arXiv subjects

Jose Beltrán Jiménez

Publications and source records attributed to Jose Beltrán Jiménez.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Non-trivial thick brane realisations with 3-forms

We explore the construction of four-dimensional thick branes supported by massless 3-forms in a five-dimensional bulk space. The required residual Poincaré symmetry on the brane is realised as a combination of the bulk symmetries and the internal gauge symmetry of the 3-form. We show the presence of a gradient instability for the perturbations orthogonal to the brane when its profile decays slowly in the asymptotic regions. In particular, we ascertain that the prevailing profiles found in the literature are susceptible to such instabilities. We confirm our results by transitioning to the dual formulation in terms of a shift-symmetric scalar. In this formulation, the residual Poincaré group is trivially realised without internal symmetries, and there is a diagonal translational invariance in the fifth dimension reminiscent of the invariance under translations orthogonal to the brane of the dual 3-form. We demonstrate the extension of our results to the cases of de Sitter and Anti de Sitter branes where the gradient instabilities of asymptotically slowly decaying branes persist. Finally, we briefly comment on the construction of thick branes with massive 3-forms and their 1-form duals.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Some disquisitions on cosmological 2-form dualities

In this work we study different aspect of self-interacting 2-form fields with special emphasis in their cosmological applications. We provide the explicit construction of how massless 2-forms are compatible with the cosmological principle without resorting to the dual scalar field formulation. In terms of the 2-form, the residual Euclidean group is non-trivially realised by means of a combination of external spatial translations and internal gauge transformations. After presenting the general discussion of the dualities in cosmological scenarios, we analyse particular examples for some singular models and discuss in some detail the dual descriptions of the DBI, the cuscuton and the ghost condensate as well as the role of the duality in the effective field theories of cosmological perturbations. We then proceed to analysing scenarios with several self-interacting massless 2-forms and we show that they naturally provide the dual description of a solid. We then show how the perfect fluid and superfluids can be obtained by taking the appropriate limits in the dual formulations. We finally consider the case of massive 2-forms and their duals and briefly discuss their potential signatures in gravitational waves astronomy.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

General Parallel Cosmology

General (tele)parallel Relativity, G$_\parallel$R, is the relativistic completion of Einstein's theories of gravity. The focus of this article is the derivation of the homogeneous and isotropic solution in G$_\parallel$R. The first-principles derivation, based on a non-trivial realisation of the symmetry, supersedes and unifies previous constructions of Riemannian and teleparallel cosmologies, and establishes the uniqueness of the physical solution. The constitutive law and the form of the material and inertial source currents is presented in the tensor (Palatini) formalism and adapted to the cosmological background, which exhibits novel features absent in the previously studied, static solutions to the theory. The results are contrasted with those in some incomplete theories, such as sitting at the three corners of the geometrical trinity and corresponding to particular reference frames in G$_\parallel$R.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

On the physical viability of black hole solutions in Einsteinian Cubic Gravity and its generalisations

In this note, we discuss the pathological nature of black holes in Einsteinian Cubic gravity and its extensions. We compute the equations for the odd perturbations and show how spherically symmetric solutions that asymptotically approach a maximally symmetric space (Minkowski, de Sitter or anti-de Sitter) are associated to having an asymptotically degenerate principal part of the equations. We use these results to argue that the encountered problems will be generic for any other cubic or higher-order with a reduced linear spectrum around maximally symmetric spaces except the well-known healthy case of $f(R)$. We highlight that these pathologies are only alarming when the theory is regarded as a complete theory, but not when considered as a perturbative correction to GR (as in e.g. the effective field theory framework) since the the low-energy physics remains safe from them. Our results thus cast doubts on possible resolutions of the singularities or non-perturbative effects on horizons based on these theories.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Modified Gravity and Cosmology: An Update by the CANTATA Network

General Relativity and the $Λ$CDM framework are currently the standard lore and constitute the concordance paradigm. Nevertheless, long-standing open theoretical issues, as well as possible new observational ones arising from the explosive development of cosmology the last two decades, offer the motivation and lead a large amount of research to be devoted in constructing various extensions and modifications. All extended theories and scenarios are first examined under the light of theoretical consistency, and then are applied to various geometrical backgrounds, such as the cosmological and the spherical symmetric ones. Their predictions at both the background and perturbation levels, and concerning cosmology at early, intermediate and late times, are then confronted with the huge amount of observational data that astrophysics and cosmology are able to offer recently. Theories, scenarios and models that successfully and efficiently pass the above steps are classified as viable and are candidates for the description of Nature. This work is a Review of the recent developments in the fields of gravity and cosmology, presenting the state of the art, high-lighting the open problems, and outlining the directions of future research. Its realization was performed in the framework of the COST European Action ``Cosmology and Astrophysics Network for Theoretical Advances and Training Actions''.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

On parity-odd sector in metric-affine theories

We undertake the construction of quadratic parity-violating terms involving the curvature in the four-dimensional metric-affine gravity. We demonstrate that there are only 12 linearly independent scalars, plus an additional one that can be removed by using the Pontryagin invariant. Several convenient bases for this sector are provided in both components and differential form notation. We also particularize our general findings to some constrained geometries like Weyl-Cartan and metric-compatible connections.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

