arXiv subjects

J. G. Pereira

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

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Some Implications of the Cosmological Constant to Fundamental Physics

In the presence of a cosmological constant, ordinary Poincare' special relativity is no longer valid and must be replaced by a de Sitter special relativity, in which Minkowski space is replaced by a de Sitter spacetime. In consequence, the ordinary notions of energy and momentum change, and will satisfy a different kinematic relation. Such a theory is a different kind of a doubly special relativity. Since the only difference between the Poincare' and the de Sitter groups is the replacement of translations by certain linear combinations of translations and proper conformal transformations, the net result of this change is ultimately the breakdown of ordinary translational invariance. From the experimental point of view, therefore, a de Sitter special relativity might be probed by looking for possible violations of translational invariance. If we assume the existence of a connection between the energy scale of an experiment and the local value of the cosmological constant, there would be changes in the kinematics of massive particles which could hopefully be detected in high-energy experiments. Furthermore, due to the presence of a horizon, the usual causal structure of spacetime would be significantly modified at the Planck scale.

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arXiv2007

de Sitter special relativity

A special relativity based on the de Sitter group is introduced, which is the theory that might hold up in the presence of a non-vanishing cosmological constant. Like ordinary special relativity, it retains the quotient character of spacetime, and a notion of homogeneity. As a consequence, the underlying spacetime will be a de Sitter spacetime, whose associated kinematics will differ from that of ordinary special relativity. The corresponding modified notions of energy and momentum are obtained, and the exact relationship between them, which is invariant under a re-scaling of the involved quantities, explicitly exhibited. Since the de Sitter group can be considered a particular deformation of the Poincaré group, this theory turns out to be a specific kind of deformed (or doubly) special relativity. Some experimental consequences, as well as the causal structure of spacetime--modified by the presence of the de Sitter horizon--are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2006

Conserved currents in gravitational models with quasi-invariant Lagrangians: Application to teleparallel gravity

Conservation laws in gravitational theories with diffeomorphism and local Lorentz symmetry are studied. Main attention is paid to the construction of conserved currents and charges associated with an arbitrary vector field that generates a diffeomorphism on the spacetime. We further generalize previous results for the case of gravitational models described by quasi-invariant Lagrangians, that is, Lagrangians that change by a total derivative under the action of the local Lorentz group. The general formalism is then applied to the teleparallel models, for which the energy and the angular momentum of a Kerr black hole are calculated. The subsequent analysis of the results obtained demonstrates the importance of the choice of the frame.

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arXiv2006

Bringing Together Gravity and the Quanta

Due to its underlying gauge structure, teleparallel gravity achieves a separation between inertial and gravitational effects. It can, in consequence, describe the isolated gravitational interaction without resorting to the equivalence principle, and is able to provide a tensorial definition for the energy-momentum density of the gravitational field. Considering the conceptual conflict between the local equivalence principle and the nonlocal uncertainty principle, the replacement of general relativity by its teleparallel equivalent can be considered an important step towards a prospective reconciliation between gravitation and quantum mechanics.

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arXiv2006

Holographic Dark Energy and the Universe Expansion Acceleration

By incorporating the holographic principle in a time-depending Lambda-term cosmology, new physical bounds on the arbitrary parameters of the model can be obtained. Considering then the dark energy as a purely geometric entity, for which no equation of state has to be introduced, it is shown that the resulting range of allowed values for the parameters may explain both the coincidence problem and the universe accelerated expansion, without resorting to any kind of additional structures.

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arXiv2005

Gravity and the Quantum: Are they Reconcilable?

