arXiv subjects

Anzhong Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Anzhong Wang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Effects of the Ekpyrotic Mechanism on Inflationary Phase in mLQC-II

Bouncing cosmological models replace the big bang singularity with a regular bounce, but face a well-known obstacle: the anisotropic shear grows as a^(-6) during contraction, where a is the average expansion factor, threatening to dominate before a homogeneous, isotropic universe can emerge from the bounce. A standard remedy is a scalar field with an ekpyrotic-like potential that turns negative near the bounce, pushing its effective equation of state above unity so it outgrows the shear. Here we examine how this mechanism affects the subsequent inflationary phase within mLQC-II, a modified loop quantum cosmology (LQC) model in which inflation is otherwise generic. Taking a potential combining ekpyrotic and inflationary components, we numerically evolve the dynamical equations across the bounce for various parameter choices. We find that while some choices of the free parameters of the theory allow the ekpyrotic potential to dominate near the bounce and resolve the shear problem, it substantially reshapes the post-bounce evolution. In particular, parameter choices that yield sufficient inflation without the ekpyrotic mechanism now often fail to do so. Sufficiently long inflation remains possible but appears to require fine-tuning. As our results are numerical, a more systematic analysis will be needed to establish their generality.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Polymerized spacetime dynamics with multifield source: Unraveling the pre-inflationary Universe

We study a multifield model in loop quantum cosmology for a maximally symmetric spacetime governed by the Einstein-Hilbert action minimally coupled to scalar fields. Using a Legendre transformation, we formulate the Hamiltonian dynamics in canonically equivalent geometrodynamical and Yang-Mills-type representations, incorporating nontrivial couplings through a geometric structure on the multifield configuration space. Implementing the $\barμ$-scheme polymerization, we obtain the loop-quantum-corrected Friedmann equations. By focusing on the two-field models as an example, we analyze the effective dynamics for specific potentials. The \textit{quantum bouncing, transition, and slow-roll inflationary} phases are investigated numerically, and viability of the models is assessed by evaluating the number of e-folds during the inflationary phase for certain given initial conditions. The global behavior of the background evolution is further examined through linear stability and dynamical-systems analyses.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Probing the Distribution and Nature of Dark Matter Around Supermassive Black Holes from EMRI and IMRI Gravitational Waves

The distribution of dark matter in the immediate vicinity of supermassive black holes remains poorly understood despite its importance for galaxy evolution and precision tests of gravity. Future space-based gravitational-wave observatories offer a unique opportunity to probe this relativistic regime through the inspiral of compact objects into supermassive black holes. Building upon our previously constructed exact Einstein-cloud solutions within General Relativity, we develop a fully relativistic framework to investigate the gravitational-wave signatures of collisionless dark-matter halos surrounding supermassive black holes. The framework provides a unified treatment of orbital dynamics, adiabatic inspiral, accumulated gravitational-wave cycles, waveform phase evolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and waveform mismatch for extreme- and intermediate-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs/IMRIs). As a representative application, we specialize the formalism to Model I. We show that relativistic dark-matter halos can produce measurable modifications to the accumulated gravitational-wave cycles, waveform phase, signal-to-noise ratio, and waveform mismatch, leading to consistent conclusions regarding detectability. By separating conservative modifications of the spacetime geometry from dissipative effects due to relativistic dynamical friction, we find that the observable signatures are dominated by the former, while the latter remains negligible for the halo models considered. These results demonstrate that future gravitational-wave observations by LISA and similar missions may provide a powerful probe of the relativistic distribution and physical nature of dark matter around supermassive black holes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Damping of Cosmological Shear: A New Prediction from Loop Quantum Cosmologies

We study the dynamics of the Bianchi I universe in modified loop quantum cosmology (mLQC-I) and uncover a robust mechanism for isotropization: the shear is dynamically suppressed after the bounce and decays rapidly in the quantum post-bounce regime, independently of the equation of state of standard matter sources. This naturally drives the Universe toward a homogeneous and isotropic expanding phase without fine-tuning. Our results show that mLQC-I provides a new quantum-gravitational mechanism for suppressing anisotropies, absent in other bounce models.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Stable initial conditions and analytical investigations of cosmological perturbations in a modified loop quantum cosmology

In this paper, we study cosmological perturbations in a modified theory of loop quantum cosmologies, the so-called mLQC-I model. Our purposes are two-fold: First, using a method developed by Birrell and Davies, we identify an initial state in the remote contracting phase, which turns out to be stable, minimize particle creations and diagonalize the Hamiltonian, despite the fact that at this time some modes may be still outside of the Hubble horizon and not in their adiabatic states. Second, using the uniform asymptotic approximation method, we obtain the first-order approximate solutions of the mode function in terms of either the Airy functions, or the first or second kind of cylindrical functions, depending on the values of the wavenumber. In each case, the mode function contains two integration constants, which are uniquely determined by the initial state.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Effects of the ekpyrotic mechanism on inflationary phase in loop quantum cosmologies

