Cosmological horizons in regular bouncing backgrounds
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Bari（巴里大学物理系）；Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari（意大利国家核物理研究所巴里分部）
M. Gasperini
备注：
11 pages, 4 figures, Essay written for the 2026 Awards for Essays on Gravitation (Gravity Research Foundation), and awarded with "Honorable Mention". To appear in Int. J Mod. Phys. D (2026)
It is often stated that a phase of standard, decelerated cosmological expansion is characterised by the absence of global event horizons, while a phase of accelerated expansion is associated with the absence of particle horizons. This is not necessarily true because such horizons, being non-local properties of the spacetime geometry, depend on the full (past and future) history of the given cosmological background. We provide examples of various different scenarios for the case in which the final asymptotic phase of standard expansion and decreasing curvature is connected, through a regular bounce, with an initial (and possibly infinitely extended in time) regime of growing curvature.
We study charged perturbations of the thermofield double state dual to a charged AdS black hole. We model the perturbation by a massless charged shell in the bulk. Unlike the neutral case, all such shells bounce at a definite radius, which can be behind the horizon. We show that the standard "shock wave" calculation of a scrambling time indicates that adding charge increases the scrambling time. We then give two arguments using the bounce that suggest that scrambling does not actually take longer when charge is added, but instead its onset is delayed. We also construct a boundary four point fu…
As our understanding of the past in a bouncing universe is limited, it becomes difficult to propose a cosmological model which can give some understanding of the causal structure of the bouncing universe. In this article we address the issue related to the particle horizon problem in the bouncing universe models. It is shown that in many models the particle horizon does not exist, and consequently the horizon problem is trivially solved. In some cases a bouncing universe can have a particle horizon and we specify the conditions for its existence. In the absence of a particle horizon the Hubble…
We consider a two-component regular cosmology bouncing from contraction to expansion, where, in order to include both scalar fields and perfect fluids as particular cases, the dominant component is allowed to have an intrinsic isocurvature mode. We show that the spectrum of the growing mode of the Bardeen potential in the pre-bounce is never transferred to the dominant mode of the post-bounce. The latter acquires at most a dominant isocurvature component, depending on the relative properties of the two fluids. Our results imply that several claims in the literature need substantial revision.
Classification of Oppenheimer-Snyder Collapse: Singular, Bouncing, and Soft-Landing Scenarios
Center for Joint Quantum Studies, Department of Physics, School of Science, Tianjin University（天津大学理学院物理系联合量子研究中心）；The International Joint Institute of Tianjin University（天津大学国际联合研究院）
In general, to avoid a singularity in cosmological models involves the introduction of exotic kind of matter fields, for example, a scalar field with negative energy density. In order to have a bouncing solution in classical General Relativity, violation of the energy conditions is required. In this work, we discuss a case of the bouncing solution in the Brans-Dicke theory with radiative fluid that obeys the energy conditions, and with no ghosts.
We present a full investigation of scalar perturbations in a rather generic model for a regular bouncing universe, where the bounce is triggered by an effective perfect fluid with negative energy density. Long before and after the bounce the universe is dominated by a source with positive energy density, which may be a perfect fluid, a scalar field, or any other source with an intrinsic isocurvature perturbation. Within this framework, we present an analytical method to accurately estimate the spectrum of large-scale scalar perturbations until their reentry, long after the bounce. We also prop…
We study cosmological scenarios resulting from effective actions in four dimensions which are, under some assumptions, connected with multidimensional, supergravity and string theories. These effective actions are labeled by the parameters $ω$, the dilaton coupling constant, and $n$ which establishes the coupling between the dilaton and a scalar field originated from the gauge field existing in the original theories. There is a large class of bouncing as well as Friedmann-like solutions. We investigate under which conditions bouncing regular solutions can be obtained. In the case of the string…
The Pre-Big Bang cosmology inspired generations of cosmologists in attempts to cure the initial Big Bang singularity using a fundamental length scale as proposed by String Theory. The existence of a phase of collapse/inflation with increasing curvature followed by a cosmic bounce has been proposed as an alternative to standard inflation in the solution of the horizon and curvature problems. However the generation of a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of perturbations is not an automatic prediction of such scenarios. In this paper I review some general statements about the evolution of perturbat…
In this article, we present a bouncing cosmology inspired by a family of regular black holes. This scale-dependent cosmology deviates from the cosmological principle by means of a scale factor which depends on the time and the radial coordinate as well. The model is isotropic but not perfectly homogeneous. That is, this cosmology describes a universe almost homogeneous only for large scales, such as our observable universe.
