We continue the recent study of the possibility of constructing a consistent infrared modification of gravity by treating the vierbein and connection as independent dynamical fields. We present the generalized Fierz--Pauli equation that governs the propagation of a massive spin-2 mode in a model of this sort in the backgrounds of arbitrary torsionless Einstein manifolds. We show explicitly that the number of propagating degrees of freedom in these backgrounds remains the same as in flat space-time. This generalizes the recent result that the Boulware--Deser phenomenon does not occur in de Sitter and anti-de Sitter backgrounds. We find that, at least for weakly curved backgrounds, there are no ghosts in the model. We also briefly discuss the interaction of sources in flat background.
We consider the model of modified gravity with dynamical torsion. This model was found to have promising stability properties about various backgrounds. The model admits a self-accelerating solution. We have shown previously that if the parameters are adjusted in such a way that the torsion is much greater than the effective cosmological constant, the self-accelerating solution is unstable: there are exponentially growing modes. Here we study the scalar perturbations in the case when the torsion is of the order of the effective cosmological constant. We find that there are no exponential insta…
We consider a model belonging to the class of gravities with dynamical torsion. The model is free of ghosts and gradient instabilities about Minkowski and torsionless Einstein backgrounds. We find that at zero cosmological constant, the model admits a self-accelerating solution with non-Riemannian connection. Small value of the effective cosmological constant is obtained at the expense of the hierarchy between the dimensionless couplings.
We consider the model of modified gravity with dynamical torsion. This model was previously found to have promising stability properties about various backgrounds. Here we study the stability of linear perturbations about the self-accelerating solution. We apply the $(3 + 1)$-decomposition and consider the scalar sector of perturbations. We find that the number of degrees of freedom is equal to 2, which is the same as in Minkowski background. However, there is at least one instability in the scalar sector, if the value of background torsion is large enough. This does not rule out the possibili…
We study a spin 1/2 fermion in a teleparallel f(T) domain-wall thick braneworld. By assuming a non-minimal coupling of fermion to the torsion, a geometric alternative to the Yukawa coupling is found. The torsion parameters control the width of the massless Kaluza-Klein mode and the properties of the analogue quantum-potential near the origin. The non-normalized massive fermionic modes are also analyzed.
We continue the exploration of the consistency of a modified-gravity theory that generalizes General Relativity by including a dynamical torsion in addition to the dynamical metric. The six-parameter theory we consider was found to be consistent around arbitrary torsionless Einstein backgrounds, in spite of its containing a (notoriously delicate) massive spin-2 excitation. At zero bare cosmological constant, this theory was found to admit a self-accelerating solution whose exponential expansion is sustained by a non-zero torsion background. The scalar-type perturbations of the latter torsionfu…
We study the tetrad formulation of Chern-Simons (CS) modified gravity, which adds a Pontryagin term to the Einstein-Hilbert action with a spacetime-dependent coupling field. We first verify that CS modified gravity leads to a theory with torsion, where this tensor is given by an antisymmetric product of the Riemann tensor and derivatives of the CS coupling. We then calculate the torsion in the far field of a weakly gravitating source within the parameterized post-Newtonian formalism, and specialize the result to Earth. We find that CS torsion vanishes only if the coupling vanishes, thus generi…
We propose a generalization of Chern-Simons (CS) modified gravity in first-order formalism. CS modified gravity action has a term that comes from the chiral anomaly which is Pontryagin invariant. First-order CS modified gravity is a torsional theory and in a space-time with torsion the chiral anomaly includes a torsional topological term called Nieh-Yan invariant. We generalize the CS modified gravity by adding the Nieh-Yan term to the action and find the effective theory. We compare the generalized theory with the first-order CS modified gravity and comment on the similarities and differences…
The propagation of nonrelativistic excitations in material media with topological defects can be modeled in terms of an external torsion field modifying the Schroedinger equation. Through a perturbative approach, we find a solution for the wave function which gives corrections in the interference patterns of the order of 0.1 Angstrom, for a possible experimental setup at atomic scales. Finally, we demonstrate how this geometric, but effective, approach can indeed accommodate a probabilistic interpretation of the wave function although the perturbative theory is nonunitary.