In bouncing cosmological models, either classical or quantum, the big bang singularity is replaced by a regular bounce. A challenging question in such models is how to keep the shear under control in the contracting phase, as it is well-known that the shear grows as fast as $1/a^{6}$ toward the bounce, where $a$ is the average expansion factor of the universe. A common approach is to introduce a scalar field with an ekpyrotic-like potential which becomes negative near the bounce, so the effective equation of state of the scalar field will be greater than one, whereby it dominates the shear in the bounce region. As a result, a homogeneous and isotropic universe can be produced after the bounce. In this paper, we study how the ekpyrotic mechanism affects the inflationary phase in both loop quantum cosmology (LQC) and a modified loop quantum cosmological model (mLQC-I), because in these frameworks inflation is generic without such a mechanism. After numerically studying various cases in which the potential of the inflaton consists of two parts, an inflationary potential and an ekpyrotic-like one, we find that, despite the fact that the influence is significant, by properly choosing the free parameters involved in the models, the ekpyrotic-like potential dominates in the bounce region, during which the effective equation of state is larger than one, so the shear problem is resolved. As the time continuously increases after the bounce, the inflationary potential grows and ultimately becomes dominant, resulting in an inflationary phase. This phase can last long enough to solve the cosmological problems existing in the big bang model.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Fundamental Physics and Cosmology with TianQin

The exploration of the surrounding world and the universe is an important theme in the legacy of humankind. The detection of gravitational waves is adding a new dimension to this grand effort. What are the fundamental physical laws governing the dynamics of the universe? What is the fundamental composition of the universe? How has the universe evolved in the past and how will it evolve in the future? These are the basic questions that press for answers. The space-based gravitational wave detector TianQin will tune in to gravitational waves in the millihertz frequency range ($10^{-4} \sim 1$ Hz, to be specific), opening a new gravitational wave spectrum window to explore many of the previously hidden sectors of the universe. TianQin will discover many astrophysical systems, populating the universe at different redshifts: some will be of new types that have never been detected before, some will have very high signal-to-noise ratios, and some will have very high parameter estimation precision. The plethora of information collected will bring us to new fronts on which to search for the breaking points of general relativity, the possible violation of established physical laws, the signature of possible new gravitational physics and new fundamental fields, and to improve our knowledge on the expansion history of the universe. In this white paper, we highlight the advances that TianQin can bring to fundamental physics and cosmology.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Interacting Scalar Fields as Dark Energy and Dark Matter in Einstein scalar Gauss Bonnet Gravity

A Gauss-Bonnet (GB) coupled scalar field $ϕ$, responsible for the late-time cosmic acceleration and interacting with a coherent scalar field $ψ$ through an interaction potential $W(ϕ,ψ)$, is considered from the point of view of particle physics for two different models. The non-minimal coupling between the GB curvature term and the field $ϕ$ leads to a time-dependent speed of gravitational waves (GWs), which is fixed to unity in order to be consistent with current GW observations, rendering the GB coupling function model-independent. We investigate the dynamical stability of the system by formulating it as an autonomous system, and provide a detailed discussion on the choice of initial conditions required to obtain stable background evolution of the models. We constrain the model parameters using various sets of observational data, including both early- and late-time probes. We incorporate the improved Dark Energy Survey (DES) 5-year Type Ia supernova sample (DES-SN5YR), referred to as DES-Dovekie, which exhibits substantially lower tension with the Pantheon+ supernova sample. We find that both models are physically viable and closely follow the $Λ$CDM trend for the Pantheon+ and DES samples. However, upon including the Roman mock data, a significant departure is observed at higher redshifts, yielding statistically strong preference over the flat $Λ$CDM model.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Genericness of quantum damping of cosmological shear in modified loop quantum cosmology

In arXiv:2603.18175, the authors argue, based on numerical studies of particular cases, that the quantum damping of cosmological shear in a modified loop quantum cosmological model (mLQC-I) that was recently found in arXiv:2510.14021 is not generic and that the universe never becomes truly classical. In this brief Note, we revisit these claims by carefully examining the underlying assumptions and the class of initial conditions considered. We show that the examples analyzed in arXiv:2603.18175 correspond to configurations that do not represent physically admissible collapsing Bianchi I universes, as they involve mixed expanding-contracting directions and lead to effectively lower-dimensional post-bounce geometries. Restricting to physically relevant initial conditions corresponding to genuine three-dimensional contraction, we find that the quantum damping of cosmological shear is a robust dynamical feature. This conclusion is supported by both numerical and perturbative analyses, which demonstrate that the post-bounce evolution admits an isotropic attractor, with anisotropies decaying exponentially and independently of the matter content, provided that the weak energy condition is satisfied. We further outline a plausible post-bounce mechanism for the onset of classicalization.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Interacting bosonic dark energy and fermionic dark matter in Einstein scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity

We explore a cosmological framework in which a Gauss-Bonnet (GB) coupled scalar field, acting as dark energy, interacts with a fermionic dark matter field through a coupling obtained from the point of view of particle physics. This setup is inspired by string/M-theory, and two representative scalar field potentials are investigated: exponential and power-law. A distinctive feature of the GB-coupled models is their potential to alter the propagation speed of gravitational waves (GWs), a property with significant implications in light of recent multi-messenger astrophysical observations. To account for this, we analyze models under two scenarios: one where the GW speed differs from that of light and the other where they are equal, but all consistent with current observational constraints. The dynamical evolution of the system is investigated by reformulating the field equations into an autonomous dynamical system, enabling a detailed analysis of the Universe's long-term behavior, including the radiation-, matter- and dark energy-dominated epochs. We constrain the model parameters using a broad set of recent observational data, including mock high-redshift measurements from the Roman Space Telescope. Our findings indicate that both potentials yield cosmologies that are in excellent agreement with current data, closely tracking the expansion history predicted by the standard $Λ$CDM model, while still allowing room for subtle deviations that could be tested by future observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

The Dynamics of Reheating in Loop Quantum Cosmology

In loop quantum cosmology (LQC), the initial singularity is replaced by a quantum bounce, leading to a universal post-bounce evolution characterized by three distinct epochs: bouncing, transition, and slow-roll inflation, before the hot big-bang universe starts. While the generic nature of inflation in LQC is well-established, the subsequent reheating phase-the process that thermalizes the universe and marks the beginning of the hot big bang has remained unexplored in this quantum gravitational framework. This paper presents the first comprehensive integration of the (generalized) reheating mechanism into the LQC paradigm. Using the Power Law Plateau potential and comparing predictions with the latest Planck 2018 and ACT 2025 data, we demonstrate that the inclusion of a reheating phase with a generic equation of state is fully consistent with the cosmological constraints. In addition, using the observational data for the amplitude and spectral index of the scalar perturbations and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, we also constrain the total number of e-folds from the bounce to the present day and find a lower bound, which is less constrained than that obtained previously from the fitting of the high-$l$ CMB temperature power spectrum (TT), the polarization data (TT, TE, EE) and the low-$l$ polarization data (lowP).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Probing the Dynamics of Gaussian Dark Energy Equation of State Using DESI BAO

We present an updated reconstruction of the DE equation of state (EoS), $w(a)$, employing the newly released DESI DR2 Baryon Acoustic Oscillation data. This analysis constrains the cosmological scenarios influenced by different models through the joint examination of a range of recently available cosmological probes, specifically the Pantheon+ sample and the DESY5 sample of Type Ia Supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, Hubble parameter measurements derived from cosmic chronometers, and cosmic microwave background distance priors based on the Planck 2018 data. Furthermore, we provide a concise perspective on the dynamical evolution of all models (CPL, PADE, GEDE, GDE, BellDE) and their interrelations. A Bayesian inference procedure is adopted to estimate the models parameters that yield the best fit to the data. The EoS remains within the phantom regime at higher redshifts, while favoring the quintessence regime in the current epoch. In this context, we propose a new Gaussian-like form of EoS, termed BellDE, which avoids phantom behavior ($w \geq -1$) at higher redshifts while remaining precisely calibrated at lower redshifts. Interestingly, BellDE exhibits a transient phantom nature ($w < -1$) around the transition redshift $z \sim 0.5$, subsequently evolving into a quintessential regime ($w > -1$). In particular, the BellDE model provides competitive statistical preference while offering greater flexibility in the redshift regime $z \sim 0.5-1$, where DE is observationally significant.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Power Law Plateau Inflation and Primary Gravitational Waves in the light of ACT

We investigate Power-Law Plateau (PLP) inflation in standard gravity and its consistency with ACT DR6 data. While many inflationary models, including the Starobinsky inflation, are disfavored by ACT observations, the PLP potential remains viable across a broad range of its parameters. Then, the dynamics of the reheating phase are investigated, where we mainly focus on the reheating temperature and its relationship with the inflationary phase and primordial gravitational waves. Incorporating the overproduction of the primordial gravitational waves can affect the effective number of relativistic species during the bounce. The constraint data on $ΔN_{\rm eff}$ can impose a lower bound on the reheating temperature. This constraint will be more efficient for a stiff equation of state. It is determined that for $ω_{re} > 0.58$, this constraint would be efficient. Combining the result of the reheating temperature and the inflationary phase, it is concluded that to have both a viable result standing in $1σ$ of ACT DR6 and also to satisfy the reheating lower bound, the total number of e-folds during the inflationary phase should be $N_k \lesssim 62$. Higher e-folds of expansion result in a reheating temperature below the bound, which is disfavored. Finally, for the constraint values of the reheating temperature, the energy spectrum of the gravitational waves has been explored. The results indicate that there is a higher chance of detection for lower reheating temperatures and higher reheating equation of state.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Gravitational wave cosmology in Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