A regular bouncing universe is obtained in the context of a dilaton-gravity brane world scenario. The scale factor starts in a contracting inflationary phase both in the Einstein and in the string frame, it then undergoes a bounce (due to interaction with the bulk Weyl tensor), and subsequently enters into a decelerated expanding era. This graceful exit is obtained at low curvature and low coupling, and without violating the Null Energy Condition.
In this paper, I construct a class of everywhere regular geometric sigma models that possess bouncing solutions. Precisely, I show that every bouncing metric can be made a solution of such a model. My previous attempt to do so by employing one scalar field has failed due to the appearance of harmful singularities near the bounce. In this work, I use four scalar fields to construct a class of geometric sigma models which are free of singularities. The models within the class are parametrized by their background geometries. I prove that, whatever background is chosen, the dynamics of its small p…
We analyze the causal structure of McVittie spacetime for a classical bouncing cosmological model. In particular, we compute the trapping horizons of the metric and integrate the trajectories of radial null geodesics before, during, and after the bounce takes place. In the contracting phase up to the occurrence of the bounce, a dynamical black hole is present. When the universe reaches a certain minimum scale, the trapping horizons disappear and the black hole ceases to exist. After the bounce, the central weak singularity becomes naked. In the expanding phase, for large positive values of the…
Bouncing non-singular isotropic cosmological solutions are investigated in a simple model of scalar-tensor gravity. New families of such solutions are found and their properties are presented and analyzed using an effective potential as the main tool. Bouncing solutions are shown to exist for a Higgs-like self-interaction potential which is bounded from below, in contrast to previous solutions that appeared in the literature based on potentials which were unbounded from below. In the simplest version of a scalar field with the quartic potential and conformal coupling to gravity, bouncing spati…
We introduce the "wedge diagram," an intuitive way to illustrate how cosmological models with a classical (non-singular) bounce generically resolve fundamental problems in cosmology. These include the well-known horizon, flatness, and inhomogeneity problems; the small tensor-to-scalar ratio observed in the cosmic microwave background; the low entropy at the beginning of a hot, expanding phase; and the avoidance of quantum runaway. The same diagrammatic approach can be used to compare with other cosmological scenarios.
The dynamics of the gravitational collapse is examined in the realm of string based formalism of D-branes that encompass General Relativity as a low energy limit. A complete analytical solution is given to the spherically symmetric collapse of a pure dust star, including its matching with a corrected Schwarzschild exterior spacetime. The collapse forms a black hole (an exterior event horizon) enclosing not a singularity but perpetually bouncing matter in the infinite chain of spacetime maximal analytical extensions inside the outer event horizon. This chain of analytical extensions has a struc…
This article proposes a generalization of the Oppenheimer-Snyder model which describes a bouncing compact object. The corrections responsible for the bounce are parameterized in a general way so as to remain agnostic about the specific mechanism of singularity resolution at play. It thus develops an effective theory based on a thin shell approach, inferring generic properties of such a UV complete gravitational collapse. The main result comes in the form of a strong constraint applicable to general UV models : if the dynamics of the collapsing star exhibits a bounce, it always occurs below, or…
It has been shown that a contracting universe with a dust-like ($w \approx 0$) fluid may provide an almost scale invariant spectrum for the gravitational scalar perturbations. As the universe contracts, the amplitude of such perturbations are amplified. The gauge invariant variable $Φ$ develops a growing mode which becomes much larger than the constant one around the bounce phase. The constant mode has its amplitude fixed by Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) normalization, thus the amplitude of the growing mode can become much larger than 1. In this paper, we first show that this is a general …
We propose a family of dilaton gravity models possessing bouncing solutions with interiors connecting separate asymptotically flat regions. We demonstrate that inner Cauchy horizons are stable given certain initial conditions. We study causal structure and evaluate thermodynamic properties of black bounces using Euclidean methods. Extremal bounces have zero temperature and can be considered as remnants. We speculate that quantum fluctuations can dissolve event horizons in case of black bounces providing a possible resolution to the information paradox.
