arXiv subjects

Francisco S. N. Lobo

Publications and source records attributed to Francisco S. N. Lobo.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Self-sustained traversable wormholes in noncommutative geometry

In this work, we find exact wormhole solutions in the context of noncommutative geometry, and further explore their physical properties and characteristics. The energy density of these wormhole geometries is a smeared and particle-like gravitational source, where the mass is diffused throughout a region of linear dimension $\sqrtα$ due to the intrinsic uncertainty encoded in the coordinate commutator. Furthermore, we also analyze these wormhole geometries considering that the equation governing quantum fluctuations behaves as a backreaction equation. In particular, the energy density of the graviton one loop contribution to a classical energy in a traversable wormhole background and the finite one loop energy density is considered as a self-consistent source for these wormhole geometries. Interesting solutions are found for an appropriate range of the parameters, validating the perturbative computation introduced in this semi-classical approach.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Non-minimal curvature-matter couplings in modified gravity

Recently, in the context of f(R) modified theories of gravity, it was shown that a curvature-matter coupling induces a non-vanishing covariant derivative of the energy-momentum, implying non-geodesic motion and, under appropriate conditions, leading to the appearance of an extra force. We study the implications of this proposal and discuss some directions for future research.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Exact solutions of f(R) gravity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics

In this work, exact solutions of static and spherically symmetric space-times are analyzed in f(R) modified theories of gravity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics. Firstly, we restrict the metric fields to one degree of freedom, considering the specific case of g_tt\g_rr = -1. Using the dual P formalism of nonlinear electrodynamics an exact general solution is deduced in terms of the structural function H_P. In particular, specific exact solutions to the gravitational field equations are found, confirming previous results and new pure electric field solutions are found. Secondly, motivated by the existence of regular electric fields at the center, and allowing for the case of g_tt\g_rr \= -1, new specific solutions are found. Finally, we outline alternative approaches by considering the specific case of constant curvature, followed by the analysis of a specific form for f(R).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Phantom stars and topology change

In this work, we consider time-dependent dark energy star models, with an evolving parameter $ω$ crossing the phantom divide, $ω=-1$. Once in the phantom regime, the null energy condition is violated, which physically implies that the negative radial pressure exceeds the energy density. Therefore, an enormous negative pressure in the center may, in principle, imply a topology change, consequently opening up a tunnel and converting the dark energy star into a wormhole. The criteria for this topology change are discussed, in particular, we consider the Morse Index analysis and a Casimir energy approach involving quasi-local energy difference calculations that may reflect or measure the occurrence of a topology change. We denote these exotic geometries consisting of dark energy stars (in the phantom regime) and phantom wormholes as phantom stars. The final product of this topological change, namely, phantom wormholes, have far-reaching physical and cosmological implications, as in addition to being used for interstellar shortcuts, an absurdly advanced civilization may manipulate these geometries to induce closed timelike curves, consequently violating causality.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Nonminimal coupling of perfect fluids to curvature

In this work, we consider different forms of relativistic perfect fluid Lagrangian densities, that yield the same gravitational field equations in General Relativity. A particularly intriguing example is the case with couplings of the form $[1+f_2(R)]{\cal L}_m$, where $R$ is the scalar curvature, which induces an extra force that depends on the form of the Lagrangian density. It has been found that, considering the Lagrangian density ${\cal L}_m = p$, where $p$ is the pressure, the extra-force vanishes. We argue that this is not the unique choice for the matter Lagrangian density, and that more natural forms for ${\cal L}_m$ do not imply the vanishing of the extra-force. Particular attention is paid to the impact on the classical equivalence between different Lagrangian descriptions of a perfect fluid.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Electromagnetic signatures of thin accretion disks in wormhole geometries

In this paper, we study the physical properties and characteristics of matter forming thin accretion disks in static and spherically symmetric wormhole spacetimes. In particular, the time averaged energy flux, the disk temperature and the emission spectra of the accretion disks are obtained for these exotic geometries, and are compared with the Schwarzschild solution. It is shown that more energy is emitted from the disk in a wormhole geometry than in the case of the Schwarzschild potential and the conversion efficiency of the accreted mass into radiation is more than a factor of two higher for the wormholes than for static black holes. These effects in the disk radiation are confirmed in the radial profiles of temperature corresponding to the flux distributions, and in the emission spectrum ωL(ω) of the accretion disks. We conclude that specific signatures appear in the electromagnetic spectrum, thus leading to the possibility of distinguishing wormhole geometries by using astrophysical observations of the emission spectra from accretion disks.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Plane symmetric thin-shell wormholes: solutions and stability

Using the cut-and-paste procedure, we construct static and dynamic plane symmetric wormholes by surgically grafting together two spacetimes of plane symmetric vacuum solutions with a negative cosmological constant. These plane symmetric wormholes may be viewed as domain walls connecting different universes, having planar topology, and upon compactification of one or two coordinates, cylindrical topology or toroidal topology, respectively. A stability analysis is carried out for the dynamic case by taking into account specific equations of state, and a linearized stability analysis around static solutions is also explored. It is found that thin shell wormholes made of a dark energy fluid or of a cosmological constant fluid are stable, while thin shell wormholes made of phantom energy are unstable.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Quark-Hadron Phase Transitions in Brane-World Cosmologies

