We study, using Mean Curvature Flow methods, 2+1 dimensional cosmologies with a positive cosmological constant and matter satisfying the dominant and the strong energy conditions. If the spatial slices are compact with non-positive Euler characteristic and are initially expanding everywhere, then we prove that the spatial slices reach infinite volume, asymptotically converge on average to de Sitter and they become, almost everywhere, physically indistinguishable from de Sitter. This holds true notwithstanding the presence of initial arbitrarily-large density fluctuations and the formation of black holes.
The asymptotic behaviour at late times of inhomogeneous axion-dilaton cosmologies is investigated. The space-times considered here admit two abelian space-like Killing vectors. These space-times evolve towards an anisotropic universe containing gravitational radiation. Furthermore, a peeling-off behaviour of the Weyl tensor and the antisymmetric tensor field strength is found. The relation to the pre-big-bang scenario is briefly discussed.
We study flat space cosmologies in two dimensions by taking the flat space limit of the Achucarro-Ortiz model. We unravel a phase transition between hot flat space and flat space cosmologies, and derive a new dilaton-dependent counterterm required for the consistency of the Euclidean partition function. Our results generalize to asymptotically mass-dominated 2-dimensional dilaton gravity models, whose thermodynamical properties we discuss. The novel case of asymptotic mass-domination is neither covered by the comprehensive discussion of hep-th/0703230 nor by the more recent generalization to d…
We study the onset of inflation in 3+1 dimensional cosmologies with an inflationary potential $U$ satisfying $0 < Λ_1 \leq U \leq Λ_2$, matter satisfying the dominant and strong energy conditions, and with spatial slices that can be foliated by 2-dimensional surfaces that are orbits under an isometry group. Assuming an initial Cauchy slice with positive mean curvature everywhere, we show, via mean curvature flow, that there exists a family of spatial slices parameterized by $λ$, whose volume grows between the flat slicings in de Sitter spaces with cosmological constants $Λ_1$ and $Λ_2$. In par…
We consider a class of cosmological solutions of d=4, N=2 supergravity theories coupled to vector multiplets. The solutions result from performing a compactification to three dimensions, where the theory reduces to a symmetric space sigma model coupled to gravity and where the resulting equations of motion are integrable. We describe in detail how the three-dimensional solutions can be uplifted to four dimensions again. The four-dimensional cosmologies are generically characterized by an algebra of translational isometries that is of Heisenberg type. We give explicit examples of these cosmolog…
We study, using Mean Curvature Flow methods, 3+1 dimensional cosmologies with a positive cosmological constant, matter satisfying the dominant and the strong energy conditions, and with spatial slices that can be foliated by 2-dimensional surfaces that are the closed orbits of a symmetry group. If these surfaces have non-positive Euler characteristic (or in the case of 2-spheres, if the initial 2-spheres are large enough) and also if the initial spatial slice is expanding everywhere, then we prove that asymptotically the spacetime becomes physically indistinguishable from de Sitter space on ar…
Phase-space descriptions are used to find qualitative features of the solutions of generalized scalar field cosmologies with arbitrary potentials and arbitrary couplings to matter. Previous results are summarized and new ones are presented as theorems, which include the previous ones as corollaries. Examples of these results are presented as well as counterexamples when the hypotheses of the theorems are not fulfilled. Potentials with small cosine-like corrections motivated by inflationary loop-quantum cosmology are discussed. Finally, the Hubble-normalized formulation for the FRW metric and f…
Using the Einstein-Hilbert approximation of asymptotically safe quantum gravity we present a consistent renormalization group based framework for the inclusion of quantum gravitational effects into the cosmological field equations. Relating the renormalization group scale to cosmological time via a dynamical cutoff identification this framework applies to all stages of the cosmological evolution. The very early universe is found to contain a period of ``oscillatory inflation'' with an infinite sequence of time intervals during which the expansion alternates between acceleration and deceleratio…
In this paper we investigate quintom cosmologies with arbitrary potentials from the dynamical systems perspective. The dynamical systems analysis is complete in the sense that it includes the asymptotic regime where both scalar fields diverge, which proves to be particularly relevant in connection with the existence of tracking phases. The results of the present study indicate that the existence of phantom attractors is not generic: for quintom models there may exist either de Sitter attractors associated with the saddle points of the potential, or tracking attractors in the asymptotic regime …
We construct two types of phase spaces for asymptotically de Sitter Einstein-Hilbert gravity in each spacetime dimension $d \ge 3$. One type contains solutions asymptotic to the expanding spatially-flat ($k=0$) cosmological patch of de Sitter space while the other is asymptotic to the expanding hyperbolic $(k=-1)$ patch. Each phase space has a non-trivial asymptotic symmetry group (ASG) which includes the isometry group of the corresponding de Sitter patch. For $d=3$ and $k=-1$ our ASG also contains additional generators and leads to a Virasoro algebra with vanishing central charge. Furthermor…
We illustrate how the group of symmetry transformations, which preserve the form of the n--dimensional flat Friedmann--Robertson--Walker cosmologies satisfying Einstein equations, acts in any dimension. This group relates the energy density and the isotropic pressure of the cosmic fluid to the expansion rate. The freedom associated with the dimension of the space time yields assisted inflation even when the energy density of the fluid is a dimensional invariant and enriches the set of duality transformations leading to phantom cosmologies.
