arXiv subjects

Alexander Zhuk

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Zhuk.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Friendly Phantom: Late-time AdS-to-dS transition and cosmological tensions

We present Ph-$\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM, a phantom-scalar realization within General Relativity of the sign-switching cosmological-constant idea, $\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM, in which a phantom scalar evolving on a bounded hyperbolic-tangent potential induces a smooth mirror AdS-to-dS transition in the late-time dark-energy density. The wrong-sign kinetic term, usually viewed as pathological, becomes the mechanism lifting the field from a negative- to a positive-energy vacuum-like regime. The construction also shows that the field can become repulsive while its energy density is still negative. The cosmology nevertheless remains controlled: total energy stays positive, the late-time attractor is de Sitter rather than a Big Rip, and the dynamics remain safely infrared. Ph-$\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM thus offers a concrete late-time mechanism with the potential to address multiple cosmological tensions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Nonlinear Matter Power Spectrum from relativistic $N$-body Simulations: $\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM versus $\Lambda$CDM

We present relativistic $N$-body simulations of a $\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM - sign-switching cosmological constant (CC) - scenario under general relativity and compare its nonlinear matter power spectrum to $\Lambda$CDM at ${z = 15,\,2,\,1,\,0}$, using best-fit parameters from Planck-only and a combined ''full'' dataset. During the AdS-like CC ($\Lambda_{\rm s}<0$) phase, prior to the transition redshift $z_\dagger$, reduced Hubble friction dynamically enhances the growth of perturbations; after the switch, with dS-like CC ($\Lambda_{\rm s}>0$), the larger late-time expansion rate partly suppresses, but does not erase, the earlier amplification. Consequently, the ratio $P_{\Lambda_{\rm s}\rm CDM}/P_{\Lambda\rm CDM}$ exhibits a pronounced, redshift-dependent shape feature: a crest peaking at ${\sim 20-25\%}$ around ${k \simeq 1-3\,h\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}}$ near the transition, which then migrates to larger physical scales and persists to ${z = 0}$ as a robust ${\sim 15-20\%}$ uplift at ${k \simeq 0.6-1.0\,h\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}}$. These wavenumbers correspond to group or poor-cluster environments and lie within the sensitivity range of weak lensing, galaxy-galaxy lensing, cluster counts, and tSZ power, providing a concrete, falsifiable target that cannot be mimicked by a scale-independent change in $\sigma_8$ or $S_8$. The timing (earlier for Planck-only, later for the full dataset) and the amplitude of the crest align with the ''cosmic noon'' epoch (${z \simeq 1-2}$), offering a gravitational prior for the observed peak in the cosmic star-formation rate.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Dynamical dark energy with AdS-dS transitions vs. Baryon Acoustic Oscillations at $z =$ 2.3-2.4

In this paper, written in memory of Alexei Starobinsky, we discuss the observational viability of the Ph-$\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM model - a dynamical dark energy scenario based on a phantom scalar field undergoing an anti-de Sitter (AdS) to de Sitter (dS) transition - and revisit the Sahni-Shtanov braneworld model in light of updated BAO Ly-$\alpha$ data at $z \sim 2.3$. Both models are able to remain consistent with Planck CMB data while offering potential resolutions to the $H_0$ tension. In both cases, the expansion rate $H(z)$ is suppressed relative to Planck-$\Lambda$CDM at high redshift and enhanced at low redshift, while remaining consistent with the comoving distance to recombination as estimated by Planck-$\Lambda$CDM. Comparing model predictions with BAO-inferred values of $H(z)$, we find that SDSS Ly-$\alpha$ data at $z \approx 2.33$ mildly favor such dynamical models, whereas the recent DESI Ly-$\alpha$ measurements agree more closely with $\Lambda$CDM. Although current high-redshift BAO data do not decisively favor one model over another, our findings illustrate how frameworks originally developed to address earlier anomalies - such as the braneworld scenario - may gain renewed relevance in confronting today's cosmological tensions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

The CosmoVerse White Paper: Addressing observational tensions in cosmology with systematics and fundamental physics