A smoking gun from the power spectrum dipole for elastic interactions in the dark sector

Models with pure momentum exchange in the dark sector have been shown to provide a promising scenario to tackle the tension in the clustering inferred from high- and low-redshift probes. A distinctive feature of these models is that only the Euler equation for the dark matter component is modified and the correction is such that the net effect can be associated to an additional friction determined by the interaction rate. In this work, we show that the strength of the interaction parameter needed to resolve the $σ_8$ tension could be detected from the dipole of the matter power spectrum that is expected to be measured in upcoming surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Polarisability and magnetisation of electrically $K$-mouflaged objects: the Born-Infeld ModMax case study

We consider a family of non-linear theories of electromagnetism that interpolate between Born-Infeld at small distances and ModMax at large distances. These models are duality invariant and feature a $K-$mouflage screening in the Born-Infeld regime. We focus on computing the static perturbations around a point-like screened charge in terms of two decoupled scalar potentials describing the polar and the axial sectors respectively. Duality invariance imposes that the propagation speed of the odd perturbations goes to zero as fast as the effective screened charge of the object, potentially leading to strong coupling and an obstruction to the viability of the EFT below the screened radius. We then consider the linear response to external fields and compute the electric polarisability and the magnetic susceptibility. Imposing regularity of the perturbations at the position of the particle, we find that the polarisability for the odd multipoles vanishes whilst for the magnetisation Born-Infeld emerges as the only theory with vanishing susceptibility for even multipoles. The perturbation equations factorise in terms of ladder operators connecting different multipoles. There are two such ladder structures for the even sector: one that acts as an automorphism between the first four multipoles and another one that connects multipoles separated by four units. When requiring a similar ladder structure for the odd sector, Born-Infeld arises again as the unique theory. We use this ladder structure to relate the vanishing of the polarisability and the susceptibility to the values of conserved charges. Finally the perturbation equations correspond to a supersymmetric quantum mechanical system such that the polar sector can be described in terms of Schrödinger's equations with four generalised hyperbolic Pösch-Teller potentials whose eigenfunctions are in correspondence with the multipoles.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Listening to Celestial Algebras

In this essay, we immerse into the framework of normed division algebras as a suitable arena to accommodate the standard model of elementary particles, and we explore some applications to cosmology. Remarkably, they permit interesting non-trivial realisations of the cosmological principle with an interplay between the symmetry groups of the quaternions and octonions. We also argue how these realisations give rise to potentially observational signatures in gravitational waves astronomy.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Energy and entropy in the Geometrical Trinity of gravity

All energy is gravitational energy. That is the consequence of the equivalence principle, according to which gravity is the universal interaction. The physical charges of this interaction have remained undisclosed, but the Adventof the Geometrical Trinity opened a new approach to this foundational problem. Here it is shown to provide a background-independent unification of the previous, non-covariant approaches of Bergmann-Thomson, Cooperstock, Einstein, von Freud, Landau-Lifshitz, Papapetrou and Weinberg. First, the Noether currents are derived for a generic Palatini theory of gravity coupled with generic matter fields, and then the canonical i.e. the unique charges are robustly derived and analysed, particularly in the metric teleparallel and the symmetric teleparallel versions of General Relativity. These results, and their application to black holes and gravitational waves, are new.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Lost in translation: the Abelian affine connection (in the coincident gauge)

The simplest i.e. the Abelian i.e. the commutative i.e. the integrable i.e. the flat and torsion-free i.e. the symmetric teleparallel affine connection has been considered in many recent works in the literature. Such an affine connection is characterised by the property that it can be vanished by a general coordinate transformation, by fixing the so called coincident gauge. This article focuses on the subtleties involved in the applications of the coincident gauge.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Noether charges in the geometrical trinity of gravity

The Noether currents are derived in a generic metric-affine theory of gravity, and the holographic nature of the gravitational entropy and energy-momentum is clarified. The main result is the verification of the canonical resolution to the energy-momentum problem in the Noether formalism.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

J-PAS: Forecasts for dark matter - dark energy elastic couplings

We consider a cosmological model where dark matter and dark energy feature a coupling that only affects their momentum transfer in the corresponding Euler equations. We perform a fit to cosmological observables and confirm previous findings within these scenarios that favour the presence of a coupling at more than $3σ$. This improvement is driven by the Sunyaev-Zeldovich data. We subsequently perform a forecast for future J-PAS data and find that clustering measurements will permit to clearly discern the presence of an interaction within a few percent level with the uncoupled case at more than $10σ$ when the complete survey, covering $8500$ sq. deg., is considered. We found that the inclusion of weak lensing measurements will not help to further constrain the coupling parameter. For completeness, we compare to forecasts for DESI and Euclid, which provide similar discriminating power.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Probing elastic interactions in the dark sector and the role of $S_8$

