We study the coupled dark energy model constructed from the general conformal transformation in which the coefficient of the conformal transformation depends on both the scalar field and its kinetic term. Under this conformal transformation, the action for subclass of Degenerate Higher-Order Scalar-Tensor (DHOST) theories is related to the Einstein-Hilbert action. The evolution of the background universe has the scaling fixed point which corresponds to acceleration of the universe at late time. For the choices of parameters which make the late-time scaling point stable, the fixed point corresponding to $ϕ$-matter-dominated-era ($ϕ$MDE) is a saddle point, and the universe can evolve from radiation dominated epoch through $ϕ$MDE before reaching the scaling point at late time with the cosmological parameters which satisfy the observational bound. During the $ϕ$MDE, the effective equation of state parameter is slightly positive, so that one of possible mechanisms for alleviating the $H_0$ tension can be achieved. In this coupled dark energy model, the effective gravitational coupling for dark matter perturbations on small scales can be smaller than that in the $Λ$CDM model. Therefore a growth rate of the dark matter perturbations is suppressed compare with the $Λ$CDM model, which implies that the $σ_8$ tension could be alleviated.
We propose a new reconstruction method for scalar--tensor gravity based on the use of conformal transformations. The new method allows the derivation of a set of interesting exact cosmological solutions in brans Dicke gravity as well as other extensions of General Relativity.
Here we follow the mainstream of thinking about physical equivalence of different representations of a theory, regarded as the consequence of invariance of the laws of physics -- represented by an action principle and the derived motion equations -- under given transformations; be it coordinate, gauge or conformal transformations. Accordingly the conformal transformations' issue is discussed by invoking the assumed invariance of the laws of physics -- in particular the laws of gravity -- under conformal transformations of the metric. It is shown that Brans-Dicke and scalar-tensor theories are …
We derive a formula describing the transformation of the Hawking-Hayward quasi-local energy under a conformal rescaling of the spacetime metric. A known formula for the transformation of the Misner-Sharp-Hernandez mass is recovered as a special case.
As we shall briefly recall, Nordström's theory of gravity is observationally ruled out. It is however an interesting example of non-minimal coupling of matter to gravity and of the role of conformal transformations. We show in particular that they could be useful to extend manifolds through curvature singularities.
The non-minimal coupling of gravity to a scalar field can be transformed into a minimal coupling through a conformal transformation. We show how to connect the results of a perturbation calculation, performed around a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker background solution, before and after the conformal transformation. We work in the synchronous gauge, but we discuss the implications of employing other formalisms.
As a simple application of special conformal transformations, we derive the electromagnetic field produced by an electric charge in hyperbolic motion. Unlike other purely algebraic derivations, here we develop a more intuitive geometrical description, based on Minkowski diagrams.
We investigate the necessary condition for the existence of classical Euclidean wormholes in a conformally non-invariant gravitational model minimally coupled to an scalar field. It is shown that while the original Ricci tensor with positive eigenvalues does not allow the Euclidean wormholes to occur, under dynamical conformal transformations the Ricci tensor, with respect to the original metric, is dynamically coupled with the conformal field and its eigenvalues may become negative allowing the Euclidean wormholes to occur. Therefore, it is conjectured that dynamical conformal transformations…
We show that the behaviour of the outgoing radial null geodesic congruence on the boundary of the trapped region (suitably defined as a four dimensional region) is related to the property of nakedness in spherical dust collapse. The argument involves a conformal transformation which justifies the difference in the Penrose diagrams in the naked and covered dust collapse scenarios.
Recently\cite{BQG}, it was shown that quantum effects of matter could be identified with the conformal degree of freedom of the space-time metric. Accordingly, one can introduce quantum effects either by making a scale transformation (i.e. changing the metric), or by making a conformal transformation (i.e. changing all physical quantities). These two ways are investigated and compared. Also, it is argued that, the ultimate formulation of such a quantum gravity theory should be in the framework of the scalar-tensor theories.
A canonical transformation which relates the model of a massive relativistic particle moving near the horizon of an extremal black hole in four dimensions and the conventional conformal mechanics is constructed in two different ways. The first approach makes use of the action-angle variables in the angular sector. The second scheme relies upon integrability of the system in the sense of Liouville.
