arXiv subjects

Anzhong Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Anzhong Wang.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

The Effects of Running Gravitational Coupling On Rotating Black Holes

In this work we investigate the consequences of running gravitational coupling on the properties of rotating black holes. Apart from the changes induced in the space-time structure of such black holes, we also study the implications to Penrose process and geodetic precession. We are motivated by the functional form of gravitational coupling previously investigated in the context of infra-red limit of asymptotic safe gravity theory. In this approach, the involvement of a new parameter $\tildeξ$ in this solution makes it different from Schwarzschild black hole. The Killing horizon, event horizon and singularity of the computed metric is then discussed. It is noticed that the ergosphere is increased as $\tildeξ$ increases. Considering the black hole solution in equatorial plane, the geodesics of particles, both null and time like cases, are explored. The effective potential is computed and graphically analyzed for different values of parameter $\tildeξ$. The energy extraction from black hole is investigated via Penrose process. For the same values of spin parameter, the numerical results suggest that the efficiency of Penrose process is greater in quantum corrected gravity than in Kerr Black Hole. At the end, a brief discussion on Lense-Thirring frequency is also done.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Evidence of deviations from general relativity in binary pulsars?

Testing gravitational theories by binary pulsars nowadays becomes a key issue. For the general screened modified gravity (SMG), the post-Keplerian parameters in the neutron star (NS) - white dwarf (WD) binaries differ from those of general relativity (GR), and the differences are quantified by the scalar charge $ε_{\scriptscriptstyle\rm WD}$ of WD. After deriving the constraints on $ε_{\scriptscriptstyle\rm WD}$ from four different NS-WD binaries, we find that $ε_{\scriptscriptstyle\rm WD}$ is different from zero at the 2$σ$ level in all the cases studied, and there exists an inverse correlation between masses and scalar charges of low-mass WDs, which is consistent with the screening mechanisms. In particular, two independent binaries with measured radii of WDs follow the coincident constraints on the vacuum expectation value of the scalar field. These self-consistent results indicate that the observations in NS-WD binary pulsars seem in favor of SMG, rather than GR.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Towards Cosmological Dynamics from Loop Quantum Gravity

We present a systematic study of the cosmological dynamics resulting from an effective Hamiltonian, recently derived in loop quantum gravity using Thiemann's regularization and earlier obtained in loop quantum cosmology (LQC) by keeping the Lorentzian term explicit in the Hamiltonian constraint. We show that quantum geometric effects result in higher than quadratic corrections in energy density in comparison to LQC causing a non-singular bounce. Dynamics can be described by the Hamilton's or the Friedmann-Raychaudhuri equations, but the map between the two descriptions is not one-to-one. A careful analysis resolves the tension on symmetric versus asymmetric bounce in this model, showing that the bounce must be asymmetric and symmetric bounce is physically inconsistent, in contrast to the standard LQC. In addition, the current observations only allow a scenario where the pre-bounce branch is asymptotically de Sitter, similar to a quantization of the Schwarzschild interior in LQC, and the post-bounce branch yields the classical general relativity. For a quadratic potential, we find that a slow-roll inflation generically happens after the bounce, which is quite similar to what happens in LQC.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

"Shadowy" modes in Higher-Order Scalar-Tensor theories

We consider Higher-Order Scalar-Tensor theories which appear degenerate when restricted to the unitary gauge but are not degenerate in an arbitrary gauge. We dub them U-degenerate theories. We provide a full classification of theories that are either DHOST or U-degenerate and that are quadratic in second derivatives of the scalar field, and discuss its extension to cubic and higher order theories. Working with a simple example of U-degenerate theory, we find that, for configurations in which the scalar field gradient is time-like, the apparent extra mode in such a theory can be understood as a generalized instantaneous, or "shadowy" mode, which does not propagate. Appropriate boundary conditions, required by the elliptic nature of part of the equations of motion, lead to the elimination of the apparent instability associated with this extra mode.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Schwinger Pair Production by Electric Field Coupled to Inflaton

