We introduce a novel model of affine gravity, which implements the no-scale scenario. Namely, Planck mass and Hubble constant emerge dynamically, through the mechanism of spontaneous breaking of scale-invariance. Moreover, in our model the time direction and non--degenerate metric emerge dynamically as well. This naturally gives rise to the inflation and may server as a starting point for the "birth" of the Universe. We show that our model is phenomenologically viable, both from the perspective of the direct tests of gravity and cosmological evolution.
We derive new space-time uncertainty relations (STUR) at the fundamental Planck length $L_P$ from quantum mechanics and general relativity (GR), both in flat and curved backgrounds. Contrary to claims present in the literature, our approach suggests that no minimal uncertainty appears for lengths, but instead for minimal space and four-volumes. Moreover, we derive a maximal absolute value for the energy density. Finally, some considerations on possible commutators among quantum operators implying our STUR are done.
Starting from an affinely connected space, we consider a model of gravity whose fundamental field is the connection. We build up the action using as sole premise the invariance under diffeomorphisms, and study the consequences of a cosmological ansatz for the affine connection in the torsion-free sector. Although the model is built without requiring a metric, we show that the nondegenerated Ricci curvature of the affine connection can be interpreted as an \emph{emergent} metric on the manifold. We show that there exists a parametrization in which the \((r,φ)\)-restriction of the geodesics coin…
As a group-theoretic foundation of gravity, it is considered an affine-Goldstone nonlinear model based upon the nonlinear realization of the global affine symmetry spontaneously broken at the Planck scale to the Poincare symmetry. It is shown that below this scale the model justifies and elaborates an earlier introduced effective field theory of the quartet-metric gravity incorporating the gravitational dark substances emerging in addition to the tensor graviton. The prospects for subsequent going beyond the nonlinear model above the Planck scale are indicated.
The nonlinear affine Goldstone model of the emergent gravity, built on the nonlinearly realized/hidden affine symmetry, is concisely revisited. Beyond General Relativity, the explicit violation of general invariance/relativity, under preserving general covariance, is exposed. Dependent on a nondynamical affine connection, a generally covariant second-order effective Lagrangian for metric gravity is worked out, with the general relativity violation and the gravitational dark matter serving as the signatures of emergence.
We study inflation in Weyl gravity. The original Weyl quadratic gravity, based on Weyl conformal geometry, is a theory invariant under Weyl symmetry of (gauged) local scale transformations. In this theory Planck scale ($M$) emerges as the scale where this symmetry is broken spontaneously by a geometric Stueckelberg mechanism, to Einstein-Proca action for the Weyl "photon" (of mass near $M$). With this action as a "low energy" broken phase of Weyl gravity, century-old criticisms of the latter (due to non-metricity) are avoided. In this context, inflation with field values above $M$ is natural, …
Recently, a model for an emergent gravity based on $SO(5)$ Yang-Mills action in Euclidian 4-dimensional spacetime was proposed. In this work we provide some 1 and 2-loops computations and show that the model can accommodate suitable predicting values for the Newtonian constant. Moreover, it is shown that the typical scale of the expected transition between the quantum and the geometrodynamical theory is consistent with Planck scale. We also provide a discussion on the cosmological constant problem.