We investigate the necessary conditions for the two spacetimes, which are solutions to the Einstein field equations with an anisotropic matter source, to be related to each other by means of a conformal transformation. As a result, we obtain that if one of such spacetimes is a generalization of the Robertson-Walker solution with vanishing acceleration and vorticity, then the other one has to be in this class as well, i.e. the conformal factor will be a constant function on the hypersurfaces orthogonal to the fluid flow lines. The evolution equation for this function appears naturally as a dire…
Conformal transformations are frequently used tools in order to study relations between various theories of gravity and the Einstein relativity. In this paper we discuss the rules of these transformations for geometric quantities as well as for the matter energy-momentum tensor. We show the subtlety of the matter energy-momentum conservation law which refers to the fact that the conformal transformation "creates" an extra matter term composed of the conformal factor which enters the conservation law. In an extreme case of the flat original spacetime the matter is "created" due to work done by …
Many interesting models incorporate scalar fields with non-minimal couplings to the spacetime Ricci curvature scalar. As is well known, if only one scalar field is non-minimally coupled, then one may perform a conformal transformation to a new frame in which both the gravitational portion of the Lagrangian and the kinetic term for the (rescaled) scalar field assume canonical form. We examine under what conditions the gravitational and kinetic terms in the Lagrangian may be brought into canonical form when more than one scalar field has non-minimal coupling. A particular class of two-field mode…
We discuss the consequences of the incorrectness [see the Erratum in Phys. Rev D 49, 1145 (1994)] of that paper and add two related remarks. The scope of this comment is to encourage further research on: `Which of the conformally equivalent metrics is the physical one?'
Multiple scalar fields appear in vast modern particle physics and gravity models. When they couple to gravity non-minimally, conformal transformation is utilized to bring the theory into Einstein frame. However, the kinetic terms of scalar fields are usually not canonical, which makes analytic treatment difficult. Here we investigate under what conditions the theories can be transformed to the quasi-canonical form, in which case the effective metric tensor in field space is conformally flat. We solve the relevant nonlinear partial differential equations for arbitrary number of scalar fields an…
The homogeneous Friedman-Lema\^ıtre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) cosmology of a free scalar field with vanishing cosmological constant was recently shown to be invariant under the one-dimensional conformal group $\textrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{R})$ acting as M{ö}bius transformations on the proper time. Here we generalize this analysis to arbitrary transformations of the proper time, $τ\mapsto \tildeτ=f(τ)$, which are not to be confused with reparametrizations of the time coordinate. First, we show that the FLRW cosmology with a non-vanishing cosmological constant $Λ\ne 0$ is also invariant under a $\textrm{…
We study conformal properties of the quantum kinetic equations in curved spacetime. A transformation law for the covariant Wigner function under conformal transformations of a spacetime is derived by using the formalism of tangent bundles. The conformal invariance of the quantum corrected Vlasov equation is proven. This provides a basis for generating new solutions of the quantum kinetic equations in the presence of gravitational and other external fields. We use our method to find explicit quantum corrections to the class of locally isotropic distributions, to which equilibrium distributions …
The conformal transformation of the Hawking-Hayward quasi-local mass is reexamined. It has been found recently that the conformal transformation of the latter exhibits the 'wrong' conformal factor compared to the way usual masses transform under conformal transformations of spacetime. We show, in analogy with what was found recently for the Misner-Sharp mass, that unlike the purely geometric definition of the Hawking-Hayward mass, the latter exhibits the 'right' conformal factor whenever expressed in terms of its material content via the field equations. The case of conformally invariant scala…
Minkowski spacetime is transitive under ordinary translations, a transformation that do not have matrix representations. The de Sitter spacetime, on the other hand, is transitive under a combination of translations and proper conformal transformations, which do have a matrix representation. Such matrix, however, is not by itself a de Sitter generator: it gives rise to a conformal re-scaling of the metric, a transformation not belonging to the de Sitter group, and in general not associated with diffeomorphisms in spacetime. When dealing with variational principles and Noether's theorem in de Si…
Conformal transformation as a mathematical tool has been used in many areas of gravitational physics. In this paper, we would consider the gravity's rainbow, in which the metric could be treated as a conformal rescaling of the original metric. By using the conformal transformation technique, we get a specific form of modified Newton's constant and cosmological constant in gravity's rainbow, which implies that the total vacuum energy is dependent on probe energy. Moreover, the result shows that the Einstein gravity's rainbow could be described by an energy-dependent $f(E,\tilde R)$ gravity. At …