We analytically investigate the Schwinger pair production in the de Sitter background by using {\em the uniform asymptotic approximation method}, and show that the equation of motion in general has two turning points, and the nature of these points could be single, double, real or complex, depending on the choice of the free parameters involved in the theory. Different natures of these points lead to different electric currents. In particular, when $β\equiv m^2/H^2-9/4$ is positive, both turning points are complex, and the electric current due to the Schwinger process is highly suppressed, where $m$ and $H$ denote, respectively, the mass of the particle and the Hubble parameter. For the turning points to be real, it is necessary to have $β< 0$, and the more negative of $β$, the easier to produce particles. In addition, when $β< 0$, we also study the particle production when the electric field $E$ is very weak. We find that the electric current in this case is proportional to $E^{1/2 - \sqrt{|β|}}$, which is strongly enhanced in the weak electric field limit when $m < \sqrt{2} H$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Late-time acceleration with steep exponential potentials

In this letter, we study the cosmological dynamics of steeper potential than exponential. Our analysis shows that a simple extension of an exponential potential allows to capture late-time cosmic acceleration and retain the tracker behavior. We also perform statefinder and $Om$ diagnostics to distinguish dark energy models among themselves and with $Λ$CDM. In addition, to put the observational constraints on the model parameters, we modify the publicly available CosmoMC code and use an integrated data base of baryon acoustic oscillation, latest Type Ia supernova from Joint Light Curves sample and the local Hubble constant value measured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Pre-inflationary dynamics in loop quantum cosmology: Power-law potentials

In this paper, we study the pre-inflationary dynamics for the power-law potential $(V(ϕ) \propto ϕ^n)$ with $n<2$ in the framework of loop quantum cosmology. In the case where the kinetic energy of the inflaton dominates at the initial, the evolution of the universe can always be divided into three different phases prior to preheating: {\em bouncing, transition and slow-roll inflation}. During the bouncing phase, the evolution of the expansion factor is independent not only on the initial conditions but also the inflationary potentials, and is given explicitly by an analytical solution. In contrast, for the potential energy dominated initial conditions, this universality is lost. We also obtain total number of e-folds during the slow-roll inflation, whereby physically viable models are identified. In addition, we present phase space analysis for the inflationary potentials under consideration and compare our results with the ones obtained previously for different potentials.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Observational constraints on the generalized $α$ attractor model

We study the generalized $α$ attractor model in the context of the late time cosmic acceleration. The model interpolates between the scaling freezing and thawing dark energy models. In the slow roll region, the original potential is modified whereas the modification ceases in the asymptotic region and the effective potential behaves as the quadratic one. In our setting, the field rolls slowly around the present epoch and mimics the scaling behavior in the future. We obtain observational constraints on the model parameters by using an integrated data base (SN+Hubble+BAO+CMB).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Pre-inflationary universe in loop quantum cosmology

The evolutions of the flat FLRW universe and its linear perturbations are studied systematically in the dressed metric approach of LQC. When it is dominated by the kinetic energy of the inflaton at the quantum bounce, the evolution of the background can be divided into three different phases prior to the preheating, {\em bouncing, transition and slow-roll inflation}. During the bouncing phase, the evolution is independent of not only the initial conditions, but also the inflationary potentials. In particular, the expansion factor can be well described by the same exact solution in all the cases considered. In contrast, in the potential dominated case such a universality is lost. It is because of this universality that the linear perturbations are also independent of the inflationary models and obtained exactly. During the transition phase, the evolutions of the background and its linear perturbations are found explicitly, and then matched to the ones given in the other two phases. Hence, once the initial conditions are imposed, the linear scalar and tensor perturbations will be uniquely determined. Considering two different sets of initial conditions, one imposed during the contracting phase and the other at the bounce, we calculate the Bogoliubov coefficients and find that the two sets yield the same results and all lead to particle creations at the onset of the inflation. Due to the pre-inflationary dynamics, the scalar and tensor power spectra become scale-dependent. Comparing with the Planck 2015 data, we find constraints on the total e-folds that the universe must have expanded since the bounce, in order to be consistent with current observations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Dynamics of coupled phantom and tachyon fields

In this paper, we apply the dynamical analysis to a coupled phantom field with scaling potential taking particular forms of the coupling (linear and combination of linear), and present phase space analysis. We investigate if there exist late time accelerated scaling attractor that has the ratio of dark energy and dark matter densities of the order one. We observe that the scrutinized couplings cannot alleviate the coincidence problem, however acquire stable late time accelerated solutions. We also discuss coupled tachyon field with inverse square potential assuming linear coupling.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Universal horizons and Hawking radiation in nonprojectable 2d Hořava gravity coupled with a non-relativistic scalar field