We present a detailed analysis of a quantum model for Loop Quantum Cosmology based on strict application of the Thiemann regularization algorithm for the Hamiltonian in Loop Quantum Gravity, extending the results presented previously in our brief report. This construction leads to a qualitative modification of the bounce paradigm. Quantum gravity effects still lead to a quantum bounce connecting deterministically large classical Universes. However, the evolution features a large epoch of de Sitter Universe, with emergent cosmological constant of Planckian order, smoothly transiting into a spat…
We introduce a generalised form of an emergent dark energy model with one degree of freedom for the dark energy sector that has the flexibility to include both $Λ$CDM model as well as the Phenomenologically Emergent Dark Energy (PEDE) model proposed by Li & Shafieloo (2019) as two of its special limits. The free parameter for the dark energy sector, namely $Δ$, has the value of $0$ for the case of the $Λ$ and $1$ for the case of PEDE. Fitting the introduced parametric form to Planck CMB data and most recent $H_0$ results from local observations of Cepheids and Supernovae, we show that the $Δ=0…
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 …
The framework of emergent gravity arising from Yang-Mills matrix models is developed further, for general noncommutative branes embedded in R^D. The effective metric on the brane turns out to have a universal form reminiscent of the open string metric, depending on the dynamical Poisson structure and the embedding metric in R^D. A covariant form of the tree-level equations of motion is derived, and the Newtonian limit is discussed. This points to the necessity of branes in higher dimensions. The quantization is discussed qualitatively, which singles out the IKKT model as a prime candidate for …
We investigate a generalized form of the phenomenologically emergent dark energy model, known as generalized emergent dark energy (GEDE), introduced by Li and Shafieloo [Astrophys. J. {\bf 902}, 58 (2020)] in light of a series of cosmological probes and considering the evolution of the model at the level of linear perturbations. This model introduces a free parameter $Δ$ that can discriminate between the $Λ$CDM (corresponds to $Δ=0$) or the phenomenologically emergent dark energy (PEDE) (corresponds to $Δ=1$) models, allowing us to determine which model is preferred most by the fit of the obse…
The value of the cosmological constant is explained in terms of a noisy diffusion of energy from the low energy particle physics degrees of freedom to the fundamental Planckian granularity which is expected from general arguments in quantum gravity. The quantitative success of our phenomenological model is encouraging and provides possibly useful insights about physics at the scale of quantum gravity.
It is argued that Planck mass may be considered as a candidate for the mass content of degrees of freedom of holographic screen. In addition, employing the Verlinde hypothesis on emergent gravity and considering holographic screen degrees of freedom as a $q$-deformed fermionic system, it is obtained that the heat capacity per degree of freedom inspires the MOND interpolating function. Moreover, the MOND acceleration is achieved as a function of Planck acceleration. Both ultra-relativistic and non-relativistic statistics are studied.
In metric-affine theories of gravity such as the C-theories, the spacetime connection is associated to a metric that is nontrivially related to the physical metric. In this article, such theories are rewritten in terms of a single metric and it is shown that they can be recast as effectively nonlocal gravity. With some assumptions, known ghost-free theories with non-singular and cosmologically interesting properties may be recovered. Relations between different formulations are analysed at both perturbative and nonperturbative levels taking carefully into account subtleties with boundary condi…
Above Planck energies, the spacetime might become non--Riemannian, as it is known fron string theory and inflation. Then geometries arise in which nonmetricity and torsion appear as field strengths, side by side with curvature. By gauging the affine group, a metric affine gauge theory emerges as dynamical framework. Here, by using the harmonic map ansatz, a new class of multipole like solutions in the metric affine gravity theory (MAG) is obtained.
A common feature of all Quantum Gravity (QG) phenomenology approaches is to consider a modification of the mass shell condition of the relativistic particle to take into account quantum gravitational effects. The framework for such approaches is therefore usually set up in the cotangent bundle (phase space). However it was recently proposed that this phenomenology could be associated with an energy dependent geometry that has been coined ``rainbow metric". We show here that the latter actually corresponds to a Finsler Geometry, the natural generalization of Riemannian Geometry. We provide in t…
The quantum nature of the Big Bang is reexamined in the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology. The strict application of a regularization procedure to the Hamiltonian, originally developed for the Hamiltonian in loop quantum gravity, leads to a qualitative modification of the bounce paradigm. Quantum gravity effects still lead to a quantum bounce connecting deterministically large classical Universes. However, the evolution features a large epoch of de Sitter Universe, with emergent cosmological constant of Planckian order, smoothly transiting into a flat expanding Universe.