The standard model of cosmology has provided a good phenomenological description of a wide range of observations both at astrophysical and cosmological scales for several decades. This concordance model is constructed by a universal cosmological constant and supported by a matter sector described by the standard model of particle physics and a cold dark matter contribution, as well as very early-time inflationary physics, and underpinned by gravitation through general relativity. There have always been open questions about the soundness of the foundations of the standard model. However, recent years have shown that there may also be questions from the observational sector with the emergence of differences between certain cosmological probes. In this White Paper, we identify the key objectives that need to be addressed over the coming decade together with the core science projects that aim to meet these challenges. These discordances primarily rest on the divergence in the measurement of core cosmological parameters with varying levels of statistical confidence. These possible statistical tensions may be partially accounted for by systematics in various measurements or cosmological probes but there is also a growing indication of potential new physics beyond the standard model. After reviewing the principal probes used in the measurement of cosmological parameters, as well as potential systematics, we discuss the most promising array of potential new physics that may be observable in upcoming surveys. We also discuss the growing set of novel data analysis approaches that go beyond traditional methods to test physical models. [Abridged]

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Dynamical dark energy with AdS-to-dS and dS-to-dS transitions: Implications for the $H_0$ tension

We investigate the dynamics and cosmological implications of dark energy (DE), modeled as a scalar field with a hyperbolic tangent potential that induces a smooth shift in the effective cosmological constant (CC), encompassing transitions such as AdS-dS, 0-dS, and dS-dS, with the mirror AdS-dS as a particular case aligned with the $\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM scenario. In our construction, a phantom scalar field with a negative kinetic term drives a bottom-up transition from an AdS-like vacuum at high redshifts to a dS-like vacuum at low redshifts, thereby providing a physical underpinning for the $\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM scenario. Despite the negative kinetic term, the step-like form of the potential prevents pathologies such as unbounded energy growth, Big Rip, and violations of the WEC. Our numerical integration of the equations of motion shows that the model is consistent with both CMB data and the SH0ES determination of $H_0$, thereby addressing the $H_0$ tension, with all key kinematical parameters-$H(z)$, $\dot{H}(z)$, and $q(z)$-evolving smoothly. The total energy density of the phantom and matter system remains positive at all times, and the effective EoS stays above -1, ensuring that the WEC is satisfied. While the phantom field's energy density and pressure remain finite throughout, its EoS exhibits a safe singularity as its energy density smoothly crosses zero. We perform analysis of the transition period, demonstrating that the evolution of the DE density from a negative CC-like regime to a positive one does not exactly mirror the behavior of the potential-e.g., it lasts longer-as it also involves the kinetic term. We also show that analogous quintessence models featuring dS-dS transitions predict an $H_0$ value lower than $\Lambda$CDM, thereby failing to address the $H_0$ tension. Our results establish a robust theoretical foundation for the $\Lambda_{\rm s}$CDM scenario.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

A quantitative analysis of the effect of box size in N-body simulations of the matter power spectrum

We study the effect of box size on the matter power spectrum obtained via cosmological N-body simulations. Within the framework of the cosmic screening approach, we show that the relative deviation between the spectra for our largest comoving box with L = 5632 Mpc/h and those for L = 280, 560, 1680, 4480, 5120 Mpc/h boxes consistently increases with decreasing box size in the latter set in the redshift range $0\leq z\leq 80$ for the considered values. As an additional demonstrative example, at redshift zero, we determine the values $k_{1\%}$ corresponding to the modes at which relative deviations reach 1\%.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Mass density vs. energy density at cosmological scales

In the presence of the gravitational field, the energy density of matter no longer coincides with its mass density. A discrepancy exists, of course, also between the associated power spectra. Within the $\Lambda$CDM model, we derive a formula that relates the power spectrum of the energy density to that of the mass density and test it with the help of N-body simulations run in comoving boxes of 2.816 Gpc/$h$. The results confirm the validity of the derived formula and simultaneously show that the power spectra diverge significantly from one another at large cosmological scales.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Suppression of matter density growth at scales exceeding the cosmic screening length