We consider a D3-brane as boundary of a five dimensional charged anti de Sitter black hole. We show that the charge of the black hole induces a regular cosmological evolution for the scale factor of the brane, with a smooth transition between a contracting and an eventual expanding phase. Simple analytical solutions can be obtained in the case of a vanishing effective cosmological constant on the brane. A nonvanishing cosmological constant, or the inclusion of radiation on the brane, does not spoil the regularity of these solutions at small radii, and observational constraints such as the ones…
We present exact non-singular bounce solutions of general relativity in the presence of a positive cosmological constant and an electromagnetic field, without any exotic matter. The solutions are distinguished by being spatially inhomogeneous in one direction, while they can also contain non-trivial electromagnetic field lines. The inhomogeneity may be substantial, for instance, there can be one bounce in one region of the universe and two bounces elsewhere. Since the bounces are followed by a phase of accelerated expansion, the metrics described here also permit the study of (geodesically com…
We analyze the early-time isotropic cosmology in the so-called energy-momentum-squared gravity (EMSG). In this theory, a $T_{μν}T^{μν}$ term is added to the Einstein-Hilbert action, which has been shown to replace the initial singularity by a regular bounce. We show that this is not the case, and the bouncing solution obtained does not describe our Universe since it belongs to a different solution branch. The solution branch that corresponds to our Universe, while nonsingular, is geodesically incomplete. We analyze the conditions for having viable regular-bouncing solutions in a general class …
We study the conditions under which thermal fluctuations generated in the contracting phase of a non-singular bouncing cosmology can lead to a scale-invariant spectrum of cosmological fluctuations at late times in the expanding phase. We consider point particle gases, holographic gases and string gases. In the models thus identified, we also study the thermal non-Gaussianities of the resulting distribution of inhomogeneities. For regular point particle radiation, we find that the background must have an equation of state $w = 7/3$ in order to obtain a scale-invariant spectrum, and that the non…
In this letter we point out the existence of solutions to General Relativity with a negative cosmological constant in four dimensions, which contain solitons as well as traversable wormholes. The latter connect two asymptotically locally AdS$_{4}$ spacetimes. At every constant value of the radial coordinate the spacetime is a spacelike warped AdS$_{3}$. We compute the dual energy momentum tensor at each boundary showing that it yields different results. We also show that these vacuum wormholes can have more than one throat and that they are indeed traversable by computing the time it takes for…
Cosmological Bounce Relics: Black Holes, Gravitational Waves, and Dark Matter
Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation, University of Portsmouth（宇宙学与引力研究所，朴茨茅斯大学）；Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC)（空间科学研究所（ICE，CSIC））；Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC)（加泰罗尼亚太空研究学院（IEEC））
The big bang singularity could be understood as a breakdown of Einstein's General Relativity at very high energies. Adopting this viewpoint, other theories, that implement Einstein Cosmology at high energies, might solve the problem of the primeval singularity. One of them is Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC) with a small cosmological constant that models a universe moving along an ellipse, which prevents singularities like the big bang or the big rip, in the phase space $(H,ρ)$, where $H$ is the Hubble parameter and $ρ$ the energy density of the universe. Using LQC when one considers a model of un…
Cosmological equations for homogeneous isotropic models filled by scalar fields and ultrarelativistic matter are investigated in the framework of gauge theories of gravity. Regular inflationary cosmological models of flat, closed and open type with dominating ultrarelativistic matter at a bounce are discussed. It is shown that essential part of inflationary cosmological models has bouncing character.
The possibility of obtaining singularity free cosmological solutions in four dimensional effective actions motivated by string theory is investigated. In these effective actions, in addition to the Einstein-Hilbert term, the dilatonic and the axionic fields are also considered as well as terms coming from the Ramond-Ramond sector. A radiation fluid is coupled to the field equations, which appears as a consequence of the Maxwellian terms in the Ramond-Ramond sector. Singularity free bouncing solutions in which the dilaton is finite and strictly positive are obtained for models with flat or nega…
It is shown that the near horizon geometry of a generic extreme regular black hole solution of Einstein gravity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics is described by the $AdS_2 \times S^2$ spacetime.
We study the classical dynamics of black holes during a nonsingular cosmological bounce. Taking a simple model of a nonsingular bouncing cosmology driven by the combination of a ghost and ordinary scalar field, we use nonlinear evolutions of the Einstein equations to follow rotating and non-rotating black holes of different sizes through the bounce. The violation of the null energy condition allows for a shrinking black hole event horizon and we find that for sufficiently large black holes (relative to the minimum Hubble radius) the black hole apparent horizon can disappear during the contract…
Field theoretical scheme of regular Big Bang in 4-dimensional physical space-time, built in the framework of gauge approach to gravitation, is discussed. Regular bouncing character of homogeneous isotropic cosmological models is ensured by gravitational repulsion effect at extreme conditions without quantum gravitational corrections. The most general properties of regular inflationary cosmological models are examined. Developing theory is valid, if energy density of gravitating matter is positive and energy dominance condition is fulfilled.