We explain how quantum gravity can be defined by quantizing spacetime itself. A pinpoint is that the gravitational constant G = L_P^2 whose physical dimension is of (length)^2 in natural unit introduces a symplectic structure of spacetime which causes a noncommutative spacetime at the Planck scale L_P. The symplectic structure of spacetime M leads to an isomorphism between symplectic geometry (M, ω) and Riemannian geometry (M, g) where the deformations of symplectic structure ωin terms of electromagnetic fields F=dA are transformed into those of Riemannian metric g. This approach for quantum g…
We start from classical general relativity coupled to matter fields. Each configuration variable and its conjugate momentum, as also space-time points, are raised to the status of matrices [equivalently operators]. These matrices obey a deterministic Lagrangian dynamics at the Planck scale. By coarse-graining this matrix dynamics over time intervals much larger than Planck time, one derives quantum theory as a low energy emergent approximation. If a sufficiently large number of degrees of freedom get entangled, spontaneous localisation takes place, leading to the emergence of classical space-t…
Induced gravity, metrical gravity in which gravitational constant arises from vacuum expectation value of a heavy scalar, is known to suffer from Jordan frame vs. Einstein frame ambiguity, especially in inflationary dynamics. Induced gravity in affine geometry, as we show here, leads to an emergent metric and gravity scale, with no Einstein-Jordan ambiguity. While gravity is induced by the vacuum expectation value of the scalar field, nonzero vacuum energy facilitates generation of the metric. Our analysis shows that induced gravity results in a relatively large tensor-to-scalar ratio in both …
The Fermi-point scenario of emergent gravity has the following consequences: gravity emerges together with fermionic and bosonic matter; emergent fermionic matter consists of massless Weyl fermions; emergent bosonic matter consists of gauge fields; Lorentz symmetry persists well above the Planck energy; space-time is naturally 4-dimensional; Universe is naturally flat; cosmological constant is naturally small or zero; underlying physics is based on discrete symmetries; `quantum gravity' cannot be obtained by quantization of Einstein equations; there is no contradiction between quantum mechanic…
We study the effective cosmological dynamics, emerging as the hydrodynamics of simple condensate states, of a group field theory model for quantum gravity coupled to a massless scalar field and reduced to its isotropic sector. The quantum equations of motion for these group field theory condensate states are given in relational terms with respect to the scalar field, from which effective dynamics for spatially flat, homogeneous and isotropic space-times can be extracted. The result is a generalization of the Friedmann equations, including quantum gravity modifications, in a specific regime of …
A Lorentz invariant statistical model is presented for rotational fluctuations in the local inertial frame that arise from new quantum degrees of freedom of space-time. The model assumes invariant classical causal structure, and a Planck information density in invariant proper time determined by the world line of an observer. It describes macroscopic spacelike correlations that appear as observable timelike correlations in phase differences of light propagating on paths that begin and end on the same world line. The model allows an exact prediction for the autocorrelation of any interferometer…
A natural geometric framework of noncommutative spacetime is symplectic geometry rather than Riemannian geometry. The Darboux theorem in symplectic geometry then admits a novel form of the equivalence principle such that the electromagnetism in noncommutative spacetime can be regarded as a theory of gravity. Remarkably the emergent gravity reveals a noble picture about the origin of spacetime, dubbed as emergent spacetime, which is radically different from any previous physical theory all of which describe what happens in a given spacetime. In particular, the emergent gravity naturally explain…
Here we concisely review the nonminimal coupling dynamics of a single scalar field in the context of purely affine gravity and extend the study to multifield dynamics. The coupling is performed via an affine connection and its associated curvature without referring to any metric tensor. The latter arises a posteriori and it may gain an emergent character like the scale of gravity. What is remarkable in affine gravity is the transition from nonminimal to minimal couplings which is realized by only field redefinition of the scalar fields. Consequently, the inflationary models gain a unique descr…
A new class of gravity-matter models defined in terms of two independent non-Riemannian volume forms (alternative generally covariant integration measure densities) on the space-time manifold are studied in some detail. These models involve an additional $R^2$ (square of the scalar curvature) term as well as scalar matter field potentials of appropriate form so that the pertinent action is invariant under global Weyl-scale symmetry. Scale invariance is spontaneously broken upon integration of the equations of motion for the auxiliary volume-form degrees of freedom. After performing transition …