General relativity and quantum mechanics are conflicting theories. The seeds of discord are the fundamental principles on which these theories are grounded. General relativity, on one hand, is based on the equivalence principle, whose strong version establishes the local equivalence between gravitation and inertia. Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, is fundamentally based on the uncertainty principle, which is essentially nonlocal in the sense that a particle does not follow one trajectory, but infinitely many trajectories, each one with a different probability. This difference precludes the existence of a quantum version of the strong equivalence principle, and consequently of a quantum version of general relativity. Furthermore, there are compelling experimental evidences that a quantum object in the presence of a gravitational field violates the weak equivalence principle. Now it so happens that, in addition to general relativity, gravitation has an alternative, though equivalent description, given by teleparallel gravity, a gauge theory for the translation group. In this theory torsion, instead of curvature, is assumed to represent the gravitational field. These two descriptions lead to the same classical results, but are conceptually different. In general relativity, curvature geometrizes the interaction, while torsion in teleparallel gravity acts as a force, similar to the Lorentz force of electrodynamics. Because of this peculiar property, teleparallel gravity describes the gravitational interaction without requiring any of the equivalence principles. The replacement of general relativity by teleparallel gravity may, in consequence, lead to a conceptual reconciliation of gravitation with quantum mechanics.

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arXiv2005

A Singular Conformal Spacetime

The infinite cosmological "constant" limit of the de Sitter solutions to Einstein's equation is studied. The corresponding spacetime is a singular, four-dimensional cone-space, transitive under proper conformal transformations, which constitutes a new example of maximally-symmetric spacetime. Grounded on its geometric and thermodynamic properties, some speculations are made in connection with the primordial universe.

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arXiv2005

Gravitation and Duality Symmetry

By generalizing the Hodge dual operator to the case of soldered bundles, and working in the context of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity, an analysis of the duality symmetry in gravitation is performed. Although the basic conclusion is that, at least in the general case, gravitation is not dual symmetric, there is a particular theory in which this symmetry shows up. It is a self dual (or anti-self dual) teleparallel gravity in which, due to the fact that it does not contribute to the interaction of fermions with gravitation, the purely tensor part of torsion is assumed to vanish. The ensuing fermionic gravitational interaction is found to be chiral. Since duality is intimately related to renormalizability, this theory may eventually be more amenable to renormalization than teleparallel gravity or general relativity.

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arXiv2005

Time-Varying Cosmological Term: Emergence and Fate of a FRW Universe

A time-varying cosmological "constant" Lambda is consistent with Einstein's equation, provided matter and/or radiation is created or destroyed to compensate for it. Supposing an empty primordial universe endowed with a very large cosmological term, matter will emerge gradually as Lambda decays. Provided only radiation or ultrarelativistic matter is initially created, the universe starts in a nearly de Sitter phase, which evolves towards a FRW regime as expansion proceeds. If, at some cosmological time, the cosmological term begins increasing again, as presently observed, expansion will accelerate and matter and/or radiation will be transformed back into dark energy. It is shown that such accelerated expansion is a route towards a new kind of gravitational singular state, characterized by an empty, conformally transitive spacetime in which all energy is dark.

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arXiv2005

Torsion Gravity: a Reappraisal

The role played by torsion in gravitation is critically reviewed. After a description of the problems and controversies involving the physics of torsion, a comprehensive presentation of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity is made. According to this theory, curvature and torsion are alternative ways of describing the gravitational field, and consequently related to the same degrees of freedom of gravity. However, more general gravity theories, like for example Einstein-Cartan and gauge theories for the Poincare and the affine groups, consider curvature and torsion as representing independent degrees of freedom. By using an active version of the strong equivalence principle, a possible solution to this conceptual question is reviewed. This solution favors ultimately the teleparallel point of view, and consequently the completeness of general relativity. A discussion of the consequences for gravitation is presented.

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arXiv2004

Torsion as Alternative to Curvature in the Description of Gravitation

The general covariance principle, seen as an active version of the principle of equivalence, is used to study the gravitational coupling prescription in the presence of curvature and torsion. It is concluded that the coupling prescription determined by this principle is always equivalent with the corresponding prescription of general relativity. An application to the case of a Dirac spinor is made.

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arXiv2004

General Relativity as a Genuine Connection Theory

The Palatini formulation is used to develop a genuine connection theory for general relativity, in which the gravitational field is represented by a Lorentz-valued spin connection. The existence of a tetrad field, given by the Fock-Ivanenko covariant derivative of the tangent-space coordinates, implies a coupling between the spin connection and the coordinate vector-field, which turns out to be the responsible for the onset of curvature. This connection-coordinate coupling can thus be considered as the very foundation of the gravitational interaction. The peculiar form of the tetrad field is shown to reduce both Bianchi identities of general relativity to a single one, which brings this theory closer to the gauge theories describing the other fundamental interactions of Nature. Some further properties of this approach are also examined.