It is demonstrated that, unless the meaning of conformal transformations for the underlying geometrical structure is discussed on a same footing as it is done for the equations of the given gravity theory, the notion of "conformal equivalence", as it has been mostly used in the bibliography to date, lacks physical and mathematical content. A principle of conformal equivalence is then formulated and its consequences are investigated within a conformally invariant modification of Brans-Dicke (BD) theory of gravity. It is also demonstrated that vacuum BD theory ($ω\neq -3/2$) is not conformally i…
Conformal symmetries appear in many parts of physics and play a unique role in exploring the Universe. In this work, we consider the possibility of constructing conformal theories of gravity in the Symmetric Teleparallel Gravity framework, where gravitation is expressed through non-metricity rather than curvature or torsion. We demonstrate that it is possible to formulate a family of conformal theories with second-order field equations and have the metric tensor as the fundamental variable. Moreover, we consider the addition of a scalar field to the theory, and compare the results to the Telep…
A definition of space-time metric deformations on an $n$-dimensional manifold is given. We show that such deformations can be regarded as extended conformal transformations. In particular, their features can be related to the perturbation theory giving a natural picture by which gravitational waves are described by small deformations of the metric. As further result, deformations can be related to approximate Killing vectors (approximate symmetries) by which it is possible to parameterize the deformed region of a given manifold. The perspectives and some possible physical applications of such …
We study various derivations of Hawking radiation in conformally rescaled metrics. We focus on two important properties, the location of the horizon under a conformal transformation and its associated temperature. We find that the production of Hawking radiation cannot be associated in all cases to the trapping horizon because its location is not invariant under a conformal transformation. We also find evidence that the temperature of the Hawking radiation should transform simply under a conformal transformation, being invariant for asymptotic observers in the limit that the conformal transfor…
We give a simple differential geometric proof of the conformal transformation of the night sky under change of observer. The proof does not rely on the four dimensionality of spacetime or on spinor methods. Furthermore, it really shows that the result does not depend on Lorentz transformations. This approach, by giving a transparent covariant expression to the conformal factor, shows that in most situations it is possible to define a thermal sky metric independent of the observer.
We study the generic transport of slice energy between the scalar field generated by the conformal transformation of higher-order gravity theories and the matter component. We give precise relations for this exchange in the cases of dust and perfect fluids. We show that, unless we are in a stationary spacetime where slice energy is always conserved, in non-stationary situations contributions to the total slice energy depend on whether or not test matter follows geodesics in both frame representations of the dynamics, that is on whether or not the two conformally related frames are physically i…
We show that two consecutive Universes with positive cosmological constants filled with perfect fluids and conformal to the positive-spatial-curvature FLRW metric by an analytic conformal transformation have the following features implied by the Einstein equations: a) the fluids can only belong to 4 classes (radiation, dust and two other classes with negative pressures corresponding to a gas of strings and a gas of domain walls), b) the field equations on both sides of the future/eternity hypersurface exhibit certain duality with the Einstein Universe at the background, and c) both eons (one a…
A class of nonstationary spacetimes is obtained by means of a conformal transformation of the Schwarzschild metric, where the conformal factor $a(t)$ is an arbitrary function of the time coordinate only. We investigate several situations including some where the final state is a central object with constant mass. The metric is such that there is an initial big-bang type singularity and the final state depends on the chosen conformal factor. The Misner-Sharp mass is computed and a localized central object may be identified. The trapping horizons, geodesic and causal structure of the resulting s…
We recently proposed a chameleonic solution to the cosmological constant problem - Phys. Rev. D82 (2010) 044006. One of the results of that paper is a non-equivalence of different conformal frames at the quantum level. In this letter we further discuss our proposal focusing our attention on the conformal transformation. Moreover, we point out that a different choice of parameters is necessary in the model.
We describe space-time using split octonions over the reals and use their group of automorphisms, the non-compact form of Cartan's exceptional Lie group G2, as the main geometrical group of the model. Connections of the G2-rotations of octonionic 8D space with the conformal transformations in 4D Minkowski space-time are studied. It is shown that the dimensional constant needed in these analysis naturally gives the observed value of the cosmological constant.
The weak field limit of scalar tensor theories of gravity is discussed in view of conformal transformations. Specifically, we consider how physical quantities, like gravitational potentials derived in the Newtonian approximation for the same scalar-tensor theory, behave in the Jordan and in the Einstein frame. The approach allows to discriminate features that are invariant under conformal transformations and gives contributions in the debate of selecting the true physical frame. As a particular example, the case of $f(R)$ gravity is considered.