In this paper, we study the non-projectable 2d Hořava gravity coupled with a non-relativistic scalar field, where the coupling is in general non-minimal and of the form $f(ϕ)R$, where $f(ϕ)$ is an arbitrary function of the scalar field $ϕ$, and $R$ denotes the 2d Ricci scalar. In particular, we first investigate the Hamiltonian structure, and show that there are two-first and two-second class constraints, similar to the pure gravity case, but now the local degree of freedom is one, due to the presence of the scalar field. Then, we present various exact stationary solutions of this coupled system, and find that some of them represent black holes but now with universal horizons as their boundaries. At these horizons, the Hawking radiations are thermal with temperatures proportional to their surface gravities, which normally depend on the non-linear dispersion relations of the particles radiated, similar to the (3+1)-dimensional case.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Primordial non-Gaussianity and power asymmetry with quantum gravitational effects in loop quantum cosmology

Loop quantum cosmology (LQC) provides a resolution of the classical big bang singularity in the deep Planck era. The evolution, prior to the usual slow-roll inflation, naturally generates excited states at the onset of the slow-roll inflation. It is expected that these quantum gravitational effects could leave its fingerprints on the primordial perturbation spectrum and non-Gaussianity, and lead to some observational evidences in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). While the impact of the quantum effects on the primordial perturbation spectrum has been already studied and constrained by current data, in this paper we continue studying such effects on the non-Gaussianity of the primordial curvature perturbations. In this paper, we present detailed and analytical calculations of the non-Gaussianity and show explicitly that the corrections due to quantum effects are in the same magnitude of the slow-roll parameters in the observable scales and thus are well within current observational constraints. Despite this, we show that the non-Gaussianity in the squeezed limit can be enhanced at superhorizon scales and further, these effects may yield a large statistical anisotropy on the power spectrum through the Erickcek-Kamionkowski-Carroll mechanism.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Universal features of quantum bounce in loop quantum cosmology

In this Letter, we study analytically the evolutions of the flat Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) universe and its linear perturbations in the framework of {\em the dressed metric approach} in loop quantum cosmology (LQC). Assuming that the evolution of the background is dominated by the kinetic energy of the inflaton at the quantum bounce, we find that both evolutions of the background and its perturbations are independent of the inflationary potentials during the pre-inflationary phase. During this period the effective potentials of the perturbations can be well approximated by a Pöschl-Teller (PT) potential, from which we find analytically the mode functions and then calculate the corresponding Bogoliubov coefficients at the onset of the slow-roll inflation, valid for any inflationary model with a single scalar field. Imposing the Bunch-Davies (BD) vacuum in the contracting phase prior to the bounce when the modes are all inside the Hubble horizon, we show that particles are generically created due to the pre-inflation dynamics. Matching them to those obtained in the slow-roll inflationary phase, we investigate the effects of the pre-inflation dynamics on the scalar and tensor power spectra and find features that can be tested by current and forthcoming observations. In particular, to be consistent with the Planck 2015 data, we find that the universe must have expanded at least $141$ e-folds since the bounce.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Observable acceleration of jets by a Kerr black hole

In the framework of a model based on the gravitational field of the Kerr black hole, we turn to investigate the kinematic behavior of extragalactic jets. We analytically calculate the observable velocities and accelerations along any geodesic. Then, by numerical calculations, we apply our results to a geodesic, typical of the M87 jet, and probe our results by confrontation to recent observations. A transition from non-relativistic to ultrarelativistic speeds at subparsec scale is highlighted. This transition comes sooner and more abruptly than in models based on magnetic paradigm, which indicates that we need a weaker magnetic field to explain observed synchrotron radiation. We attribute the ejection phenomenon to the repulsive effect of the gravitomagnetic Kerr field.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Primordial Spectra of slow-roll inflation at second-order with the Gauss-Bonnet correction

