavelength modes, after these exit the horizon, do n…
In the recently proposed cosmological constant (CC) filter mechanism based on modified gravity in the Palatini formalism, gravity in the radiation, matter and late-time de Sitter eras is insensitive to energy sources with the equation of state -1. This implies that finite vacuum energy shifts from phase transitions are filtered out, too. In this work we investigate the CC filter model at very early times. We find that the initial big bang singularity is replaced by a cosmic bounce, where the matter energy density and the curvature are finite. In a certain case this finiteness can be observed a…
The late-time cosmological dynamics of disformal gravity are investigated using dynamical systems methods. It is shown that in the general case there are no stable attractors that screen fifth-forces locally and simultaneously describe a dark energy dominated universe. Viable scenarios have late-time properties that are independent of the disformal parameters and are identical to the equivalent conformal quintessence model. Our analysis reveals that configurations where the Jordan frame metric becomes singular are only reached in the infinite future, thus explaining the natural pathology resis…
Here we analysed a particular type of $F(R)$ gravity, the so-called exponential gravity which includes an exponential function of the Ricci scalar in the action. Such term represents a correction to the usual Hilbert-Einstein action. By using Supernovae Ia, Barionic Acoustic Oscillations, Cosmic Microwave Background and $H(z)$ data, the free parameters of the model are well constrained. The results show that such corrections to General Relativity become important at cosmological scales and at late-times, providing an alternative to the dark energy problem. In addition, the fits do not determin…
We briefly review the problem of generating cosmological flows of matter in GR (the genesis of universes), analyze models' shortcomings and their basic assumptions yet to be justified in physical cosmology. We propose a paradigm of cosmogenesis based on the class of spherically symmetric solutions with {\it integrable} singularity $r=0$. They allow for geodesically complete geometries of black/white holes, which may comprise space-time regions with properties of cosmological flows.
We investigate a curvature singularity appearing in the star collapse process in $F(R)$ gravity. In particular, we propose an understanding of the mechanism to produce the curvature singularity. Moreover, we explicitly demonstrate that $R^α$ ($1 < α\leq 2$) term addition could cure the curvature singularity and viable $F(R)$ gravity models could become free of such a singularity. Furthermore, we discuss the realization process of the curvature singularity and estimate the time scale of its appearance. For exponential gravity, it is shown that in case of the star collapse, the time scale is muc…
Gauge mediation provides us with a complete picture of supersymmetry breaking and its mediation within the effective field theories, and thus allows us to discuss consistencies with low-energy particle physics as well as cosmological observations. We study in detail the cosmological evolution of the pseudo-modulus field in the supersymmetry breaking sector and also the production of the gravitinos in the early Universe in a simple (but a complete) model of gauge mediation. Under fairly reasonable assumptions, it is found that there exists a parameter region where dark matter of the Universe is…
We investigate the parameter distributions of the viable generalized scalar-tensor theory with conventional dust matter after GW170817 in a model-independent way. We numerically construct the models by computing the time evolution of a scalar field, which leads to a positive definite second-order Hamiltonian and are consistent with the observed Hubble parameter. We show the model parameter distributions in the degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theory, and its popular subclasses, e.g., Horndeski and GLPV theories, etc.. We find that 1) the Planck mass run rate, $α_M$, is insensitive…
Dynamical systems methods are used to investigate a cosmological model with non-minimally coupled scalar field and asymptotically quadratic potential function. We found that for values of the non-minimal coupling constant parameter $\frac{3}{16}<ξ<\frac{1}{4}$ there exists an unstable asymptotic de Sitter state, free from a parallelly propagated singularity for $\frac{5}{24}\leξ<\frac{1}{4}$, giving rise to non-singular beginning of the universe. The energy density associated with this state depends on value of the non-minimal coupling constant and can be much smaller than the Planck energy de…
We study the evolution of cosmological perturbations in an anti-de-Sitter (AdS) bulk through a cosmological singularity by mapping the dynamics onto the boundary conformal fields theory by means of the AdS/CFT correspondence. We consider a deformed AdS space-time obtained by considering a time-dependent dilaton which induces a curvature singularity in the bulk at a time which we call $t = 0$, and which asymptotically approaches AdS both for large positive and negative times. The boundary field theory becomes free when the bulk curvature goes to infinity. Hence, the evolution of the fluctuation…
We find an explicit cosmological model which allows a special type of cosmological singularity which we call a $w$-singularity. This singularity has the scale factor finite, the energy density and pressure vanishing, and the only singular behaviour appears in a time-dependent barotropic index $w(t)$. It is different from the type IV cosmological singularity in that it does not exhibit the divergence of the higher derivatives of the Hubble parameter and from the big-brake since it does not fulfill the anti-Chaplygin gas equation of state. We also find an interesting duality between the $w$-sing…
We investigate the cosmological predictions of several $f(T)$ models, with up to two parameters, at both the background and the perturbation levels. Using current cosmological observations (geometric supernovae type Ia, cosmic microwave background and baryonic acoustic oscillation and dynamical growth data) we impose constraints on the distortion parameter, which quantifies the deviation of these models from the concordance $Λ$ cosmology at the background level. In addition we constrain the growth index $γ$ predicted in the context of these models using the latest perturbation growth data in t…
We use a method of linearization to study the emergence of the future cosmological singularity characterized by finite value of the cosmological radius. We uncover such singularities that keep Hubble parameter finite while making all higher derivatives of the scale factor (starting out from the $\ddot a$) diverge as the cosmological singularity is approached. Since such singularities has been obtained before in the brane world model we name them the "brane-like" singularities. These singularities can occur during the expanding phase in usual Friedmann universe filled with both a self-acting, m…
