arXiv subjects

Hemza Azri

Publications and source records attributed to Hemza Azri.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Enhanced Gravitational Effects of Radiation and Cosmological Implications

In the momentarily comoving frame of a cosmological fluid, the determinant of the energy-momentum tensor (EMT) is highly sensitive to its pressure. This component is significant during radiation-dominated epochs and becomes naturally negligible as the universe transitions to the matter-dominated era. Here, we investigate the cosmological consequences of gravity sourced by the determinant of the EMT. Unlike Azri and Nasri, Phys. Lett. B 836, 137626 (2023), we consider the most general scenario in which the second order variation of the perfect-fluid Lagrangian does not vanish. We analyze the dynamics of the power-law case and explore the cosmological implications of the scale-free model characterized by dimensionless couplings to photons and neutrinos. We show that, unlike various theories based on the EMT, the present setup, which leads to enhanced gravitational effects of radiation (EGER), does not alter the time evolution of the energy density of particle species. Using current cosmological observations, we constrain the model parameters and show that EGER may offer a viable mechanism for alleviating the Hubble tension. Although it exhibits a phenomenological analogy to tightly-coupled relativistic fluid scenarios, EGER remains purely gravitational in origin and yields distinguishable signatures in the small-scale anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background. The radiation-gravity couplings we propose here are expected to yield testable cosmological and astrophysical signatures, probing whether gravity distinguishes between relativistic and nonrelativistic species in the early universe.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Gravity from the Determinant of the Energy-Momentum: Astrophysical Implications

Determinants of the second-rank tensors stand useful in forming generally invariant terms as in the case of the volume element of the gravitational actions. Here, we extend the action of the matter fields by an arbitrary function $f(D)$ of the determinants of their energy-momentum, and the metric, $D=|\textbf{det}.T|/|\textbf{det}.g|$. We derive the gravitational field equations and examine the nonlinear terms induced by the determinant, specifically, the inverse of the energy-momentum tensor. We also show that these extensions require a nonzero stress-energy tensor for the vacuum. We propose a scale-free model, $f(D)=\lambda D^{1/4}$, and show how it induces the familiar invariant terms formed by the trace of the energy-momentum tensor by expanding the action around the stress-energy of the vacuum. We study the hydrostatic equilibrium equations for a neutron star by providing relevant values of the dimensionless constant $\lambda$. We show that the differences from the predictions of general relativity, in the mass-radius relations, which are sensitive to the equations of state, are conspicuous for $\lambda \sim -10^{-2}$. We also show that the model does not affect the predictions on the primordial nucleosynthesis when it is applied to the early radiation era. This novel and unfamiliar type of gravity-matter coupling can lead to a rich phenomenology in gravitational physics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Isocurvature modes and non-Gaussianity in affine inflation

Inflationary dynamics driven by multiple fields, especially with nonminimal couplings, allow for highly interesting features such as isocurvature, non-Gaussianity, and preheating. In this paper, we study two-field inflation in the context of purely affine gravity, where the metrical structure results from the dynamics of the spacetime affine connection. We introduce a covariant formulation in the new framework and show that it leads to a curved field space which can produce conspicuous departure from the purely metric gravity. In the case where the fields are canonical, the field manifold gains a conformally flat shape. Interestingly, while the manifold is generally curved, it is possible to be flattened by allowing specific non-canonical field kinetic terms. This in turn simplifies the inflationary dynamics significantly while allowing for new predictions due to the effects of the nonminimal coupling function on the potential solely. We use this new feature in studying two-field inflation driven by quartic potentials for given parameter constants. We perform a numerical solution of the slow-roll dynamics and track the possible non-Gaussianity. We focus on field parameters that allow for spectral indices within the favored region of the Planck results. These are associated to tiny tensor-to-scalar ratios, $r \sim 10^{-6}$ for single field and $r \sim 10^{-4}$ for two-fields. We also show that two-field Higgs inflation may favor a curved field manifold.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Ricci-Determinant Gravity: Dynamical Aspects and Astrophysical Implications