Killing symmetries are revisited in $d$$=$$5$ bulk geometric torsion (GT) perturbation theory to investigate the perihelion precession. Computation reveals a non-perturbative (NP) modification to the precession known in General Relativity (GR). Remarkably the analysis re-assures our proposed holographic correspondence between a perturbative GT in bulk and a boundary GR coupled to $B_{2}$$ \wedge $$F_{2}$. In fact the topological correction is sourced by a non-Newtonian potential in GR and we identify it with an ``electro-gravito'' dipole. Interestingly the dipole correction is shown to possess…
We construct $F(T,\left(\nabla{T}\right)^2,\Box {T})$ gravitational modifications, which are novel classes of modified theories arising from higher-derivative torsional terms in the action, and are different than their curvature analogue. Applying them in a cosmological framework we obtain an effective dark energy sector that comprises of the novel torsional contributions. We perform a detailed dynamical analysis for two specific examples, extracting the stable late-time solutions and calculating the corresponding observables. We show that the thermal history of the universe can be reproduced,…
In this work, we explore disformal transformations in the context of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity and modified teleparallel gravity. We present explicit formulas in components for disformal transformations of the main geometric objects in these theories such as torsion tensor, torsion vector and contortion. Most importantly, we consider the boundary term which distinguishes the torsion scalar from the Ricci scalar. With that we show for $f(T)$ gravity that disformal transformations from the Jordan frame representation are unable to straightforwardly remove local Lorentz br…
We review some theoretical and phenomenological aspects of massive gravities in 4 dimensions. We start from the Fierz--Pauli theory with Lorentz-invariant mass terms and then proceed to Lorentz-violating masses. Unlike the former theory, some models with Lorentz-violation have no pathologies in the spectrum in flat and nearly flat backgrounds and lead to interesting phenomenology.
We study the Hawking radiation of the spherically symmetric, asymptotically flat black holes in the infrared modified Horava-Lifshitz gravity by applying the methods of covariant anomaly cancellation and effective action, as well as the approach of Damour-Ruffini-Sannan's. These black holes behave as the usual Schwarzschild ones of the general relativity when the radial distance is very large. We also extend the method of covariant anomaly cancellation to derive the Hawking temperature of the spherically symmetric, asymptotically AdS black holes that represent the analogues of the Schwarzschil…
The trace anomaly induced dynamics of the conformal factor is investigated in four-dimensional quantum gravity with torsion. The constraints for the coupling constants of torsion matter interaction are obtained in the infrared stable fixed point of the effective scalar theory.
We investigate modified theories of gravity in the context of teleparallel geometries. It is well known that modified gravity models based on the torsion scalar are not invariant under local Lorentz transformations while modifications based on the Ricci scalar are. This motivates the study of a model depending on the torsion scalar and the divergence of the torsion vector. We derive the teleparallel equivalent of $f(R)$ gravity as a particular subset of these models and also show that this is the unique theory in this class that is invariant under local Lorentz transformation. Furthermore one …
Four-dimensional homogeneous static and rotating black strings in dynamical Chern-Simons modified gravity, with and without torsion, are presented. Each solution is supported by a scalar field that depends linearly on the coordinate that span the string. The solutions are locally $\mbox{AdS}_3 \times \mathbb{R}$ and they represent the continuation of the Bañados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black hole. Moreover, they belong to the so-called Chern-Simons sector of the space of solutions of the theory, since the Cotton tensor contributes nontrivially to the field equations. The case with nonvanishing tors…
We apply the modified triplectic formalism for quantizing several popular gauge models - non-abelian antisymmetric tensor field model, W2-gravity and two-dimensional gravity with dynamical torsion. The explicit solutions are obtained for the generating equations of the quantum action and the gauge-fixing functional. Using these solutions we construct the vacuum functional and obtain the corresponding transformations of the extended BRST symmetry.