The slow-roll inflation for a single scalar field that couples to the Gauss-Bonnet (GB) term represents an important higher-order curvature correction inspired by string theory. With the arrival of the era of precision cosmology, it is expected that the high-order corrections become more and more important. In this paper we study the observational predictions of the slow-roll inflation with the GB term by using the third-order uniform asymptotic approximation method. We calculate explicitly the primordial power spectra, spectral indices, running of the spectral indices for both scalar and tensor perturbations, and the ratio between tensor and scalar spectra. These expressions are all written in terms of the Hubble and GB coupling flow parameters and expanded up to the next-to-leading order in the slow-roll expansions. The upper bounds of errors of the approximations at the third-order are $0.15\%$, so they represent the most accurate results obtained so far in the literature. We expect that the understanding of the GB corrections in the primordial spectra and their constraints by forthcoming observational data will provide clues for the UV complete theory of quantum gravity, such as the string/M-theory.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

No static black hole hairs in gravitational theories of gravity with broken Lorentz invariance

In this paper, we revisit the issue of static hairs of black holes in gravitational theories with broken Lorentz invariance in the case that the speed $c_ϕ$ of the khronon field becomes infinitely large, $c_ϕ = \infty$, for which the sound horizon of the khronon field coincides with the universal horizon, and the boundary conditions at the sound horizon reduce to those given normally at the universal horizons. As a result, less boundary conditions are present in this extreme case in comparison with the case $c_ϕ = $ finite. Then, it would be expected that static hairs might exist. However, we show analytically that even in this case static hairs still cannot exist, based on a decoupling limit analysis. We also consider the cases in which $c_ϕ$ is finite but with $c_ϕ \gg 1$, and obtain the same conclusion.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Testing Brans-Dicke gravity using the Einstein telescope

Gravitational radiation is an excellent field for testing theories of gravity in strong gravitational fields. The current observations on the gravitational-wave (GW) bursts by LIGO have already placed various constraints on the alternative theories of gravity. In this paper, we investigate the possible bounds which could be placed on the Brans-Dicke gravity using GW detection from inspiralling compact binaries with the proposed Einstein Telescope, a third-generation GW detector. We first calculate in details the waveforms of gravitational radiation in the lowest post-Newtonian approximation, including the tensor and scalar fields, which can be divided into the three polarization modes, i.e. "plus mode", "cross mode" and "breathing mode". Applying the stationary phase approximation, we obtain their Fourier transforms, and derive the correction terms in amplitude, phase and polarization of GWs, relative to the corresponding results in General Relativity. Imposing the noise level of Einstein Telescope, we find that the GW detection from inspiralling compact binaries, composed of a neutron star and a black hole, can place stringent constraints on the Brans-Dicke gravity. The bound on the coupling constant $ω_{\rm BD}$ depends on the mass, sky-position, orbital angle, polarization angle, luminosity distance, redshift distribution and total observed number $N_{\rm GW}$ of the binary systems. Taking into account all the burst events up to redshift $z=5$, we find that the bound could be $ω_{\rm BD}\gtrsim 10^{6}\times(N_{\rm GW}/10^4)^{1/2}$. Even for the conservative estimation with $10^{4}$ observed events, the bound is still more than one order tighter than the current limit from Solar System experiments. So, we conclude that Einstein Telescope will provide a powerful platform to test alternative theories of gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Hořava Gravity at a Lifshitz Point: A Progress Report

Hořava gravity at a Lifshitz point is a theory intended to quantize gravity by using techniques of traditional quantum field theories. To avoid Ostrogradsky's ghosts, a problem that has been plaguing quantization of general relativity since the middle of 1970's, Hořava chose to break the Lorentz invariance by a Lifshitz-type of anisotropic scaling between space and time at the ultra-high energy, while recovering (approximately) the invariance at low energies. With the stringent observational constraints and self-consistency, it turns out that this is not an easy task, and various modifications have been proposed, since the first incarnation of the theory in 2009. In this review, we shall provide a progress report on the recent developments of Hořava gravity. In particular, we first present four most-studied versions of Hořava gravity, by focusing first on their self-consistency and then their consistency with experiments, including the solar system tests and cosmological observations. Then, we provide a general review on the recent developments of the theory in three different but also related areas: (i) universal horizons, black holes and their thermodynamics; (ii) non-relativistic gauge/gravity duality; and (iii) quantization of the theory. The studies in these areas can be generalized to other gravitational theories with broken Lorentz invariance.

gr-qc↗