The Palatini gravitational action is enlarged by an arbitrary function $f(X)$ of the determinants of the Ricci tensor and the metric, $X=|\textbf{det}.R|/|\textbf{det}.g|$. The resulting Ricci-determinant theory exhibits novel deviations from general relativity. We study a particular realization where the extension is characterized by the square-root of the Ricci-determinant, $f(X)=\lambda_\text{Edd}\sqrt{X}$, which corresponds to the famous Eddington action. We analyze the obtained equations for a perfect fluid source and show that the affine connection can be solved in terms of the energy density and pressure of the fluid through an obtained disformal metric. As an application, we derive the hydrostatic equilibrium equations for relativistic stars and inspect the significant effects induced by the square-root of the Ricci tensor. We find that an upper bound on $\lambda_{\rm Edd}$, at which deviations from the predictions of general relativity on neutron stars become prominent, corresponds to the hierarchy between the Planck and the vacuum mass scales. The Ricci-determinant gravity that we propose here is expected to have interesting implications in other cosmological domains.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Dynamical aspects of asymmetric Eddington gravity with scalar fields

In Eddington gravity, the action principle involves only the symmetric parts of the connection and the Ricci tensor, with a metric that emerges proportionally to the latter. Here, we relax this symmetric character, prolong the action with the antisymmetric parts of the Ricci term, and allow for various couplings with scalar fields. We propose two possible invariant actions formed by distinct combinations of the independent Ricci tensors and show that the generated metric must involve an additional antisymmetric part due to the relaxation of the symmetrization property. The comprehensive study shows that the second curvature influences the dynamics of the connection, hence its solution in terms of the metric, and the evolution of the scalar fields. These new dynamical features are expected to stand viable and to have interesting implications in domains where scalar fields are indispensable.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Scalar-Connection Gravity and Spontaneous Scalarization

Scalar-tensor theories of gravity are known to allow significant deviations from general relativity through various astrophysical phenomena. In this paper, we formulate a scalar-connection gravity by setting up scalars and connection configurations instead of metric. Since the matter sector is not straightforward to conceive without a metric, we invoke cosmological fluids in terms of their one-form velocity in the volume element of the invariant action. This leads to gravitational equations with a perfect fluid source and a generated metric, which are expected to produce reasonable deviations from general relativity in the strong-field regime. As a relevant application, we study spontaneous scalarization mechanism and show that the Damour-Esposito-Far\`{e}se model arises in a certain class of scalar-connection gravity. Furthermore, we investigate a general study in which the present framework becomes distinguishable from the famed scalar-tensor theories.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Affine gravitational scenario for dark matter decay

Since the current evidence of its existence is revealed only through its gravitational influence, the way dark matter couples to gravity must be then of primary importance. Here, unlike the standard model sector which is typically coupled to metric, dark matter is supposed to couple only to spacetime affine connection through a $Z_2$-symmetry breaking term. We show that this structure leads to a coupling between dark matter, which is considered scalar, and the standard model Higgs potential. This induces dark matter decays into standard model particles through the Higgs which acts as a portal between the visible and the dark sectors. We study thoroughly the resulting decay modes for various mass ranges, and provide relevant bounds on the nonminimal coupling to affine gravity in line with observational data. Moreover, we find that the coupling to Higgs can be sufficiently large to facilitate production of dark matter lighter than 10 GeV at current and future high energy colliders.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Entropy Production in Affine Inflation