We propose a modified holographic dark energy (MHDE) model with the Hubble scale as the infrared (IR) cutoff. Introducing the infinite extra dimension(s) at very large distance scale, we consider the black hole mass in higher dimensions as the ultraviolet cutoff. Thus, we can probe the effects of the IR infinite extra dimension(s). As a concrete example, we consider the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) model and its generalization. We find that the DGP model is dual to the MHDE model in five dimensions, and the $Λ$CDM model is dual to the MHDE model in six dimensions. Fitting the MHDE model to th…
New classes of modified teleparallel theories of gravity are introduced. The action of this theory is constructed to be a function of the irreducible parts of torsion $f(T_{\rm ax},T_{\rm ten},T_{\rm vec})$, where $T_{\rm ax},T_{\rm ten}$ and $T_{\rm vec}$ are squares of the axial, tensor and vector components of torsion, respectively. This is the most general (well-motivated) second order teleparallel theory of gravity that can be constructed from the torsion tensor. Different particular second order theories can be recovered from this theory such as new general relativity, conformal telepara…
Teleparallel theory of gravity and its modifications have been studied extensively in literature. However, gravitational waves has not been studied enough in the framework of teleparallelism. In the present study, we discuss gravitational waves in general theories of teleparallel gravity containing the torsion scalar $T$, the boundary term $B$ and a scalar field $ϕ$. The goal is to classify possible new polarizations generalizing results presented in Ref.[15]. We show that, if the boundary term is minimally coupled to the torsion scalar and the scalar field, gravitational waves have the same p…
It is well-known that all 2d models of gravity---including theories with nonvanishing torsion and dilaton theories---can be solved exactly, if matter interactions are absent. An absolutely (in space and time) conserved quantity determines the global classification of all (classical) solutions. For the special case of spherically reduced Einstein gravity it coincides with the mass in the Schwarzschild solution. The corresponding Noether symmetry has been derived previously by P. Widerin and one of the authors (W.K.) for a specific 2d model with nonvanishing torsion. In the present paper this is…
We study exact solutions of nonlinear electrodynamics coupled to three-dimensional gravity with torsion. We show that in any static and spherically symmetric configuration, at least one component of the electromagnetic field has to vanish. In the electric sector of the theory, we construct an exact solution, characterized by the azimuthal electric field. When the electromagnetic action is modified by a topological mass term, we find two types of the self-dual solutions.
In this work, we are motivated by previous attempts to derive the vacuum contribution to the bag energy in terms of familiar Casimir energy calculations for spherical geometries. A simple infrared modified model is introduced which allows studying the effects of the analytic structure as well as the geometry in a clear manner. In this context, we show that if a class of infrared vanishing effective gluon propagators is considered, then the renormalized vacuum energy for a spherical bag is attractive, as required by the bag model to adjust hadron spectroscopy.
We study the cosmology of a quadratic metric-compatible torsionful gravity theory in the presence of a perfect hyperfluid. The gravitational action is an extension of the Einstein-Cartan theory given by the usual Einstein-Hilbert contribution plus all the admitted quadratic parity even torsion scalars and the matter action also exhibits a dependence on the connection. The equations of motion are obtained by regarding the metric and the metric-compatible torsionful connection as independent variables. We then consider a Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker background, analyze the conservation la…
In \cite{Bahamonde:2019zea}, a spherically symmetric black hole (BH) was derived from the quadratic form of $f(T)$. Here we derive the associated energy, invariants of curvature, and torsion of this BH and demonstrate that the higher-order contribution of torsion renders the singularity weaker compared with the Schwarzschild BH of general relativity (GR). Moreover, we calculate the thermodynamic quantities and reveal the effect of the higher--order contribution on these quantities. Therefore, we derive a new spherically symmetric BH from the cubic form of $f(T)=T+ε\Big[\frac{1}{2}αT^2+\frac{1}…
We obtain a family of heterotic supergravity backgrounds describing non-Kahler warped conifolds with three-form flux and an Abelian gauge bundle, preserving N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions. At large distance from the singularity the usual Ricci-flat conifold is recovered. By performing a Z_2 orbifold of the T^{1,1} base, the conifold singularity can be blown-up to a four-cycle, leading to a completely smooth geometry. Remarkably, the throat regions of the solutions, which can be isolated from the asymptotic Ricci-flat geometry using a double-scaling limit, possess a worldsheet CFT descrip…
We study the properties of gravity and bulk fields living in a torsion warped braneworld. The torsion is driven by a background vector whose norm provides a source for the bulk cosmological constant. For a vector as the derivative of a scalar field, we find new isotropic and anisotropic thick brane geometries. We analyse the features of bosonic and fermionic fields in this isotropic and in standing wave scenarios. The background vector provides nonminimal coupling between the field and the geometry leading to modifications in the Kaluza-Klein states. The spinor connection is modified by the to…
Searching for new non-perturbatively renormalizable quantum gravity theories, functional renormalization group (RG) flows are studied on a theory space of action functionals depending on the metric and the torsion tensor, the latter parameterized by three irreducible component fields. A detailed comparison with Quantum Einstein-Cartan Gravity (QECG), Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG), and "tetrad-only" gravity, all based on different theory spaces, is performed. It is demonstrated that, over a generic theory space, the construction of a functional RG equation (FRGE) for the effective average acti…
In the semi-classical regime, quantum fluctuations embedded in a Riemannian spacetime can be effectively recast as classical back reactions and manifest themselves in the form of non-minimal couplings between matter and curvature. In this work, we exhibit that this semi-classical description can also be applied within the teleparallel formulation. In the teleparallel formulation, quantum fluctuations generically lead to non-minimal torsion-matter couplings. Due to the equivalence between the (classical) Einstein gravity in the Riemannian description and that in teleparallel description, some e…
We consider a Hubble expansion law modified in the infra-red by distance-dependent terms, and attempt to enforce homogeneity upon it. As a warm-up, we re-derive the basic kinematics of a Friedman Robertson Walker universe without using standard general relativistic tools: we describe the expansion with a `Hubble velocity field' rather than with a four dimensional metric. Then we extend this analysis to the modified Hubble expansion and impose a transformation for velocities that makes it identical for all comoving observers, and therefore homogeneous. We derive the modified equation for light …
Cosmological perturbations are considered in $f(T)$ and in scalar-torsion $f(φ)T$ teleparallel models of gravity. Full sets of linear perturbation equations are accurately derived and analysed at the relevant limits. Interesting features of generalisations to other teleparallel models, spatially curved backgrounds, and rotated tetrads are pointed out.
