arXiv subjects

Fabrizio Cordonier-Tello

Publications and source records attributed to Fabrizio Cordonier-Tello.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Luminal Propagation of Gravitational Waves in Scalar-tensor Theories: The Case for Torsion

Scalar-tensor gravity theories with a nonminimal Gauss-Bonnet coupling typically lead to an anomalous propagation speed for gravitational waves, and have therefore been tightly constrained by multimessenger observations such as GW170817/GRB170817A. In this paper we show that this is not a general feature of scalar-tensor theories, but rather a consequence of assuming that spacetime torsion vanishes identically. At least for the case of a nonminimal Gauss-Bonnet coupling, removing the torsionless condition restores the canonical dispersion relation and therefore the correct propagation speed for gravitational waves. To achieve this result we develop a new approach, based on the first-order formulation of gravity, to deal with perturbations on these Riemann-Cartan geometries.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Open-string T-duality and applications to non-geometric backgrounds

We revisit T-duality transformations for the open string via Buscher's procedure and work-out technical details which have been missing so far in the literature. We take into account non-trivial topologies of the world-sheet, we consider T-duality along directions with Neumann as well as Dirichlet boundary conditions, and we include collective T-duality along multiple directions. We illustrate this formalism with the example of the three-torus with H-flux and its T-dual backgrounds, and we discuss global properties of open-string boundary conditions on such spaces.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

Nonminimal couplings, gravitational waves, and torsion in Horndeski's theory

The Horndeski Lagrangian brings together all possible interactions between gravity and a scalar field that yield second-order field equations in four-dimensional spacetime. As originally proposed, it only addresses phenomenology without torsion, which is a non-Riemannian feature of geometry. Since torsion can potentially affect interesting phenomena such as gravitational waves and early Universe inflation, in this paper we allow torsion to exist and propagate within the Horndeski framework. To achieve this goal, we cast the Horndeski Lagrangian in Cartan's first-order formalism, and introduce wave operators designed to act covariantly on p-form fields that carry Lorentz indices. We find that nonminimal couplings and second-order derivatives of the scalar field in the Lagrangian are indeed generic sources of torsion. Metric perturbations couple to the background torsion and new torsional modes appear. These may be detected via gravitational waves but not through Yang-Mills gauge bosons.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Randall-Sundrum brane universe as a ground state for Chern-Simons gravity

In stark contrast with the three-dimensional case, higher-dimensional Chern-Simons theories can have non-topological, propagating degrees of freedom. Finding those vacua that allow for the propagation of linear perturbations, however, proves to be surprisingly challenging. The simplest solutions are somehow "hyper-stable," preventing the construction of realistic, four-dimensional physical models. Here, we show that a Randall-Sundrum brane universe can be regarded as a vacuum solution of Chern-Simons gravity in five-dimensional spacetime, with non vanishing torsion along the dimension perpendicular to the brane. Linearized perturbations around this solution not only exist, but behave as standard gravitational waves on a four-dimensional Minkowski background. In the non-perturbative regime, the solution leads to a four-dimensional "cosmological function" $Λ\left( x \right)$ which depends on the Euler density of the brane. Interestingly, the fact that the solution admits nontrivial linear perturbations seems to be related to an often neglected property of the Randall-Sundrum spacetime: that it is a group manifold, or, more precisely, two identical group manifolds glued together along the brane. The gravitational theory is then built around this fact, adding the Lorentz generators and one scalar generator needed to close the algebra. In this way, a conjecture emerges: a spacetime that is also a group manifold can be regarded as the ground state of a Chern-Simons theory for an appropriate Lie algebra.

hep-th↗