When the universe was about 10 $μ$seconds old, a first order cosmological quark - hadron phase transition occurred at a critical temperature of around 200 MeV. In this work, we study the quark-hadron phase transition in the context of brane-world cosmologies, in which our Universe is a three-brane embedded in a five-dimensional bulk, and within an effective model of QCD. We analyze the evolution of the physical quantities, relevant for the physical description of the early universe, namely, the energy density, temperature and scale factor, before, during, and after the phase transition. To study the cosmological dynamics and evolution we use both analytical and numerical methods. In particular, due to the high energy density in the early Universe, we consider in detail the specific brane world model case of neglecting the terms linearly proportional to the energy density with respect to the quadratic terms. A small brane tension and a high value of the dark radiation term tend to decrease the effective temperature of the quark-gluon plasma and of the hadronic fluid, respectively, and to significantly accelerate the transition to a pure hadronic phase. By assuming that the phase transition may be described by an effective nucleation theory, we also consider the case where the Universe evolved through a mixed phase with a small initial supercooling and monotonically growing hadronic bubbles.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

The dark side of gravity: Modified theories of gravity

Modern astrophysical and cosmological models are faced with two severe theoretical difficulties, that can be summarized as the dark energy and the dark matter problems. Relative to the former, it has been stated that cosmology has entered a 'golden age', in which high-precision observational data have confirmed with startling evidence that the Universe is undergoing a phase of accelerated expansion. Several candidates, responsible for this expansion, have been proposed in the literature, in particular, dark energy models and modified gravity, amongst others. One is liable to ask: What is the so-called 'dark energy' that is driving the acceleration of the universe? Is it a vacuum energy or a dynamical field (''quintessence'')? Or is the acceleration due to infra-red modifications of Einstein's theory of General Relativity? In the context of dark matter, two observations, namely, the behavior of the galactic rotation curves and the mass discrepancy in galactic clusters, suggest the existence of a (non or weakly interacting) form of dark matter at galactic and extra-galactic scales. It has also been proposed that modified gravity can explain the galactic dynamics without the need of introducing dark matter. We briefly review some of the modified theories of gravity that address these two intriguing and exciting problems facing modern physics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

General class of wormhole geometries in conformal Weyl gravity

In this work, a general class of wormhole geometries in conformal Weyl gravity is analyzed. A wide variety of exact solutions of asymptotically flat spacetimes is found, in which the stress energy tensor profile differs radically from its general relativistic counterpart. In particular, a class of geometries is constructed that satisfies the energy conditions in the throat neighborhood, which is in clear contrast to the general relativistic solutions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Comment to ''On Anisotropic Dark Energy Stars''

The authors of the paper ''On Anisotropic Dark Energy Stars'', arXiv:0803.2508 [gr-qc], consider the equations of state $p_r=ωρ$ and $p_t=ωρ$, ignoring the fact that this implies an isotropic pressure, which places strict restrictions on the values of $ω$. The authors then argue for an anisotropic pressure fluid throughout their work, and apply these equations of state to the energy conditions, consequently obtaining incorrect intervals for the parameter $ω$. This procedure invalidates their criticisms on the following paper: Class.Quant.Grav. 23, 1525 (2006).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Dark matter as a geometric effect in f(R) gravity

We consider the behavior of the tangential velocity of test particles moving in stable circular orbits in f(R) modified theories of gravity. A large number of observations at the galactic scale have shown that the rotational velocities of massive test particles (hydrogen clouds) tend towards constant values at large distances from the galactic center. We analyze the vacuum gravitational field equations in f(R) models in the constant velocity region, and the general form of the metric tensor is derived in a closed form. The resulting modification of the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian is of the form R^{1+n}, with the parameter n expressed in terms of the tangential velocity. Therefore we find that to explain the motion of test particles around galaxies requires only very mild deviations from classical general relativity, and that modified gravity can explain the galactic dynamics without the need of introducing dark matter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Generalized virial theorem in f(R) gravity

We generalize the virial theorem in f(R) modified gravity using the collisionless Boltzmann equation. We find supplementary geometric terms in the modified Einstein equation providing an effective contribution to the gravitational energy. The total virial mass is proportional to the effective mass associated with the new geometrical term, which may account for the well-known virial theorem mass discrepancy in clusters of galaxies. The model predicts that the geometric mass and its effects extend beyond the virial radius of the clusters. We also consider the behavior of the galaxy cluster velocity dispersion in f(R) models. Thus, the f(R) virial theorem can be an efficient tool in observationally testing the viability of this class of generalized gravity models.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Wormhole geometries with conformal motions