We study a deSitter/Anti-deSitter/Poincare Yang-Mills theory of gravity in d-space-time dimensions in an attempt to retain the best features of both general relativity and Yang-Mills theory: quadratic curvature, dimensionless coupling and background independence. We derive the equations of motion for Lie algebra valued scalars and show that in the geometric optics limit they traverse geodesics with respect to the Lorentzian geometry determined by the frame fields. Mixing between components appears to next to leading order in the WKB approximation. We then restrict to two space-time dimensions …
We present the coupling of the torsion scalar $T$ and the trace of energy-momentum tensor $\mathcal{T}$, which produces new modified $f(T,\mathcal{T})$ gravity. Moreover, we consider the functional form $f(T,\mathcal{T}) =α\mathcal{T}+βT^2$ where $α$ and $β$ are free parameters. As an alternative to a cosmological constant, the $f(T,\mathcal{T})$ theory may offer a theoretical explanation of the late-time acceleration. The recent observational data to the considered model especially the bounds on model parameters is applied in detail. Furthermore, we analyze the cosmological behavior of the de…
The thermodynamical study of the universe allow particle production in modified $f(T)$ ($T$ is the torsion scalar) theory of gravity within a flat FLRW framework for line element. The torsion scalar $T$ plays the same role as the Ricci scalar $R$ in the modified theories of gravity. We derived the $f(T)$ gravity models by taking $f(T)$ as the sum of $T$ and an arbitrary function of $T$ with three different arbitrary function. We observe that the particle production describes the accelerated expansion of the universe without a cosmological constant or any unknown "quintessence" component. Also,…
We investigate the cosmological aspects of the most general parity preserving Metric-Affine Gravity theory quadratic in torsion and non-metricity in the presence of a cosmological hyperfluid. The equations of motion are obtained by varying the action with respect to the metric and the independent affine connection. Subsequently, considering a Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker background, we derive the most general form of the modified Friedmann equations for the full quadratic theory. We then focus on a characteristic sub-case involving only two quadratic contributions given in terms of tors…
In this paper, we investigate a novel implication of the non-negligible spacetime curvature at large distances when its effects are expressed in terms of a suitably modified form of the Heisenberg uncertainty relations. Specifically, we establish a one-to-one correspondence between such modified uncertainty principle and the Standard Model Extension (SME), a string-theoretical effective field theory that accounts for both explicit and spontaneous breaking of Lorentz symmetry. This tight correspondence between string-derived effective field theory and modified quantum mechanics with extended un…
We develop the effective field theory approach to torsional modified gravities, a formalism that allows for the systematic investigation of the background and perturbation levels separately. Starting from the usual effective field theory approach to curvature-based gravity, we suitably generalize it at the background level by including terms of the contracted torsion tensor, and at the perturbation level by including pure torsion perturbative terms and mixed perturbative terms of torsion and curvature. Having constructed the effective field theory action of general torsional modified gravity, …
In the present study, we consider an extended form of teleparallel Lagrangian $f(T,ϕ,X)$, as function of a scalar field $ϕ$, its kinetic term $X$ and the torsion scalar $T$. We use linear perturbations to obtain the equation of matter density perturbations on sub-Hubble scales. The gravitational coupling is modified in scalar modes with respect to the one of General Relativity, albeit vector modes decay and do not show any significant effects. We thus extend these results by involving multiple scalar field models. Further, we study conformal transformations in teleparallel gravity and we obtai…
We have recently proposed a new action principle for combining Einstein equations and the Dirac equation for a point mass. We used a length scale $L_{CS}$, dubbed the Compton-Schwarzschild length, to which the Compton wavelength and Schwarzschild radius are small mass and large mass approximations, respectively. Here we write down the field equations which follow from this action. We argue that the large mass limit yields Einstein equations, provided we assume wave function collapse and localisation for large masses. The small mass limit yields the Dirac equation. We explain why the Kerr-Newma…