We study the motion of thin-shell bubbles and their tunneling in anti de Sitter (AdS) background. We are interested in the case when the outside of a shell is a Schwarzschild-AdS space (false vacuum) and the inside of it is an AdS space with a lower vacuum energy (true vacuum). If a collapsing true vacuum bubble is created, classically it will form a Schwarzschild-AdS black hole. However, this collapsing bubble can tunnel to a bouncing bubble that moves out to spatial infinity. Then, although the classical causal structure of a collapsing true vacuum bubble has the singularity and the event ho…
Calculations of the inner mass function of the Hayward regular black hole with fluxes are reviewed and rederived. We present detailed calculations of the inner mass function in two forms of the Ori approach (the ingoing flux is continuous, the outgoing flux is modeled by a thin null shell) and compare them with calculations in Reissner-Nordstrom black hole. A formal reason of different results is discussed. The energy density of scalar perturbations propagating from the event horizon into the Hayward black hole measured by a free falling observer near the inner horizon is calculated.
We generalize the Cosmological Slingshot Scenario for a Slingshot brane moving in a Klebanov-Strassler throat. We show that the horizon and isotropy problems of standard cosmology are avoided, while the flatness problem is acceptably alleviated. Regarding the primordial perturbations, we identify their vacuum state and elucidate the evolution from the quantum to the classical regimes. Also, we calculate their exact power spectrum showing its compatibility with current data. We discuss the bouncing solution from a four dimensional point of view. In this framework the radial and angular motion o…
We investigate the following question: Consider a small mass, with $ε$ (the ratio of the Schwarzschild radius and the bulk curvature length) much smaller than 1, that is confined to the TeV brane in the Randall-Sundrum I scenario. Does it form a black hole with a regular horizon, or a naked singularity? The metric is expanded in $ε$ and the asymptotic form of the metric is given by the weak field approximation (linear in the mass). In first order of $ε$ we show that the iteration of the weak field solution, which includes only integer powers of the mass, leads to a solution that has a singular…
Non-singular black hole geometries typically come with two spacetime horizons: an (outer) event horizon and an (inner) Cauchy horizon. This nurtures the speculation that they may be subject to a mass-inflation effect which renders the Cauchy horizon unstable. We analyze the dynamics associated with spherically symmetric, regular black holes taking the full backreaction between the infalling matter and geometry into account. On this basis, we identify the crucial features taming the growth of the mass function and diminishing the curvature singularity at the Cauchy horizon. It is demonstrated e…
The destruction of a regular black hole event horizon might provide us the possibility to access regions inside black hole event horizon. This paper investigates the possibility of overcharging a charged Taub-NUT regular black hole via the scattering of a charged field and the absorption of a charged particle. For the charged scalar field scattering, both the near-extremal and extremal charged Taub-NUT regular black holes cannot be overcharged. For the test charged particle absorption, the result shows that the event horizon of the extremal charged Taub-NUT regular black hole still exists whil…
It is shown that the Einstein gravity + Higgs scalar field have cosmological regular solutions with deceleration/acceleration phases and with bouncing off from a singularity. The behavior of the solution near to a flex point is in detail considered.
Recently, Li and Bambi proposed a hypothesis that the event horizon of a regular black hole can be destroyed because these objects have no gravitational singularity and therefore they are not protected by the weak cosmic censorship conjecture (WCCC). In this paper, to test their hypothesis, we perform the new version of the gedanken experiments proposed by Sorce and Wald to overcharge a near extremal static electrically regular black hole. After introducing the stability condition of the spacetime and the null energy condition of matter fields, we derive the first-order and second-order pertur…
We use the causal horizon entropy to study the asymptotic behaviors of regular AdS black holes. In some literature, the causal horizon entropy is regarded as a generalized holographic $c$-function. In this paper, we apply this idea to the case of regular AdS black holes. We show that the causal horizon entropy decreases to zero at the center of regular AdS black holes and in particular it is stationary because its derivative with respect to the affine parameter approaches zero asymptotically. Meanwhile, the asymptotic behavior of the metric of regular AdS black holes implies that the black hol…
Homogeneous isotropic cosmological models with two torsion functions filled with scalar fields and usual gravitating matter are built and investigated in the framework of the Poincaré gauge theory of gravity. It is shown that by certain restrictions on indefinite parameters of gravitational Lagrangian the cosmological equations at asymptotics contain an effective cosmological constant that can explain observable acceleration of cosmological expansion. The behavior of inflationary cosmological solutions at extremely high energy densities is analyzed, regular bouncing solutions are obtained. The…
It is argued that in the case of a smooth transition across a (dilaton-driven) curvature bounce the growing mode of the vector fluctuations matches continuously with a decaying mode at later times. Analytical examples of this observation are given both in the presence and in the absence of fluid sources. In the case of multidimensional bouncing models the situation is different, since the system of differential equations describing the vector modes of the geometry has a richer structure. The amplification of the vector modes of the geometry is specifically investigated in a regular five-dimens…
We study nonsingular cosmological scenarios in a general $D$-dimensional string effective action of the dilaton-modulus-axion system in the presence of the matter source. In the standard dilatonic Brans-Dicke parameter ($ω=-1$) with radiation, we analytically obtain singularity-free bouncing solutions where the universe starts out in a state with a finite curvature and evolves toward the weakly coupled regime. We apply this analytic method to the string-gas cosmology including the massive state in addition to the leading massless state (radiation), with and without the axion. We numerically fi…
We study general S2xS1 Gowdy models with a regular past Cauchy horizon and prove that a second (future) Cauchy horizon exists, provided that a particular conserved quantity $J$ is not zero. We derive an explicit expression for the metric form on the future Cauchy horizon in terms of the initial data on the past horizon and conclude the universal relation $A\p A\f=(8πJ)^2$ where $A\p$ and $A\f$ are the areas of past and future Cauchy horizon respectively.