We place observational constraints on two models within a class of scenarios featuring an elastic interaction between dark energy and dark matter that only produces momentum exchange up to first order in cosmological perturbations. The first one corresponds to a perfect-fluid model of the dark components with an explicit interacting Lagrangian, where dark energy acts as a dark radiation at early times and behaves as a cosmological constant at late times. The second one is a dynamical dark energy model with a dark radiation component, where the momentum exchange covariantly modifies the conservation equations in the dark sector. Using Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), and Supernovae type Ia (SnIa) data, we show that the Hubble tension can be alleviated due to the additional radiation, while the $σ_8$ tension present in the $Λ$-Cold-Dark-Matter model can be eased by the weaker galaxy clustering that occurs in these interacting models. Furthermore, we show that, while CMB+BAO+SnIa data put only upper bounds on the coupling strength, adding low-redshift data in the form of a constraint on the parameter $S_8$ strongly favours nonvanishing values of the interaction parameters. Our findings are in line with other results in the literature that could signal a universal trend of the momentum exchange among the dark sector.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Accidental gauge symmetries of Minkowski spacetime in Teleparallel theories

In this paper, we provide a general framework for the construction of the Einstein frame within non-linear extensions of the teleparallel equivalents of General Relativity. These include the metric teleparallel and the symmetric teleparallel, but also the general teleparallel theories. We write the actions in a form where we separate the Einstein--Hilbert term, the conformal mode due to the non-linear nature of the theories (which is analogous to the extra degree of freedom in $f(R)$ theories), and the sector that manifestly shows the dynamics arising from the breaking of local symmetries. This frame is then used to study the theories around the Minkowski background, and we show how all the non-linear extensions share the same quadratic action around Minkowski. As a matter of fact, we find that the gauge symmetries that are lost by going to the non-linear generalisations of the teleparallel General Relativity equivalents arise as accidental symmetries in the linear theory around Minkowski. Remarkably, we also find that the conformal mode can be absorbed into a Weyl rescaling of the metric at this order and, consequently, it disappears from the linear spectrum so only the usual massless spin 2 perturbation propagates. These findings unify in a common framework the known fact that no additional modes propagate on Minkowski backgrounds, and we can trace it back to the existence of accidental gauge symmetries of such a background.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Charged Dark Matter and the $H_0$ tension

We consider cosmological models where dark matter is charged under a dark Abelian gauge field. This new interaction is repulsive and competes with gravity on large scales and in the dynamics of galaxies and clusters. We focus on non-linear models of dark electrodynamics where the effects of the new force are screened within a K-mouflage radius that helps avoiding traditional constraints on charged dark matter models. We discuss the background cosmology of these models in a Newtonian approach and show the equivalence with relativistic Lemaître models where an inhomogeneous pressure due to the electrostatic interaction is present. In particular, we find that dark matter shells of different radii evolve differently as they exit their K-mouflage radii at different times, resulting in a breaking of the initial comoving evolution. In the large time regime, the background cosmology is described by comoving but inhomogeneous model with a reduced gravitational Newton constant and a negative curvature originating from the electrostatic pressure. Baryons do not directly feel the electrostatic interaction, but are influenced by the inhomogeneous matter distribution induced by the electric force. We find that shells of smaller radii evolve faster than the outer shells which feel the repulsive interaction earlier. This mimics the discrepancy between the large scale Hubble rate and the local one. Similarly, as galaxies and clusters are not screened by the new interaction, large scale global flows would result from the existence of the new dark electromagnetic interaction.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Cosmology in $f(Q)$ geometry

The universal character of the gravitational interaction provided by the equivalence principle motivates a geometrical description of gravity. The standard formulation of General Relativity à la Einstein attributes gravity to the spacetime curvature, to which we have grown accustomed. However, this perception has masked the fact that two alternative, though equivalent, formulations of General Relativity in flat spacetimes exist, where gravity can be fully ascribed either to torsion or to non-metricity. The latter allows a simpler geometrical formulation of General Relativity that is oblivious to the affine spacetime structure. Generalisations along this line permit to generate teleparallel and symmetric teleparallel theories of gravity with exceptional properties. In this work we explore modified gravity theories based on non-linear extensions of the non-metricity scalar. After presenting some general properties and briefly studying some interesting background cosmologies (including accelerating solutions with relevance for inflation and dark energy), we analyse the behaviour of the cosmological perturbations. Tensor perturbations feature a re-scaling of the corresponding Newton's constant, while vector perturbations do not contribute in the absence of vector sources. In the scalar sector we find two additional propagating modes, hinting that $f(Q)$ theories introduce, at least, two additional degrees of freedom. These scalar modes disappear around maximally symmetric backgrounds because of the appearance of an accidental residual gauge symmetry corresponding to a restricted diffeomorphism. We finally discuss the potential strong coupling problems of these maximally symmetric backgrounds caused by the discontinuity in the number of propagating modes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Born-Infeld Gravity: Constraints from Light-by-Light Scattering and an Effective Field Theory Perspective

By using a novel technique that establishes a correspondence between general relativity and metric-affine theories based on the Ricci tensor, we are able to set stringent constraints on the free parameter of Born-Infeld gravity from the ones recently obtained for Born-Infeld electrodynamics by using light-by-light scattering data from ATLAS. We also discuss how these gravity theories plus matter fit within an effective field theory framework.

gr-qc↗