One of the main objectives of modern cosmology is to explain the origin and evolution of cosmic structures at different scales. The principal force responsible for the formation of such structures is gravity. In a general relativistic framework, we have shown that matter density contrasts do not grow over time at scales exceeding the cosmic screening length, which corresponds to a cosmological scale of the order of two to three gigaparsecs at the present time, at which gravitational interactions exhibit an exponential cut-off. This is a purely relativistic effect. To demonstrate the suppression of density growth, we have performed N-body simulations in a box with a comoving size of $5.632\,{\rm Gpc}/h$ and obtained the power spectrum of the mass density contrast. We have shown that it becomes independent of time for scales beyond the cosmic screening length as a clear manifestation of the cosmic screening effect.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Backreaction in cosmic screening approach

We investigate the backreaction of nonlinear perturbations on the global evolution of the Universe within the cosmic screening approach. To this end, we have considered the second-order scalar perturbations. An analytical study of these perturbations followed by a numerical evaluation shows that, first, the corresponding average values have a negligible backreaction effect on the Friedmann equations and, second, the second-order correction to the gravitational potential is much less than the first-order quantity. Consequently, the expansion of perturbations into orders of smallness in the cosmic screening approach is correct.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Effect of peculiar velocities of inhomogeneities on the shape of gravitational potential in spatially curved universe

We investigate the effect of peculiar velocities of inhomogeneities and the spatial curvature of the universe on the shape of the gravitational potential. To this end, we consider scalar perturbations of the FLRW metric. The gravitational potential satisfies a Helmholtz-type equation which follows from the system of linearized Einstein equations. We obtain analytical solutions of this equation in the cases of open and closed universes, filled with cold dark matter in presence of the cosmological constant. We demonstrate that, first, peculiar velocities significantly affect the screening length of the gravitational interaction and, second, the form of the gravitational potential depends on the sign of the spatial curvature.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Effect of medium on fundamental interactions in gravity and condensed matter

Recently, it was shown that the gravitational field undergoes exponential cutoff at large cosmological scales due to the presence of background matter. In this article, we demonstrate that there is a close mathematical analogy between this effect and the behavior of the magnetic field induced by a solenoid placed in a superconductor.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Gravitational Interaction in the Chimney Lattice Universe

We investigate the influence of the chimney topology $T\times T\times R$ of the Universe on the gravitational potential and force that are generated by point-like massive bodies. We obtain three distinct expressions for the solutions. One follows from Fourier expansion of delta functions into series using periodicity in two toroidal dimensions. The second one is the summation of solutions of the Helmholtz equation, for a source mass and its infinitely many images, which are in the form of Yukawa potentials. The third alternative solution for the potential is formulated via the Ewald sums method applied to Yukawa-type potentials. We show that, for the present Universe, the formulas involving plain summation of Yukawa potentials are preferable for computational purposes, as they require a smaller number of terms in the series to reach adequate precision.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Effect of the cubic torus topology on cosmological perturbations

We study the effect of the cubic torus topology of the Universe on scalar cosmological perturbations which define the gravitational potential. We obtain three alternative forms of the solution for both the gravitational potential produced by point-like masses, and the corresponding force. The first solution includes the expansion of delta-functions into Fourier series, exploiting periodic boundary conditions. The second one is composed of summed solutions of the Helmholtz equation for the original mass and its images. Each of these summed solutions is the Yukawa potential. In the third formula, we express the Yukawa potentials via Ewald sums. We show that for the present Universe, both the bare summation of Yukawa potentials and the Yukawa-Ewald sums require smaller numbers of terms to yield the numerical values of the potential and the force up to desired accuracy. Nevertheless, the Yukawa formula is yet preferable owing to its much simpler structure.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Screening vs. gevolution: in chase of a perfect cosmological simulation code