We consider generic, or "dirty" (surrounded by matter), stationary rotating black holes with axial symmetry. The restrictions are found on the asymptotic form of metric in the vicinity of non-extremal, extremal and ultra-extremal horizons, imposed by the conditions of regularity of increasing strength: boundedness on the horizon of the Ricci scalar, of scalar quadratic curvature invariants, and of the components of the curvature tensor in the tetrad attached to a falling observer. We show, in particular, that boundedness of the Ricci scalar implies the "rigidity" of the horizon's rotation in a…
We consider the quantum stress-energy tensor of a massless scalar field near the Cauchy horizon interior to the Reissner-Nordström black hole spacetime. We construct the quantum state by considering the two-point function on a negative definite metric obtained by a double analytic continuation from the Lorentzian manifold, complexifying both the $t$ and polar coordinates. We enforce periodicity in the Euclideanized $t$ coordinate with periodicity equal to the reciprocal of the temperature of the Cauchy horizon, a necessary condition for avoiding a conical singularity at the inner horizon. We s…
We investigated the regular multi-horizon black holes in the Einstein gravity, $F(R)$ gravity and the 5 dimensional Gauss-Bonnet gravity, all of them coupled with non-linear electrodynamics. We presented several explicit examples of the actions which admit the solutions describing regular black hole space-time with multi-horizons. Thermodynamics of the obtained black hole solutions is studied. The explicit expressions of the temperature, the entropy, the thermodynamical energy and the free energy are obtained. Although the temperature vanishes in the extremal limit where the radii of the two h…
Quantum corrections to cosmic perturbations for a bouncing background
Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua（奇瓦瓦自治大学）；Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Cuajimalpa（墨西哥城自治大学夸希马尔帕校区）；Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Unidad Iztapalapa（墨西哥城自治大学伊斯塔帕拉帕校区）
The regularized stress-energy tensor of the quantized massive scalar, spinor and vector fields inside the degenerate horizon of the regular charged black hole in the (anti-)de Sitter universe is constructed and examined. It is shown that although the components of the stress-energy tensor are small in the vicinity of the black hole degenerate horizon and near the regular center, they are quite big in the intermediate region. The oscillatory character of the stress-energy tensor can be ascribed to various responses of the higher curvature terms to the changes of the metric inside the (degenerat…
We study the Brown-York quasilocal energy for regular black holes. We also express the identity that relates the difference of the Brown-York quasilocal energy and the Komar charge at the horizon to the total energy of the spacetime for static and spherically symmetric black hole solutions in a convenient way which permits us to understand why this identity is not satisfied when we consider nonlinear electrodynamics. However, we give a relation between quantities evaluated at the horizon and at infinity when nonlinear electrodynamics is considered. Similar relations are obtained for more gener…
Generic models of regular black holes have separate outer and inner horizons, both with nonzero surface gravity. It has been shown that a nonzero inner horizon surface gravity results in exponential instability at the inner horizon controlled by this parameter. This phenomenon takes the name of "mass inflation instability", and its presence has put in question the physical viability of regular black holes as alternatives to their (singular) general relativity counterparts. In this paper, we show that it is possible to make the inner horizon surface gravity vanish, while maintaining the separat…