We propose a codimension two warped braneworld model within the teleparallel $f(T)$ gravity. By assuming a global vortex as the source, we found a $l=0$ vortex solution that yields to a thick string-like brane. Asymptotically, the bulk geometry converges to an $AdS_6$ spacetime whose cosmological constant is produced by the torsion parameters. Furthermore, the torsion induces an $AdS-dS$ transition on the exterior region. Inside the brane core, the torsion produces an internal structure even for a single complex scalar field. As the torsion parameters vary, the brane undergoes a phase transiti…
In the context of modified teleparallel gravity, we study the generation of primordial density fluctuations in a general scalar-torsion theory whose Lagrangian density is an arbitrary function $f(T,ϕ)$ of the torsion scalar $T$ and a scalar field $ϕ$, plus the kinetic term of this latter. It is well known that generic modifications of teleparallel gravity are not invariant under six-parameter local Lorentz transformations. In order to restore the local Lorentz symmetry, we have incorporated six additional degrees of freedom in the form of Goldstone modes of the symmetry breaking through a Lore…
Inspired by the teleparallel formulation of General Relativity, whose Lagrangian is the torsion invariant T, we have constructed the teleparallel equivalent of Gauss-Bonnet gravity in arbitrary dimensions. Without imposing the Weitzenbock connection, we have extracted the torsion invariant T_G, equivalent (up to boundary terms) to the Gauss-Bonnet term G. T_G is constructed by the vielbein and the connection, it contains quartic powers of the torsion tensor, it is diffeomorphism and Lorentz invariant, and in four dimensions it reduces to a topological invariant as expected. Imposing the Weitze…
Within the framework of $f(R)=R+αR^2$ gravity, we study realistic models of neutron stars, using equations of state compatible with the LIGO constraints. i.e. APR4, MPA1, SLy, and WW1. By numerically solving modified Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations, we investigate the Mass--Radius relation in both metric and torsional $f(R)=R+αR^2$ gravity models. In particular, we observe that torsion effects decrease the compactness and total mass of neutron star with respect to the General Relativity predictions, therefore mimicking the effects of a repulsive massive field. The opposite occurs in the m…
We review thermodynamic properties of modified gravity theories such as $F(R)$ gravity and $f(T)$ gravity, where $R$ is the scalar curvature and $T$ is the torsion scalar in teleparallelism. In particular, we explore the equivalence between the equations of motion for modified gravity theories and the Clausius relation in thermodynamics. In addition, thermodynamics of the cosmological apparent horizon is investigated in $f(T)$ gravity. We show both equilibrium and non-equilibrium descriptions of thermodynamics. It is demonstrated that the second law of thermodynamics in the universe can be met…
We propose an $f(T)$ teleparallel gravity theory including a torsional infrared (IR) correction. We show that the governing Friedmann's equations of a spatially flat universe include a phantom-like effective dark energy term sourced by the torsion IR correction. As has been suggested, this phantom phase does indeed act as to reconcile the tension between local and global measurements of the current Hubble value $H_0$. The resulting cosmological model predicts an electron scattering optical depth $τ_e\thickapprox 0.058$ at reionization redshift $z_{re} \sim 8.1$, in agreement with observations.…
The Yang-Mills theory with noncommutative fields is constructed following Hamiltonian and lagrangean methods. This modification of the standard Yang-Mills theory shed light on the confinement mechanism viewed as a Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) effect. The modified Yang-Mills theory contain in addition to the standard contribution, the term $θ^με_{μνρλ} (A^νF^{ρλ} + {2/3} A_νA_ρA_λ)$ where $θ_μ$ is a given space-like constant vector with canonical dimension of energy. The $A_μ$ field rescaling and the choice $θ_μ=(0,0,0,θ)$, one can show that the modified Yang-Mills theory in 3+1 dimension…
