arXiv subjects

J. G. Pereira

Publications and source records attributed to J. G. Pereira.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

De Sitter-invariant approach to cosmology

The spacetime short-distance structure at the Planck scale is governed by the Planck length, usually interpreted as a three-dimensional Euclidian length. As such, it is not Lorentz invariant and clashes with Einstein's special relativity, which is thus unable to describe the Planck scale kinematics. The solution to this problem is twofold. First, one has to re-interpret the Planck length as a Lorentz invariant four-dimensional pseudo-length. Second, to comply with a non-vanishing cosmological term~$Λ$, one has to replace the standard Poincaré-invariant special relativity with the de Sitter-invariant special relativity. Since the Planck pseudo-length does not clash with the de Sitter-invariant special relativity, it provides a consistent description of the Planck scale kinematics in the presence of~$Λ$. Under the above replacement, general relativity changes to the de Sitter-invariant general relativity, in which~$Λ$ is constitutive. In this paper, the ensuing Friedmann equations are derived, and some implications for cosmology are explored and discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

An Improved Framework for Quantum Gravity

General relativity has two fundamental problems that render it unsuitable for tackling the gravitational field's quantization. The first problem is the lack of a genuine gravitational variable representing gravitation only, inertial forces apart. The second problem is its incompatibility with quantum mechanics, a problem inherited from the more fundamental conflict of special relativity with quantum mechanics. A procedure to overcome these difficulties is outlined, which amounts to replacing general relativity with its teleparallel equivalent and the Poincaré-invariant special relativity with the de Sitter-invariant special relativity. Those replacements give rise to the de Sitter-modified teleparallel gravity, which does not have the two mentioned problems. It can thus be considered an improved alternative approach to quantum gravity.

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arXiv2019

Teleparallel Theories of Gravity: Illuminating a Fully Invariant Approach

Teleparallel gravity and its popular generalization $f(T)$ gravity can be formulated as fully invariant (under both coordinate transformations and local Lorentz transformations) theories of gravity. Several misconceptions about teleparallel gravity and its generalizations can be found in the literature, especially regarding their local Lorentz invariance. We describe how these misunderstandings may have arisen and attempt to clarify the situation. In particular, the central point of confusion in the literature appears to be related to the inertial spin connection in teleparallel gravity models. While inertial spin connections are commonplace in special relativity, and not something inherent to teleparallel gravity, the role of the inertial spin connection in removing the spurious inertial effects within a given frame of reference is emphasized here. The careful consideration of the inertial spin connection leads to the construction of a fully invariant theory of teleparallel gravity and its generalizations. Indeed, it is the nature of the spin connection that differentiates the relationship between what have been called good tetrads and bad tetrads and clearly shows that, in principle, any tetrad can be utilized. The field equations for the fully invariant formulation of teleparallel gravity and its generalizations are presented and a number of examples using different assumptions on the frame and spin connection are displayed to illustrate the covariant procedure. Various modified teleparallel gravity models are also briefly reviewed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Gauge Structure of Teleparallel Gravity

During the conference "Teleparallel Universes in Salamanca", we became aware of a recent paper [M. Fontanini, E. Huguet, and M. Le Delliou, Phys. Rev. D 99 (2019) 064006] in which some criticisms on the interpretation of teleparallel gravity as a gauge theory for the translation group were put forward. This triggered a discussion about the arguments on which those criticisms were based, whose output is described in the present paper. The main conclusion is that, to a great extent, those arguments are incorrect, and lack mathematical and physical support.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

de Sitter invariant special relativity and galaxy rotation curves

Owing to the existence of an invariant length at the Planck scale, Einstein special relativity breaks down at that scale. A possible solution to this problem is arguably to replace the Poincaré invariant Einstein special relativity by a de Sitter invariant special relativity. In addition to reconciling Lorentz symmetry with the existence of an invariant length, such replacement produces concomitant changes in all relativistic theories, including general relativity, which becomes what we have called 'de Sitter modified general relativity'. In this paper, the Newtonian limit of this theory is used to study the circular velocity of stars around the galactic center. It is shown that the de Sitter modified Newtonian force---which includes corrections coming from the underlying local kinematics---could possibly explain the rotation curve of galaxies without the necessity of supposing the existence of a dark matter halo.

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arXiv2017

de Sitter-invariant special relativity and the dark energy problem

The replacement of the Poincaré-invariant Einstein special relativity by a de Sitter-invariant special relativity produces concomitant changes in all relativistic theories, including general relativity. A crucial change in the latter is that both the background de Sitter curvature and the gravitational dynamical curvature turns out to be included in a single curvature tensor. This means that the cosmological term no longer explicitly appears in Einstein equation, and is consequently not restricted to be constant. In this paper, the Newtonian limit of such theory is obtained, and the ensuing Newtonian Friedmann equations are show to provide a good account of the dark energy content of the present-day universe.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Dark energy as a kinematic effect

We present a generalization of teleparallel gravity that is consistent with local spacetime kinematics regulated by the de Sitter group $SO(1,4)$. The mathematical structure of teleparallel gravity is shown to be given by a nonlinear Riemann-Cartan geometry without curvature, which inspires us to build the generalization on top of a de Sitter-Cartan geometry with a cosmological function. The cosmological function is given its own dynamics and naturally emerges nonminimally coupled to the gravitational field in a manner akin to teleparallel dark energy models or scalar-tensor theories in general relativity. New in the theory here presented, the cosmological function gives rise to a kinematic contribution in the deviation equation for the world lines of adjacent free-falling particles. While having its own dynamics, dark energy manifests itself in the local kinematics of spacetime.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

On the spacetime connecting two aeons in conformal cyclic cosmology

As quotient spaces, Minkowski and de Sitter are fundamental, non-gravitational spacetimes for the construction of physical theories. When general relativity is constructed on a de Sitter spacetime, the usual Riemannian structure is replaced by a more general structure called de Sitter-Cartan geometry. In the contraction limit of an infinite cosmological term, the de Sitter-Cartan spacetime reduces to a singular, flat, conformal invariant four-dimensional cone spacetime, in which our ordinary notions of time interval and space distance are absent. It is shown that such spacetime satisfies all properties, including the Weyl curvature hypothesis, necessary to play the role of the bridging spacetime connecting two aeons in Penrose's conformal cyclic cosmology.