A complete qualitative study of the dynamics of string cosmologies is presented for the class of isotopic curvature universes. These models are of Bianchi types I, V and IX and reduce to the general class of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes in the limit of vanishing shear isotropy. A non-trivial two-form potential and cosmological constant terms are included in the system. In general, the two-form potential and spatial curvature terms are only dynamically important at intermediate stages of the evolution. In many of the models, the cosmological constant is important asymptotically and anis…
We investigate the effects of the leading tadpole potentials of 10D tachyon-free non-supersymmetric strings in warped products of flat geometries of the type M(p+1) x R x T(10-p-2) depending on a single coordinate. In the absence of fluxes and for p<8, there are two families of these vacua for the orientifold disk-level potential, both involving a finite internal interval. Their asymptotics are surprisingly captured by tadpole-free solutions, isotropic for one family and anisotropic at one end for the other. In contrast, for the heterotic torus-level potential there are four types of vacua. Th…
We consider (thin) braneworlds with conical singularities in six-dimensional Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity with a bulk cosmological constant. The Gauss-Bonnet term is necessary in six dimensions for including non-trivial brane matter. We show that this model for axially symmetric bulks does not possess isotropic braneworld cosmological solutions.
Non-singular two and three dimensional string cosmologies are constructed using the exact conformal field theories corresponding to SO(2,1)/SO(1,1) and SO(2,2)/SO(2,1). {\it All} semi-classical curvature singularities are canceled in the exact theories for both of these cosets, but some new quantum curvature singularities emerge. However, considering different patches of the global manifolds, allows the construction of non-singular spacetimes with cosmological interpretation. In both two and three dimensions, we construct non-singular oscillating cosmologies, non-singular expanding and inflati…
We analyse possible cosmological scenarios on a brane where the brane acts as a dynamical boundary of various black holes with anti-de Sitter or de Sitter asymptotics. In many cases, the brane is found to describe completely non-singular universe. In some cases, quantum gravity era of the brane-universe can also be avoided by properly tuning bulk parameters. We further discuss the creation of a brane-universe by studying its wave function. This is done by employing Wheeler-De Witt equation in the mini superspace formalism.
Non-singular two and three dimensional string cosmologies are constructed using the exact conformal field theories corresponding to SO(2,1)/SO(1,1) and SO(2,2)/SO(2,1). All semi-classical curvature singularities are canceled in the exact theories for both of these cosets, but some new quantum curvature singularities emerge. However, considering different patches of the global manifolds, allows the construction of non-singular spacetimes with cosmological interpretation. In both two and three dimensions, we construct non-singular oscillating cosmologies, non-singular expanding and inflationary …
The Asymptotically Safe Gravity provides a framework for the description of gravity from the trans-Planckian regime to cosmological scales. According to this scenario, the cosmological constant and Newton's coupling are functions of the energy scale whose evolution is dictated by the renormalization group equations. The formulation of the renormalization group equations on foliated spacetimes, based on the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) formalism, furnishes a natural way to construct the RG energy scale from the spectrum of the laplacian operator on the spatial slices. Combining this idea with a …
We review the construction of holography for cosmologies with an emphasis on asymptotically de Sitter cosmologies. We do this by composition of the AdS/CFT correspondence and domain-wall/cosmology (DW/C) correspondence with the novel added benefit of keeping track of the DW/C marker $η$. This allows us to build explicitly the holographic dual of the DW/C correspondence. We then test this framework on a toy model: the GPPZ flow. We find the scalar one-point function for this flow to be invariant under the domain-wall/cosmology correspondence. Moreover, our construction seems to agree with previ…
The presence of additional compact dimensions in cosmological models is studied in the context of modified teleparallel theories of gravity. We focus the analysis on eleven dimensional spacetimes, where the seven dimensional extra dimensions are compactified. In particular, and due to the importance that global vector fields play within the conceptual body of teleparallel modified gravity models, we consider the additional dimensions to be products of parallelizable spheres. The global vector fields characterizing the different topologies are obtained, as well as the equations of motion associ…
