Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 1303.5868

Cosmological dynamics of $f(R)$ gravity scalar degree of freedom in Einstein frame

Abstract

$f(R)$ gravity models belong to an important class of modified gravity models where the late time cosmic accelerated expansion is considered as the manifestation of the large scale modification of the force of gravity. $f(R)$ gravity models can be expressed in terms of a scalar degree of freedom by redefinition of models variable. The conformal transformation of the action from Jordan frame to Einstein frame makes the scalar degree of freedom more explicit and can be studied conveniently. We have investigated the features of the scalar degree of freedoms and the consequent cosmological implications of the power-law ($ξR^n$) and the Starobinsky (disappearing cosmological constant) $f(R)$ gravity models numerically in the Einstein frame. Both the models show interesting behaviour of their scalar degree of freedom and could produce the accelerated expansion of the Universe in the Einstein frame with the negative equation of state of the scalar field. However the scalar field potential for the power-law model is the well behaved function of the field, whereas the potential becomes flat for higher value of field in the case of the Starobinsky model. Moreover, the equation of state of the scalar field for the power-law model is always negative and less than -1/3, which corresponds to the behaviour of the dark energy that produces the accelerated expansion of the Universe. This is not always the case for the Starobinsky model. At late times Starobinsky model behaves as cosmological constant $Λ$ as behaves by power-law model for the values of $n\rightarrow 2$ at all times.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Umananda Dev Goswami, Kabita Deka. 2013-08-24. Cosmological dynamics of $f(R)$ gravity scalar degree of freedom in Einstein frame. https://doi.org/10.1142/s0218271813500831

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Naturally Light Distortion

In the most general formulation of gravity, the metric and connection are independent degrees of freedom, and the connection may include torsion and non-metricity (or distortion, collectively) degrees of freedom, resulting in a huge number of possible dynamical fields. However, most fields are either non-dynamical or extremely heavy and the general relativity is recovered at low energy. We find a unique naturally light vector- or scalar-like distortion field, which can be dynamical and have phenomenological implications. In particular, a light scalar particle that mixes with the Higgs boson naturally appears.

gr-qc

Polarization-Dependent Photon Propagation, Quasinormal Modes, and Gravitational Lensing in Higher-Curvature Effective Theories

We investigate the impact of higher-curvature corrections on photon propagation within an effective field theory framework and their observational consequences in strong gravitational fields. We consider polarization-dependent modifications to photon trajectories in static and spherically symmetric spacetimes, focusing on Schwarzschild and Reissner--Nordström black hole backgrounds. Using the geometrical optics approximation, we derive the effective metrics governing photon propagation and study the resulting polarization-dependent shifts of the photon sphere. We compute the corresponding quasinormal modes in the eikonal limit and analyze their polarization dependence. We further investigate gravitational lensing, focusing on polarization-dependent corrections to the deflection angle in both weak- and strong-field regimes. In the strong-deflection regime, we find that even perturbatively small EFT corrections modify the coefficient of the logarithmically divergent part of the deflection angle, resulting in a potentially observable difference from the uncorrected case. This suggests that strong gravitational lensing may provide a sensitive probe of small higher-curvature corrections. While extracting EFT information directly from QNM frequencies is more subtle, QNMs may provide complementary information to gravitational lensing in future studies. Our results establish a framework for probing higher-curvature effects through polarization-dependent strong-field observables.

gr-qc

Dynamics for Spin-$1/2$ Particles in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet Gravity II: Non-Relativistic Case

In this work, I investigate the non-relativistic quantum dynamics of spin-1/2 particles in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet (EGB) gravity and establish a direct connection between higher-curvature corrections, fermionic dynamics, and the phenomenology of compact objects. Starting from the Dirac Hamiltonian in a static, spherically symmetric EGB spacetime, we perform a Fold-Wouthuysen transformation and derive the effective Hamiltonian, including relativistic kinetic, gravitational, spin-orbit, and higher-curvature contributions. Heisenberg equations are then used to obtain the dynamics of velocity, force, and spin, revealing explicit EGB corrections for both translational motion and spin transport. In particular, the spin-orbit sector induces a modified precession frequency whose fractional deviation from general relativity scales as $δ_Ω=-4(ξ/M^{2})(M/ρ)^{3}$, providing a clear dimensionless signature of the Gauss-Bonnet coupling. Through Ehrenfest's theorem, we also establish the correspondence between the dynamics of quantum operators and their semiclassical gravitational limit. As an astrophysical application, we consider the stellar-mass black hole A0620-00 and show that prospective relative sensitivities in spin precession on the order of $10^{-3}$ to $10^{-4}$ can probe Gauss-Bonnet couplings in the range of approximately $10^{6}$ to $10^{8}\,{\rm m}^{2}$, depending on the orbital radius. This result identifies fermionic spin precession as a complementary channel for testing gravity with higher-curvature corrections and provides a quantum-mechanical framework connecting modified gravitational dynamics to precision phenomenology in strong-gravity regimes.

gr-qc