Exact solutions of traversable wormholes were recently found under the assumption of spherical symmetry and the existence of a non-static conformal symmetry. In this paper, we verify that in the case of the conformally symmetric spacetimes with a non-static vector field generating the symmetry, the conformal factor $ψ$ can be physically interpreted in terms of a measurable quantity, namely, the tangential velocity of a massive test particle moving in a stable circular orbit in the spacetime. Physical properties of the rotational velocity of test particles and of the redshift of radiation emitted by ultra-relativistic particles rotating around these hypothetical general relativistic objects are further discussed. Finally, specific characteristics and properties of gravitational bremsstrahlung emitted by charged particles in geodesic motion in conformally symmetric wormhole geometries are also explored.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Nature of time and causality in Physics

The conceptual definition and understanding of the nature of time, both qualitatively and quantitatively is of the utmost difficulty and importance, and plays a fundamental role in physics. Physical systems seem to evolve in paths of increasing entropy and of complexity, and thus, the arrow of time shall be explored in the context of thermodynamic irreversibility and quantum physics. In Newtonian physics, time flows at a constant rate, the same for all observers; however, it necessarily flows at different rates for different observers in special and general relativity. Special relativity provides important quantitative elucidations of the fundamental processes related to time dilation effects, and general relativity provides a deep analysis to effects of time flow, such as in the presence of gravitational fields. Through the special theory of relativity, time became intimately related with space, giving rise to the notion of spacetime, in which both parameters cannot be considered as separate entities. As time is incorporated into the proper structure of the fabric of spacetime, it is interesting to note that general relativity is contaminated with non-trivial geometries that generate closed timelike curves, and thus apparently violates causality. The notion of causality is fundamental in the construction of physical theories; therefore time travel and its associated paradoxes have to be treated with great caution. These issues are briefly analyzed in this review paper.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Solar system tests of brane world models

The classical tests of general relativity (perihelion precession, deflection of light, and the radar echo delay) are considered for the Dadhich, Maartens, Papadopoulos and Rezania (DMPR) solution of the spherically symmetric static vacuum field equations in brane world models. For this solution the metric in the vacuum exterior to a brane world star is similar to the Reissner-Nordstrom form of classical general relativity, with the role of the charge played by the tidal effects arising from projections of the fifth dimension. The existing observational solar system data on the perihelion shift of Mercury, on the light bending around the Sun (obtained using long-baseline radio interferometry), and ranging to Mars using the Viking lander, constrain the numerical values of the bulk tidal parameter and of the brane tension.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2007

Interior of a Schwarzschild black hole revisited

The Schwarzschild solution has played a fundamental conceptual role in general relativity, and beyond, for instance, regarding event horizons, spacetime singularities and aspects of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes. However, one still encounters the existence of misconceptions and a certain ambiguity inherent in the Schwarzschild solution in the literature. By taking into account the point of view of an observer in the interior of the event horizon, one verifies that new conceptual difficulties arise. In this work, besides providing a very brief pedagogical review, we further analyze the interior Schwarzschild black hole solution. Firstly, by deducing the interior metric by considering time-dependent metric coefficients, the interior region is analyzed without the prejudices inherited from the exterior geometry. We also pay close attention to several respective cosmological interpretations, and briefly address some of the difficulties associated to spacetime singularities. Secondly, we deduce the conserved quantities of null and timelike geodesics, and discuss several particular cases in some detail. Thirdly, we examine the Eddington-Finkelstein and Kruskal coordinates directly from the interior solution. In concluding, it is important to emphasize that the interior structure of realistic black holes has not been satisfactorily determined, and is still open to considerable debate.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2007

Exotic solutions in General Relativity: Traversable wormholes and 'warp drive' spacetimes

The General Theory of Relativity has been an extremely successful theory, with a well established experimental footing, at least for weak gravitational fields. Its predictions range from the existence of black holes, gravitational radiation to the cosmological models, predicting a primordial beginning, namely the big-bang. All these solutions have been obtained by first considering a plausible distribution of matter, and through the Einstein field equation, the spacetime metric of the geometry is determined. However, one may solve the Einstein field equation in the reverse direction, namely, one first considers an interesting and exotic spacetime metric, then finds the matter source responsible for the respective geometry. In this manner, it was found that some of these solutions possess a peculiar property, namely 'exotic matter,' involving a stress-energy tensor that violates the null energy condition. These geometries also allow closed timelike curves, with the respective causality violations. These solutions are primarily useful as 'gedanken-experiments' and as a theoretician's probe of the foundations of general relativity, and include traversable wormholes and superluminal 'warp drive' spacetimes. Thus, one may be tempted to denote these geometries as 'exotic' solutions of the Einstein field equation, as they violate the energy conditions and generate closed timelike curves. In this article, in addition to extensively exploring interesting features, in particular, the physical properties and characteristics of these 'exotic spacetimes,' we also analyze other non-trivial general relativistic geometries which generate closed timelike curves.

gr-qc↗