In this work, we explore a three-dimensional formulation of the polynomial affine model of gravity, which is a model that extends general relativity by relaxing the equivalence principle through the exclusion of the metric from the set of fundamental fields. In particular, in an attempt to gain insight of the role of the torsion and nonmetricity in the gravitational models, we consider homogeneous and isotropic cosmological models, for which their solutions are classified in a \emph{decisions tree}. We also show a few of these explicit solutions that allow the definition of (alternative/emerge…
A cosmological scenario where dark matter interacts with a variable vacuum energy for a spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker space-time is proposed and analysed to show that with a linear equation of state and a particular interaction in the dark sector it is possible to get a model of an Emergent Universe. In addition, the viability of two particular models is studied by taking into account recent observations. The updated observational Hubble data and the JLA supernovae data are used in order to constraint the cosmological parameters of the models and estimate the amount of dark energy …
Motivated by potential applications to holography on space-times of positive curvature, and by the successful twistor description of scattering amplitudes, we propose a new dual matrix formulation of N = 4 gauge theory on S(4). The matrix model is defined by taking the low energy limit of a holomorphic Chern-Simons theory on CP(3|4), in the presence of a large instanton flux. The theory comes with a choice of S(4) radius L and a parameter N controlling the overall size of the matrices. The flat space variant of the 4D effective theory arises by taking the large N scaling limit of the matrix mo…
Effective field theories (EFTs) have been widely used as a framework in order to place constraints on the Planck suppressed Lorentz violations predicted by various models of quantum gravity. There are however technical problems in the EFT framework when it comes to ensuring that small Lorentz violations remain small -- this is the essence of the "naturalness" problem. Herein we present an "emergent" space-time model, based on the "analogue gravity'' programme, by investigating a specific condensed-matter system that is in principle capable of simulating the salient features of an EFT framework…
Observations indicate that our universe is characterized by a late-time accelerating phase, possibly driven by a cosmological constant $Λ$, with the dimensionless parameter $ΛL_P^2 \simeq 10^{-122}$, where $L_P = (G \hbar /c^3)^{1/2}$ is the Planck length. In this review, we describe how the emergent gravity paradigm provides a new insight and a possible solution to the cosmological constant problem. After reviewing the necessary background material, we identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for solving the cosmological constant problem. We show that these conditions are naturally sa…
Within the context of the Ashtekar variables, the Hamiltonian constraint of four-dimensional pure General Relativity with cosmological constant, $Λ$, is reexpressed as an affine algebra with the commutator of the imaginary part of the Chern-Simons functional, $Q$, and the positive-definite volume element. This demonstrates that the affine algebra quantization program of Klauder can indeed be applicable to the full Lorentzian signature theory of quantum gravity with non-vanishing cosmological constant; and it facilitates the construction of solutions to all of the constraints. Unitary, irreduci…
The Hamiltonian approach to the General Relativity is formulated as a joint nonlinear realization of conformal and affine symmetries by means of the Dirac scalar dilaton and the Maurer-Cartan forms. The dominance of the Casimir vacuum energy of physical fields provides a good description of the type Ia supernova luminosity distance--redshift relation. Introducing the uncertainty principle at the Planck's epoch within our model, we obtain the hierarchy of the Universe energy scales, which is supported by the observational data. We found that the invariance of the Maurer-Cartan forms with respec…
Emergent gravity views spacetime as an entity emergent from a more complete theory of interacting fundamental constituents valid at much finer resolution or higher energies, usually assumed to be above the Planck energy. In this view general relativity is an effective theory valid only at long wavelengths and low energies. For any presumed known theory for the microscopic structure of spacetime, we describe common tasks of emergent gravity (`top-down'), namely, identifying the conditions and processes or mechanisms whereby the familiar macroscopic spacetime emerges with high probability and re…
Examples in which spacetime might become non-Riemannian appear above Planck energies in string theory or, in the very early universe, in the inflationary model. The simplest such geometry is metric-affine geometry, in which {\it nonmetricity} appears as a field strength, side by side with curvature and torsion. In matter, the shear and dilation currents couple to nonmetricity, and they are its sources. After reviewing the equations of motion and the Noether identities, we study two recent vacuum solutions of the metric-affine gauge theory of gravity. We then use the values of the nonmetricity …
We present the radial distribution of the dark matter in two massive, X-ray luminous galaxy clusters, Abell~2142 and Abell~2319, and compare it with the quantity predicted as apparent manifestation of the baryonic mass in the context of the "Emergent Gravity" scenario, recently suggested from Verlinde (2016). Thanks to the observational strategy of the \xmm\ Cluster Outskirt Programme (X-COP), using the X-ray emission mapped with \xmm\ and the SZ signal in the Planck survey, we recover the gas density, temperature and thermal pressure profiles up to $\sim R_{200}$, allowing to constrain at unp…