Multiple scalar fields nonminimally interacting through pure affine gravity are considered to generate primordial perturbations during an inflationary phase. The couplings considered give rise to two distinct sources of entropy perturbations that may not be suppressed in the long wavelength limit. The first is merely induced by the presence of more than one scalar and arises even in the minimal coupling limit. The second source however is restricted to nonminimal interaction. Unlike the case of metric gravity, and due to the absence of anisotropic stresses, the second source disappears for single scalar, showing that nonminimal couplings become relevant to non-adiabatic perturbations only when more than one scalar field are considered. Hence the notion of adiabaticity is not affected by the transition to minimal coupling contrary to the metric gravity case where it is confused by changing the frames. Precise data that might be able to neatly track different sources of isocurvature modes, if any, must not only distinguish between different models of inflation but also determine the most viable approach to gravity which underlies the inflationary dynamics itself.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Inducing Gravity From Connections and Scalar Fields

We propose an approach to induced gravity, or Sakharov's "metrical elasticity", which requires only an affine spacetime that accommodates scalar fields. The setup provides the induction of metric gravity from a "pure affine" action, and it is established in two possible ways: (i) at the classical level, Einstein-Hilbert action arises with both, metric and Newton's constant, from the nonzero potential energy of the background field (ii) at the quantum level (quantized matter), gravity scale is induced from the one-loop effective action by integrating out the scalar degrees of freedom. In the former, the cosmological constant is absorbed leading to the gravitational sector, however, the fact remains that quantum corrections induce a large cosmological constant. This new approach adds a crucial feature to induced gravity which is the fact that the metric structure is not imposed from the scratch, but it is an outcome of the primary theory.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Cosmological Implications of Affine Gravity

The main aim of this thesis is to reveal some interesting aspects of the purely affine theory of gravity and its cosmological implication. A particular attention will be devoted to its consequences when applied to cosmological inflation. Primarily, affine spacetime, composed of geodesics with no notion of length and angle, accommodates gravity but not matter. The thesis study is expected to reveal salient properties of matter dynamics in affine spacetime and may reveal an intimate connection between vacuum state and metrical gravity. An interesting application of the framework is the inflationary regime, where it is shown that affine gravity prefers only a unique metric tensor such that the transition from nonminimal to minimal coupling of the inflaton is performed only via redefinition of the latter. This allows us to avoid the use of the so called conformal frames. In fact, unlike metric gravity, the metric tensor in affine gravity is generated and not postulated a priori, thus this tensor is absent in the actions and conformal transformation does not make sense. Last but not least, we try to show how metric gravity can be induced through a simple structure that contains only affine connection and scalar fields. General relativity arises classically only at the vacuum, and this view of gravity may be considered as a new way to inducing metric elasticity of space, not through quantum corrections as in standard induced gravity, but only classically. The thesis is concluded by analyzing affine gravity in a particular higher-dimensional manifold (product of two spaces) in an attempt to understand both, the cosmological constant and matter dynamically.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Are there really conformal frames? Uniqueness of affine inflation

Here we concisely review the nonminimal coupling dynamics of a single scalar field in the context of purely affine gravity and extend the study to multifield dynamics. The coupling is performed via an affine connection and its associated curvature without referring to any metric tensor. The latter arises a posteriori and it may gain an emergent character like the scale of gravity. What is remarkable in affine gravity is the transition from nonminimal to minimal couplings which is realized by only field redefinition of the scalar fields. Consequently, the inflationary models gain a unique description in this context where the observed parameters, like the scalar tilt and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, are invariant under field reparametrization. Overall, gravity in its affine approach is expected to reveal interesting and rich phenomenology in cosmology and astroparticle physics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Induced Affine Inflation

Induced gravity, metrical gravity in which gravitational constant arises from vacuum expectation value of a heavy scalar, is known to suffer from Jordan frame vs. Einstein frame ambiguity, especially in inflationary dynamics. Induced gravity in affine geometry, as we show here, leads to an emergent metric and gravity scale, with no Einstein-Jordan ambiguity. While gravity is induced by the vacuum expectation value of the scalar field, nonzero vacuum energy facilitates generation of the metric. Our analysis shows that induced gravity results in a relatively large tensor-to-scalar ratio in both metrical and affine gravity setups. However, the fact remains that the induced affine gravity provides an ambiguity-free framework.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Affine Inflation