We describe a class of integrable models of 1+1 and 1-dimensional dilaton gravity coupled to scalar fields. The models can be derived from high dimensional supergravity theories by dimensional reductions. The equations of motion of these models reduce to systems of the Liouville equations endowed with energy and momentum constraints. We construct the general solution of the 1+1 dimensional problem in terms of chiral moduli fields and establish its simple reduction to static black holes (dimension 0+1), and cosmological models (dimension 1+0). We also discuss some general problems of dimensiona…
We describe a novel dynamical mechanism to radiate away a positive four dimensional cosmological constant, in the Randall-Sundrum cosmological scenario. We show that there are modes of the bulk gravitational field for which the brane is effectively a mirror. This will generally give rise to an emission of thermal radiation from the brane into the bulk. The temperature turns out to be nonvanishing only if the effective four dimensional cosmological constant is positive. In any theory where the four dimensional vacuum energy is a function of physical degrees of freedom, there is then a mechanism…
Intersecting spacelike braneworld cosmologies are investigated. The time axis is set on the scale parameter of extra space, which may include more than one timelike metric. Obtained are eternally inflating (i.e. undergoing late-time inflation) Robertson-Walker spacetime and extra space with a constant scale factor. In the case of multibrane solutions, some dimensions are static or shrink. The fact that the largest supersymmetry algebra contains 32 supercharges in 4 dimensions imposes a restriction on the geometry of extra space.
We review the recent developments in obtaining accelerating cosmologies and/or inflation from higher-dimensional gravitational theories, in particular superstring theories in ten dimensions and M-theory in eleven dimensions. We first discuss why it is difficult to obtain inflationary behavior in the effective low-energy theories of superstring/M-theory, i. e. supergravity theories. We then summarize interesting solutions including S-branes that give rise to accelerating cosmologies and inflationary solutions in M-theory with higher order corrections. Other approaches to inflation in the string…
In this work we construct an effective four-dimensional model by compactifying a ten-dimensional theory of gravity coupled with a real scalar dilaton field on a time-dependent torus. The corresponding action in four dimensions is similar to the action of K-essence theories. This approach is applied to anisotropic cosmological Bianchi type $VI_{(h=-1)}$ model for which we study the classical coupling of the anisotropic scale factors with the two real scalar moduli produced by the compactification process. The classical Einstein field equations give us a hidden symmetry, corresponding to equal r…
We consider the space-like D$p$ brane solutions of type II string theories having isometries ISO$(p+1)$ $\times$ SO$(8-p,1)$. These are asymptotically flat solutions or in other words, the metrics become flat at the time scale $τ\gg τ_0$. On the other hand, when $τ\sim τ_0$, we get $(p+1)+1$ dimensional flat FLRWmetrics upon compactification on a $(8-p)$ dimensional hyperbolic space with time dependent radii. We show that the resultant $(p+1)+1$ dimensional metrics describe transient accelerating cosmologies for all $p$ from 1 to 6, i.e., from $(2+1)$ to $(7+1)$ space-time dimensions. We show …
Models with closed FRW cosmologies on the worldvolume of a constant-tension brane inside a black hole provide an interesting setup for studying cosmology holographically. However, in more than two worldvolume dimensions, there are limitations on such models with flat spatial slices. I show that these limitations can be avoided by considering instead hyperbolic slices. This also naturally makes contact with previous work on Euclidean wormholes.
We investigate the vacuum expectation values of the field squared and the energy-momentum tensor for a massless scalar field with general curvature coupling parameter in spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes with an arbitrary number of toroidally compactified dimensions. When the comoving lengths of the compact dimensions are short compared to the Hubble length, the topological parts coincide with those for a conformal coupling. This limit corresponds to the adiabatic approximation. In the opposite limit of large comoving lengths of the compact dimensions, in dependence of the cu…
We consider the compactification of (d+n)-dimensional pure gravity and of superstring/M-theory on an n-dimensional internal space to a d-dimensional FLRW cosmology, with spatial curvature k=-1,0,+1, in Einstein conformal frame. The internal space is taken to be a product of Einstein spaces, each of which is allowed to have arbitrary curvature and a time-dependent volume. By investigating the effective d-dimensional scalar potential, which is a sum of exponentials, it is shown that such compactifications, in the k=0,+1 cases, do not lead to large amounts of accelerating expansion of the scale f…