We compare two competing relativistic approaches to the N-body simulation of the Universe large-scale structure. To this end, employing the corresponding alternative computer codes ("gevolution" and "screening"), we conduct a series of cosmological simulations in boxes of different sizes and calculate the power spectra of the scalar perturbation $Φ$, the frame-dragging vector potential ${\bf B}$ and the difference between scalar modes $χ=Φ-Ψ$. We demonstrate that the corresponding power spectra are in very good agreement between the compared schemes. For example, the relative difference of the power spectra for $Φ$ is 0.04% maximum. Since the perturbed Einstein equations have much simpler form in the screening approach, the simulation with this code consumes less computational time, saving almost 40% of CPU hours.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Scalar and vector perturbations in a universe with nonlinear perfect fluid

We study a three-component universe filled with dust-like matter in the form of discrete inhomogeneities (e.g., galaxies) and perfect fluids characterized by linear and nonlinear equations of state. Within the cosmic screening approach, we develop the theory of scalar and vector perturbations. None of the energy density contrasts associated with the distinct components is treated as small. Consequently, the derived equations are valid at both sub- and super-horizon scales and enable simulations for a variety of cosmological models.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Effect of peculiar velocities on the gravitational potential in cosmological models with perfect fluids

We consider a universe filled with perfect fluid with the constant equation of state parameter $ω$. In the theory of scalar perturbations, we study the effect of peculiar velocities on the gravitational potential. For radiation with $ω=1/3$, we obtain the expression for the gravitational potential in the integral form. Numerical calculation clearly demonstrates the modulation of the gravitational potential by acoustic oscillations due to the presence of peculiar velocities. We also show that peculiar velocities affect the gravitational potential in the case of the frustrated network of cosmic strings with $ω=-1/3$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Effects of nonlinearity of $f(R)$ gravity and perfect fluid in Kaluza-Klein models with spherical compactification

We study the effects associated with nonlinearity of $f(R)$ gravity and of the background perfect fluid manifested in the Kaluza-Klein model with spherical compactification. The background space-time is perturbed by a massive gravitating source which is pressureless in the external space but has an arbitrary equation of state (EoS) parameter in the internal space. As characteristics of a nonlinear perfect fluid, the squared speeds of sound are not equal to the background EoS parameters in the external and internal spaces. In this setting, we find exact solutions to the linearized Einstein equations for the perturbed metric coefficients. For nonlinear models with $f^{\prime\prime}(R_0)\neq0$, we show that these coefficients acquire correction terms in the form of two summed Yukawa potentials and that in the degenerated case, the solutions are reduced to a single Yukawa potential with some "corrupted" prefactor (in front of the exponential function), which, in addition to the standard $1/r$ term, contains a contribution independent of the three-dimensional distance $r$. In the linear $f''(R)=0$ model, we generalize the previous studies to the case of an arbitrary nonlinear perfect fluid. We also investigate the particular case of the nonlinear background perfect fluid with zero speed of sound in the external space and demonstrate that a non-trivial solution exists only in the case of $f''(R_0)=0$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Weak field limit of higher dimensional massive Brans-Dicke gravity: Observational constraints

We consider higher-dimensional massive Brans-Dicke theory with Ricci-flat internal space. The background model is perturbed by a massive gravitating source which is pressureless in the external (our space) but has an arbitrary equation-of-state parameter $Ω$ in the internal space. We obtain the exact solution of the system of linearized equations for the perturbations of the metric coefficients and scalar field. For a massless scalar field, relying on the fine-tuning between the Brans-Dicke parameter $ω$ and $Ω$, we demonstrate that (i) the model does not contradict gravitational tests relevant to the parameterized post-Newtonian parameter $γ$, and (ii) the scalar field is not ghost in the case of nonzero $|Ω|\sim O(1)$ along with the natural value $|ω|\sim O(1)$. In the general case of a massive scalar field, the metric coefficients acquire the Yukawa correction terms, where the Yukawa mass scale $m$ is defined by the mass of the scalar field. For the natural value $ω\sim O(1)$, the inverse-square-law experiments impose the following restriction on the lower bound of the mass: $m\gtrsim 10^{-11}\,$GeV. The experimental constraints on $γ$ requires that $Ω$ must be extremely close to $-1/2$.

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