Affine gravity, a gravity theory based on affine connection with no notion of metric, supports scalar field dynamics only if scalar fields have non-vanishing potential. The non-vanishing vacuum energy ensures that the cosmological constant is non-vanishing. It also ensures that the energy-momentum tensor of vacuum gives the dynamically generated metric tensor. We construct this affine setup and study primordial inflation in it. We study inflationary dynamics in affine gravity and general relativity, comparatively. We show that non-minimally coupled inflaton dynamics can be transformed into a minimally-coupled one with a modified potential. We also show that there is one unique frame in affine gravity, as opposed to the Einstein and Jordan frames in general relativity. Future observations with higher accuracy may be able to test the affine gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Separate Einstein-Eddington Spaces and the Cosmological Constant

Based on Eddington affine variational principle on a locally product manifold, we derive the separate Einstein space described by its Ricci tensor. The derived field equations split into two field equations of motion that describe two maximally symmetric spaces with two cosmological constants. We argue that the invariance of the bi-field equations under projections on the separate spaces, may render one of the cosmological constants to zero. We also formulate the model in the presence of a scalar field. The resulted separate Einstein-Eddington spaces maybe considered as two states that describe the universe before and after inflation. A possibly interesting affine action for a general perfect fluid is also proposed. It turns out that the condition which leads to zero cosmological constant in the vacuum case, eliminates here the effects of the gravitational mass density of the perfect fluid, and the dynamic of the universe in its final state is governed by only the inertial mass density of the fluid.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Eddington's Gravity in Immersed Spacetime

We formulate Eddington's affine gravity in a spacetime which is immersed in a larger eight dimensional space endowed with a hypercomplex structure. The dynamical equation of the first immersed Ricci-type tensor leads to gravitational field equations which include matter. We also study the dynamical effects of the second Ricci-type tensor when added to the Lagrangian density. A simple Lagrangian density constructed from combination of the standard Ricci tensor and a new tensor field that appears due to the immersion, leads to gravitational equations in which the vacuum energy gravitates with a different cosmological strength as in Phys. Rev. D {\bf 90}, 064017 (2014), rather than with Newton's constant. As a result, the tiny observed curvature is reproduced due to large hierarchies rather than fine-tuning.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Cosmological Consequences of a Variable Cosmological Constant Model

We derive a model of dark energy which evolves with time via the scale factor. The equation of state $\omega=(1-2\alpha)/(1+2\alpha)$ is studied as a function of a parameter $\alpha$ introduced in this model. In addition to the recent accelerated expansion, the model predicts another decelerated phase. The age of the universe is found to be almost consistent with observation. In the limiting case, the cosmological constant model, we find that vacuum energy gravitates with a gravitational strength, different than Newton's constant. This enables degravitation of the vacuum energy which in turn produces the tiny observed curvature, rather than a 120 orders of magnitude larger value.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2010

Geometrical Origin of the Cosmological Constant

We show that the description of the space-time of general relativity as a diagonal four dimensional submanifold immersed in an eight dimensional hypercomplex manifold, in torsionless case, leads to a geometrical origin of the cosmological constant. The cosmological constant appears naturally in the new field equations and its expression is given as the norm of a four-vector $U$, i.e., ${\Lambda}=6g_{{\mu}{\nu}}U^{{\mu}}U^{{\nu}}$ and where U can be determined from the Bianchi identities. Consequently, the cosmological constant is space-time dependent, a Lorentz invariant scalar, and may be positive, negative or null. The resulting energy momentum tensor of the dark energy depends on the cosmological constant and its first derivative with respect to the metric. As an application, we obtain the spherical solution for the field equations. In cosmology, the modified Friedmann equations are proposed and a condition on ${\Lambda}$ for an accelerating universe is deduced. For a particular case of the vector $U$, we find a decaying cosmological constant ${\Lambda}\propto a(t)^{-6{\alpha}}$.

gr-qc↗