In the framework of Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (EsGB) gravity, we systematically study gravitational waves (GWs), first produced by remote compact astrophysical sources and then propagating through the flat homogeneous and isotropic Universe at cosmic distances before arriving at detectors. Assuming that the speed $c_T$ of the spin-2 graviton is the same as that of photons, we find explicitly the stability conditions of the theory and then obtain the severest observational constraint found so far. In particular, all these conditions and constraints are satisfied, provided that $0 \leq α\dot{f}(ϕ_0) \lesssim 8.97 \times 10^{-24}$ (km), where $α{f}(ϕ)$ denotes the coupling strength between the scalar field $ϕ$ and the Gauss-Bonnet term, an over-dot represents the derivative with respect to the cosmic time, and $ϕ_0$ is the present value of $ϕ$. The trajectories for both spin-2 and spin-0 gravitons and the amplitudes of GWs along the trajectories are explicitly obtained. The amplitude of a spin-2 GW is practically indistinguishable from that of GR, while the spin-0 GWs remain almost constant during radiation- and matter-dominated epochs, and in the dark energy-dominated epoch it is proportional to the physical distance between the source and the observer. A careful analysis shows that the latter is due to the assumption $c_T = 1$. When $c_T \not= 1$ to the extent that is consistent with the stability conditions and observational constraints, the above behavior disappears.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Quantum geometric formulation of Brans-Dicke theory for Bianchi I spacetime

This paper investigates Bianchi I spacetimes within the Jordan frame of Brans-Dicke theory, incorporating the framework of effective loop quantum gravity. After developing general formulas, we analyze the robustness of classical singularity resolution due to quantum geometric effects using two common quantization schemes. We then compare the resulting physical properties. We find that both schemes replace classical singularities with regular quantum bounces. Notably, in contrast to similar studies based on general relativity, we find that all three directional scale factors of the Bianchi I spacetimes increase and after the quantum bounce they reach values similar to their initial values, leading to a merging with classical spacetimes in both schemes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Lessons from gauge fixing and polymerization of loop quantum black holes with a cosmological constant

Loop quantization of Schwarzschild black holes with a cosmological constant for polymerization parameters which are constant is studied in the effective spacetime description. We show that for the positive cosmological constant there can be an appearance of large quantum effects at small spacetime curvatures. These effects can manifest as an additional black hole horizon. While the central singularity is resolved in all the cases, these limitations demonstrate incompatibility of the Kantowski-Sachs gauge and schemes with fixed polymerization parameters in the presence of a positive cosmological constant. In contrast, the case of a negative cosmological constant is free of such problematic features. Noted limitations are similar to those in the $μ_o$ scheme for the loop quantization of cosmological models.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Inner radius and energy conditions of dark matter halos surrounding Schwarzschild black holes

We study a class of analytic models for a dark matter halo surrounding a Schwarzschild black hole sitting at the center of a galaxy, with a variable inner radius $r_{\text{in}}$ at which the density profile of the dark matter halo vanishes. We examine in detail how the three energy conditions are satisfied in such models. In particular, independent of concrete profile, we find that the three energy conditions are satisfied when $r_{\text{in}}\ge5M/2$, where $M$ denotes the mass of the black hole. This indicates it is crucial to include inner radius when discussing dark matter distributions. All our solutions expressed explicitly in closed form are particularly valuable for the studies of the gravitational waveforms of extreme/intermediate mass ratio inspirals and the nature of dark matter in galaxies.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Deformed algebraic structure of angular momenta: GUP perspective

The prediction of a minimal length scale by various quantum gravity candidates (such as string/M theory, Doubly Special Relativity, Loop Quantum Gravity and others) have suggested modification of Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle (HUP), resulting in the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP). In this short review, we investigate the origins of the GUP and examine higher-order models, focusing on the linear plus quadratic form of the GUP. We extend the concept of minimal length to minimal angular resolution, which plays a crucial role in modifying angular momentum and its associated algebra. A comparison is made between the standard angular momentum commutator algebra and that modified by the GUP. Finally, we review its application in the hydrogen atom spectra and and discuss future endeavors.

gr-qc↗