The 1+3 covariant approach and the covariant gauge-invariant approach to perturbations are used to analyze in depth conformal transformations in cosmology. Such techniques allow us to obtain very interesting insights on the physical content of these transformations, when applied to non-standard gravity. The results obtained lead to a number of general conclusions on the change of some key quantities describing any two conformally related cosmological models. In particular, it is shown that the physics in the Einstein frame has characteristics which are completely different from those in the Jo…
The scalar-tensor theory is plagued by nagging questions if different conformal frames, in particular the Jordan and Einstein conformal frames, are equivalent to each other. As a closely related question, there are opposing views on which of the two conformal frames is physically acceptable. Reinforcing our previous claims, we offer replies based on a cosmological model of the scalar-tensor theory, believed to be a promising theory for understanding the accelerating universe, as well as today's version of the cosmological constant problem. Exploiting the advantage that this model admits analyt…
Using the volume proposal, we compute the change of complexity of holographic states caused by a small conformal transformation in AdS$_{3}$/CFT$_{2}$. This computation is done perturbatively to second order. We give a general result and discuss some of its properties. As operators generating such conformal transformations can be explicitly constructed in CFT terms, these results allow for a comparison between holographic methods of defining and computing computational complexity and purely field-theoretic proposals. A comparison of our results to one such proposal is given.
Conformal transformations play a widespread role in gravity theories in regard to their cosmological and other implications. In the pure metric theory of gravity, conformal transformations change the frame to a new one wherein one obtains a conformal-invariant scalar-tensor theory such that the scalar field, deriving from the conformal factor, is a ghost. In this work, conformal transformations and ghosts will be analyzed in the framework of the metric-affine theory of gravity. Within this framework, metric and connection are independent variables, and hence, transform independently under conf…
Conformal transformations of the following kinds are compared: (1) conformal coordinate transformations, (2) conformal transformations of Lagrangian models for a D-dimensional geometry, given by a Riemannian manifold M with metric g of arbitrary signature, and (3) conformal transformations of (mini-)superspace geometry. For conformal invariance under this transformations the following applications are given respectively: (1) Natural time gauges for multidimensional geometry, (2) conformally equivalent Lagrangian models for geometry coupled to a spacially homogeneous scalar field, and (3) the c…
The conformal transformation of the Misner-Sharp mass is reexamined. It has recently been found that this mass does not transform like usual masses do under conformal mappings of spacetime. We show that when it comes to conformal transformations, the widely used geometric definition of the Misner-Sharp mass is fundamentally different from the original conception of the latter. Indeed, when working within the full hydrodynamic setup that gave rise to that mass, i.e. the physics of gravitational collapse, the familiar conformal transformation of a usual mass is recovered. The case of scalar-tens…
We generate an explicit four-fold infinity of physically acceptable exact perfect fluid solutions of Einstein's equations by way of conformal transformations of physically unacceptable solutions (one way to view the use of isotropic coordinates). Special cases include the Schwarzschild interior solution and the Einstein static universe. The process we consider involves solving two equations of the Riccati type coupled by a single generating function rather than a specification of one of the two metric functions.
We intend to clarify the interplay between boundary terms and conformal transformations in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. We first consider the action for pure gravity in five dimensions and show that, on compactifing a la Kaluza-Klein to four dimensions, one obtains the correct boundary terms in the Jordan (or String) Frame form of the Brans-Dicke action. Further, we analyze how the boundary terms change under the conformal transformations which lead to the Pauli (or Einstein) frame and to the non-minimally coupled massless scalar field. In particular, we study the behaviour of the total …
Paying attention to conformal invariance as the invariance under local transformations of units of measure, we take a conformal invariant quantum field as a quantum matter theory in which one has the freedom to choose the values of units of mass, length and time arbitrarily at each point. To be able to have this view, it is necessary that the background on which the quantum field is based be conformal invariant as well. Consequently, defining the unambiguous expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor of such a quantum field through the Wald renormalizing prescription necessitates breaking…
An alternative interpretation of the conformal transformations of the metric is discussed according to which the latter can be viewed as a mapping among Riemannian and Weyl-integrable spaces. A novel aspect of the conformal transformation's issue is then revealed: these transformations relate complementary geometrical pictures of a same physical reality, so that, the question about which is the physical conformal frame, does not arise. In addition, arguments are given which point out that, unless a clear statement of what is understood by "equivalence of frames" is made, the issue is a semanti…