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arXiv2015

Spin Connection and Renormalization of Teleparallel Action

In general relativity, inertia and gravitation are both included in the Levi-Civita connection. As a consequence, the gravitational action, as well as the corresponding energy-momentum density, are in general contaminated by spurious contributions coming from inertial effects. In teleparallel gravity, on the other hand, because the spin connection represents inertial effects only, it is possible to separate inertia from gravitation. Relying on this property, it is shown that to each tetrad there is naturally associated a spin connection that locally removes the inertial effects from the action. The use of the appropriate spin connection can be viewed as a renormalization process in the sense that the computation of energy and momentum naturally yields the physically relevant values. A self-consistent method for solving field equations and determining the appropriate spin connection is presented.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Entropy in locally-de Sitter spacetimes

As quotient spaces, Minkowski and de Sitter are fundamental spacetimes in the sense that they are known "a priori", independently of Einstein equation. They represent different non-gravitational backgrounds for the construction of physical theories. If general relativity is constructed on a de Sitter spacetime, the underlying kinematics will no longer be ruled by Poincaré, but by the de Sitter group. In this case the definition of diffeomorphism changes, producing concomitant changes in the notions of energy and entropy. These changes are explicitly discussed for the case of the Schwarzschild solution, in which the black hole and the de Sitter horizons show up as a unique entangled system. Such entanglement, together with energy conservation, create a constraint between the black hole activity and the evolution of the de Sitter radius, providing a new scenario for the study of cosmology.

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arXiv2015

Teleparallelism: A New Way to Think the Gravitational Interaction

At the time it celebrates one century of existence, general relativity---Einstein's theory for gravitation---is given a companion theory: the so-called teleparallel gravity, or teleparallelism for short. This new theory is fully equivalent to general relativity in what concerns physical results, but is deeply different from the conceptual point of view. Its characteristics make of teleparallel gravity an appealing theory, which provides an entirely new way to think the gravitational interaction.

physics.pop-ph↗

arXiv2015

Gravitational waves: a foundational review

The standard linear approach to the gravitational waves theory is critically reviewed. Contrary to the prevalent understanding, it is pointed out that this theory contains many conceptual and technical obscure issues that require further analysis.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Exploring Higher-Order Gravitational Waves

In addition to the usual linear gravitational waves in transverse-traceless coordinates, higher-order gravitational field equations, as well as their corresponding solutions, are explicitly obtained. It is found that higher-order waves do not represent corrections to the first-order wave. In contrast, all higher than second-order solutions do represent corrections to the second-order wave, a property that makes the first-order gravitational wave to stand apart from higher-order waves. Furthermore, although the first-order solution is transverse and traceless, all higher-order solutions are not. As a consequence, the whole solution is neither transverse nor traceless, a result that could eventually have important consequences for quantum gravity, and in particular for the definition of graviton itself. Some additional properties and features of these higher-order gravitational waves are explored and discussed.

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arXiv2014

Teleparallelism: A New Insight Into Gravity

Teleparallel gravity, a gauge theory for the translation group, turns up as fully equivalent to Einstein's general relativity. In spite of this equivalence, it provides a whole new insight into gravitation. It breaks several paradigms related to the geometric approach of general relativity, and introduces new concepts in the description of the gravitational interaction. The purpose of this chapter is to explore some of these concepts, as well as discuss possible consequences for gravitation, mainly those that could be relevant for the quantization of the gravitational field.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

de Sitter transitivity, conformal transformations and conservation laws

Minkowski spacetime is transitive under ordinary translations, a transformation that do not have matrix representations. The de Sitter spacetime, on the other hand, is transitive under a combination of translations and proper conformal transformations, which do have a matrix representation. Such matrix, however, is not by itself a de Sitter generator: it gives rise to a conformal re-scaling of the metric, a transformation not belonging to the de Sitter group, and in general not associated with diffeomorphisms in spacetime. When dealing with variational principles and Noether's theorem in de Sitter spacetime, therefore, it turns out necessary to regularise the transformations in order to eliminate the conformal re-scaling of the metric.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Conformal and gauge invariant spin-2 field equations

Using an approach based on the Casimir operators of the de Sitter group, the conformal invariant equations for a fundamental spin-2 field are obtained, and their consistency discussed. It is shown that, only when the spin-2 field is interpreted as a 1-form assuming values in the Lie algebra of the translation group, rather than a symmetric second-rank tensor, the field equation is both conformal and gauge invariant.

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arXiv2012

Lorentz Connections and Gravitation

The different roles played by Lorentz connections in general relativity and in teleparallel gravity are reviewed. Some of the consequences of this difference are discussed.

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arXiv2012

Spin-2 fields and helicity

By considering the irreducible representations of the Lorentz group, an analysis of the different spin-2 waves is presented. In particular, the question of the helicity is discussed. It is concluded that, although from the point of view of representation theory there are no compelling reasons to choose between spin-2 waves with helicity = + - 1 or helicity = + - 2, consistency arguments of the ensuing field theories favor waves with helicity = + - 1.

gr-qc↗