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arXiv2004

Torsion and the Gravitational Interaction

By using a nonholonomous-frame formulation of the general covariance principle, seen as an active version of the strong equivalence principle, an analysis of the gravitational coupling prescription in the presence of curvature and torsion is made. The coupling prescription implied by this principle is found to be always equivalent with that of general relativity, a result that reinforces the completeness of this theory, as well as the teleparallel point of view according to which torsion does not represent additional degrees of freedom for gravity, but simply an alternative way of representing the gravitational field.

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arXiv2004

Some Remarks on the Coupling Prescription of Teleparallel Gravity

By using a nonholonomic moving frame version of the general covariance principle, an active version of the equivalence principle, an analysis of the gravitational coupling prescription of teleparallel gravity is made. It is shown that the coupling prescription determined by this principle is always equivalent with the corresponding prescription of general relativity, even in the presence of fermions. An application to the case of a Dirac spinor is made.

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arXiv2004

Doing without the Equivalence Principle

In Einstein's general relativity, geometry replaces the concept of force in the description of the gravitation interaction. Such an approach rests on the universality of free-fall--the weak equivalence principle--and would break down without it. On the other hand, the teleparallel version of general relativity, a gauge theory for the translation group, describes the gravitational interaction by a force similar to the Lorentz force of electromagnetism, a non-universal interaction. It is shown that, similarly to the Maxwell's description of electromagnetism, the teleparallel gauge approach provides a consistent theory for gravitation even in the absence of the weak equivalence principle.

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arXiv2004

Lessons of spin and torsion: Reply to ``Consistent coupling to Dirac fields in teleparallelism"

In reply to the criticism made by Mielke in the pereceding Comment [Phys. Rev. D69 (2004) 128501] on our recent paper, we once again explicitly demonstrate the inconsistency of the coupling of a Dirac field to gravitation in the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity. Moreover, we stress that the mentioned inconsistency is generic for {\it all} sources with spin and is by no means restricted to the Dirac field. In this sense the $SL(4,R)$-covariant generalization of the spinor fields in the teleparallel gravity theory is irrelevant to the inconsistency problem.

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arXiv2004

Cosmological Term and Fundamental Physics

A nonvanishing cosmological term in Einstein's equations implies a nonvanishing spacetime curvature even in absence of any kind of matter. It would, in consequence, affect many of the underlying kinematic tenets of physical theory. The usual commutative spacetime translations of the Poincare' group would be replaced by the mixed conformal translations of the de Sitter group, leading to obvious alterations in elementary concepts such as time, energy and momentum. Although negligible at small scales, such modifications may come to have important consequences both in the large and for the inflationary picture of the early Universe. A qualitative discussion is presented which suggests deep changes in Hamiltonian, Quantum and Statistical Mechanics. In the primeval universe as described by the standard cosmological model, in particular, the equations of state of the matter sources could be quite different from those usually introduced.

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arXiv2004

Torsion and Gravitation: A new view

According to the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity, curvature and torsion are two equivalent ways of describing the same gravitational field. Despite equivalent, however, they act differently: whereas curvature yields a geometric description, in which the concept of gravitational force is absent, torsion acts as a true gravitational force, quite similar to the Lorentz force of electrodynamics. As a consequence, the right-hand side of a spinless-particle equation of motion (which would represent a gravitational force) is always zero in the geometric description, but not in the teleparallel case. This means essentially that the gravitational coupling prescription can be minimal only in the geometric case. Relying on this property, a new gravitational coupling prescription in the presence of curvature and torsion is proposed. It is constructed in such a way to preserve the equivalence between curvature and torsion, and its basic property is to be equivalent with the usual coupling prescription of general relativity. According to this view, no new physics is connected with torsion, which appears as a mere alternative to curvature in the description of gravitation. An application of this formulation to the equations of motion of both a spinless and a spinning particle is made

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