This article is based on the study of wormhole geometries in the context of symmetric teleparallel gravity or $f(Q)$ gravity, where $Q$ is the non-metricity scalar, and it is responsible for the gravitational interaction. To discuss the wormhole solutions, we consider spherically symmetric static spacetime metric with anisotropic matter contents under well-known non-commutative distributions known as Gaussian and Lorentzian distributions with an extra condition of permitting conformal killing vectors (CKV). This work aims to obtain wormhole solutions under these distributions, and through we f…
In recent years, the use of conformal transformation techniques has become widespread in the literature on gravitational theories alternative to general relativity, on cosmology, and on nonminimally coupled scalar fields. Typically, the transformation to the Einstein frame is generated by a fundamental scalar field already present in the theory. In this context, the problem of which conformal frame is the physical one has to be dealt with and, in the general case, it has been clarified only recently; the formulation of a theory in the ``new'' conformal frame leads to departures from canonical …
All possible transformations from the Robertson-Walker metric to those conformal to the Lorentz-Minkowski form are derived. It is demonstrated that the commonly known family of transformations and associated conformal factors are not exhaustive and that there exists another relatively less well known family of transformations with a different conformal factor in the particular case that K = -1. Simplified conformal factors are derived for the special case of maximally-symmetric spacetimes. The full set of all possible cosmologically-compatible conformal forms is presented as a comprehensive ta…
The method of a conformal transformation is applied to a general class of single field inflation models with non-minimal coupling to gravity and non-standard kinetic terms, in order to reduce the cosmological perturbative calculation to the conventional minimal coupling case to all orders in perturbation theory. Our analysis is made simple by the fact that all perturbation variables in the comoving gauge are conformally invariant to all orders. The structure of the vacuum, on which cosmological correlation functions are evaluated, is also discussed. We show how quantization in the Jordan frame…
We find the rules of the conformal transformation for the energetic quantities such as the Einstein energy-momentum complex, the Bergmann-Thomson angular momentum complex, the superenergy tensor, and the angular supermomentum tensor of gravitation and matter. We show that the conformal transformation rules for the matter parts of both the Einstein complex and the Bergmann-Thomson complex are fairly simple, while the transformation rules for their gravitational parts are more complicated. We also find that the transformational rules of the superenergy tensor of matter and the superenergy tensor…
The fate of black hole thermodynamics under Weyl transformations is investigated by going back to the laws of black hole mechanics. It is shown that the transformed surface gravity, that one would identify with the black hole temperature in the conformal frame, as well as the black hole entropy, that one would identify with the horizon area, cannot be invariant. It is also shown that the conformally invariant surface gravity, attributed to the so-called "conformal Killing horizon", cannot represent the black hole temperature in the conformal frame. Finally, using familiar thought experiments, …
We show that in a generic scalar-tensor theory of gravity, the ``referenced'' quasilocal mass of a spatially bounded region in a classical solution is invariant under conformal transformations of the spacetime metric. We first extend the Brown-York quasilocal formalism to such theories to obtain the ``unreferenced'' quasilocal mass and prove it to be conformally invariant. The appropriate reference term in this case is defined by generalizing the Hawking-Horowitz prescription, which was originally proposed for general relativity. For such a choice of reference term, the referenced quasilocal m…
The acceleration transformations form a 4-parameter Abelian subgroup of the conformal group of Minkowski spacetime. The passive interpretation of acceleration transformations leads to a congruence of uniformly accelerated observers in Minkowski spacetime. The properties of this congruence are studied in order to illustrate the kinematics of accelerated observers in relativistic physics. The generalization of this approach under conformal rescaling of the spacetime metric is examined.
A cosmological theory that predicts a late-time accelerated attractor with a constant dark matter to dark energy ratio can be said to solve the Coincidence Problem. Such cosmologies are naturally generated in the context of non-standard gravity theories under conformal transformation because of the resulting couplings between scalar fields and matter. The present work examines four classes of these transformed theories and finds that only a small subset--those with a single scalar field--are capable of solving the Coincidence Problem.
It is well-known that $f(R)$ theories are dynamically equivalent to a particular class of scalar-tensor theories. In analogy to the $f(R)$ extension of the Einstein-Hilbert action of general relativity, $f(T)$ theories are generalizations of the action of teleparallel gravity. The field equations are always second order, remarkably simpler than $f(R)$ theories. It is interesting to investigate whether $f(T)$ theories have the similar conformal features possessed in $f(R)$ theories. It is shown, however, that $f(T)$ theories are not dynamically equivalent to teleparallel action plus a scalar fi…