In this paper we elaborate on the idea of an emergent spacetime which arises due to the dynamical breaking of diffeomorphism invariance in the early universe. In preparation for an explicit symmetry breaking scenario, we consider nonlinear realizations of the group of analytical diffeomorphisms which provide a unified description of spacetime structures. We find that gravitational fields, such as the affine connection, metric and coordinates, can all be interpreted as Goldstone fields of the diffeomorphism group. We then construct a Higgs mechanism for gravity in which an affine spacetime evol…
Addressing the discrepancy between the late and early time measurements of the Hubble parameter, $H_0$, and the so-called $S_8$ parameter has been a challenge in precision cosmology. Several models are present to address these tensions, but very few of them can do so simultaneously. In the past, we have suggested Banks-Zaks/Unparticles as an emergent Dark Energy model and claimed that it can ameliorate the Hubble tension. In this work, we test this claim and perform a likelihood analysis of the model and its parameters are given current data and compare it to $Λ$CDM. The model offers a possibl…
This introductory review is addressed to beginning researchers. Some of the distinguishing features of loop quantum gravity are illustrated through loop quantum cosmology of FRW models. In particular, these examples illustrate: i) how `emergent time' can arise; ii) how the technical issue of solving the Hamiltonian constraint and constructing the \emph{physical} sector of the theory can be handled; iii) how questions central to the Planck scale physics can be answered using such a framework; and, iv) how quantum geometry effects can dramatically change physics near singularities and yet natura…
We study selected aspects of quantum gravity phenomenology inspired by the gravitational analogy in Bose--Einstein condensates (BECs). We first review the basic ideas and formalism of analogue gravity in BECs, with particular emphasis on the possibility of simulating black holes. The non-relativistic, 'superluminal' modifications of the dispersion relation in a BEC beyond the hydrodynamic limit make it a particularly interesting model for many scenarios of quantum gravity phenomenology which consider a possible violation of local Lorentz invariance at high energies. In particular, these modifi…
Motivated by the current status of the cosmological observations and significant tensions in the estimated values of some key parameters assuming the standard $Λ$CDM model, we propose a simple but radical phenomenological emergent dark energy model where dark energy has no effective presence in the past and emerges at the later times. Theoretically, in this phenomenological dark energy model with zero degree of freedom (similar to a $Λ$CDM model), one can derive that the equation of state of dark energy increases from $-\frac{2}{3 {\rm{ln}}\, 10} -1$ in the past to $-1$ in the future. We show …
It is possible to obtain the gravitational field equations in a large class of theories from a thermodynamic variational principle which uses the gravitational heat density $\mathcal{S}_g$ associated with null surfaces. This heat density is related to the discreteness of spacetime at Planck scale, $L_P^2 = (G\hbar / c^3)$, which assigns $A_{\perp}/L_P^2$ degrees of freedom to any area $A_{\perp}$. On the other hand, it is also known that the surface term $K\sqrt{h}$ in the gravitational action principle correctly reproduces the heat density of the null surfaces. We provide a link between these…
In this work we examine the recently proposed phenomenological emergent dark energy (PEDE) model by \cite{Li:2019yem}, using the latest observational data in both expansion and perturbation levels. Applying the statistical Bayesian evidence as well as the AIC and BIC information criteria, we compare the PEDE model with the concordance $Λ$CDM model in both flat and non-flat universes. We combine the observational datasets as (i) expansion data (except CMB), (ii) expansion data (including CMB) and (iii) expansion data jointed to the growth rate dataset. Our statistical results show that the flat…
We discuss the problem of the spectral function of vacuum energy. In traditional approach the ultraviolet divergencies of the vacuum energy are cancelled by imposing relations between different quantum fields and their masses. The emergent theories suggest that the microscopic degrees of the underlying quantum vacuum add to the spectral function and their contribution cancels the diverging zero point energy of quantum fields. Examples of the spectral function of the vacuum energy in the condensed-matter systems with relativity emerging at low energy are presented. In the Sakharov induced gravi…
The Karolyhazy uncertainty relation is the statement that if a device is used to measure a length $l$, there will be a minimum uncertainty $δl$ in the measurement, given by $(δl)^3 \sim L_P^2\; l$. This is a consequence of combining the principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity. In this note we show how this relation arises in our approach to quantum gravity, in a bottom-up fashion, from the matrix dynamics of atoms of space-time-matter. We use this relation to define a space-time-matter foam at the Planck scale, and to argue that our theory is holographic. By coarse graining over…
