arXiv subjects

Leandros Perivolaropoulos

Publications and source records attributed to Leandros Perivolaropoulos.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Is the Hubble crisis connected with the extinction of dinosaurs?

It has recently been suggested that a gravitational transition of the effective Newton's constant $G_{\rm eff}$ by about 10%, taking place 50-150 Myrs ago, can lead to the resolution of both the Hubble crisis and the growth tension of the standard $Λ$CDM model. Hints for such an abrupt transition with weaker gravity at times before the transition, have recently been identified in Tully Fisher galactic mass-velocity data and also in Cepheid SnIa calibrator data. Here we use Monte-Carlo simulations to show that such a transition could significantly increase (by a factor of 3 or more) the number of long period comets (LPCs) impacting the solar system from the Oort cloud (semi-major axis of orbits $\gtrsim 10^4AU$). This increase is consistent with observational evidence from the terrestrial and lunar cratering rates indicating that the impact flux of kilometer sized objects increased by at least a factor of 2 over that last 100 Myrs compared to the long term average. This increase may also be connected with the Chicxulub impactor event that produced the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) extinction of 75% of life on Earth (including dinosaurs) about 66 Myrs ago. We use Monte-Carlo simulations to show that for isotropic Oort cloud comet distribution with initially circular orbits, random velocity perturbations (induced eg by passing stars and/or galactic tidal effects), lead to a deformation of the orbits that increases significantly when $G_{\rm eff}$ increases. A 10% increase of $G_{\rm eff}$ leads to an increase in the probability of the comets to enter the loss cone and reach the planetary region (pericenter of less than 10AU) by a factor that ranges from 5% (for velocity perturbation much smaller than the comet initial velocity) to more than 300% (for total velocity perturbations comparable with the initial comet velocity).

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2021

Is gravity getting weaker at low z? Observational evidence and theoretical implications

Dynamical observational probes of the growth of density perturbations indicate that gravity may be getting weaker at low redshifts $z$. This evidence is at about $2-3σ$ level and comes mainly from weak lensing data that measure the parameter $S_8=σ_8 \sqrt{Ω_{0m}/0.3}$ and redshift space distortion data that measure the growth rate times the amplitude of the linear power spectrum parameter $fσ_8 (z)$. The measured $fσ_8$ appears to be lower than the prediction of General Relativity (GR) in the context of the standard $Λ$CDM model as defined by the Planck best fit parameter values. This is the well known $fσ_8$ tension of $Λ$CDM, which constitutes one of the two main large scale challenges of the model along with the $H_0$ tension. We review the observational evidence that leads to the $fσ_8$ tension and discuss some theoretical implications. If this tension is not a systematic effect it may be an early hint of modified gravity with an evolving effective Newton's constant $G_{eff}$ and gravitational slip parameter $η$. We discuss such best fit parametrizations of $G_{eff}(z)$ and point out that they can not be reproduced by simple scalar-tensor and $f(R)$ modified gravity theories because these theories generically predict stronger gravity than General Relativity (GR) at low $z$ in the context of a $Λ$CDM background $H(z)$. Finally, we show weak evidence for an evolving reduced absolute magnitude of the SnIa of the Pantheon dataset at low redshifts ($z<0.1$) which may also be explained by a reduced strength of gravity and may help resolve the $H_0$ tension.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Hints for a gravitational constant transition in Tully-Fisher data

We use an up to date compilation of Tully-Fisher data to search for transitions in the evolution of the Tully-Fisher relation. Using an up to date data compilation, we find hints at $\approx 3σ$ level for a transition at critical distances $D_c \simeq 9 Mpc$ and $D_c \simeq 17 Mpc$. We split the full sample in two subsamples according to the measured galaxy distance with respect to a splitting distance $D_c$ and identify the likelihood of the best fit slope and intercept of one sample with respect to the best fit corresponding values of the other sample. For $D_c \simeq 9 Mpc$ and $D_c \simeq 17 Mpc$ we find a tension between the two subsamples at a level of $Δχ^2 > 17\; (3.5σ)$. Using a Monte-Carlo simulation we demonstrate that this result is robust with respect to random statistical and systematic variations of the galactic distances. If the tension is interpreted as due to a gravitational strength transition, it would imply a shift of the effective gravitational constant to lower values for distances larger than $D_c$ by $\frac{ΔG}{G}\simeq -0.1$. Such a shift is of the anticipated sign and magnitude but at somewhat lower distance (redshift) than the gravitational transition recently proposed to address the Hubble and growth tensions ($\frac{ΔG}{G}\simeq -0.1$ at transition redshift $z_t\lesssim 0.01$ ($D_c\lesssim 40 Mpc$)).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Hubble tension or a transition of the Cepheid SnIa calibrator parameters?

We re-analyze the Cepheid data used to infer the value of $H_0$ by calibrating SnIa. We do not enforce a universal value of the empirical Cepheid calibration parameters $R_W$ (Cepheid Wesenheit color-luminosity parameter) and $M_H^{W}$ (Cepheid Wesenheit H-band absolute magnitude). Instead, we allow for variation of either of these parameters for each individual galaxy. We also consider the case where these parameters have two universal values: one for low galactic distances $D D_c$ where $D_c$ is a critical transition distance. We find hints for a $3σ$ level mismatch between the low and high galactic distance parameter values. We then use AIC and BIC criteria to compare and rank the following types of models: Base models: Universal values for $R_W$ and $M_H^{W}$ (no parameter variation), I Individual fitted galactic $R_W$ with a universal fitted $M_H^{W}$, II Universal fixed $R_W$ with individual fitted galactic $M_H^{W}$, III Universal fitted $R_W$ with individual fitted galactic $M_H^{W}$, IV Two universal fitted $R_W$ (near and far) with one universal fitted $M_H^{W}$, V Universal fitted $R_W$ with two universal fitted $M_H^{W}$ (near and far), VI Two universal fitted $R_W$ with two universal fitted $M_H^{W}$ (near and far). We find that the AIC and BIC criteria consistently favor model IV instead of the commonly used Base model where no variation is allowed for the Cepheid empirical parameters. The best fit value of the SnIa absolute magnitude $M_B$ and of $H_0$ implied by the favored model IV is consistent with the inverse distance ladder calibration based on the CMB sound horizon $H_0=67.4\pm 0.5\,km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}$. Thus in the context of the favored model IV the Hubble crisis is not present. This model may imply the presence of a fundamental physics transition taking place at a time more recent than $100\,Myrs$ ago.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

The Hubble Tension, The $M$ Crisis of Late Time $H(z)$ Deformation Models and the Reconstruction of Quintessence Lagrangians

We present a detailed and pedagogical analysis of recent cosmological data, including CMB, BAO, SnIa and the recent local measurement of $H_0$. We thus obtain constraints on the parameters of standard dark energy parameterizations, including $ΛCDM$, and $H(z)$ deformation models such as $wCDM$ (constant equation of state $w$ of dark energy), and the CPL model (corresponding to the evolving dark energy equation-of-state parameter $w(z) = w_0 + w_a \frac{z}{1+z}$). The fitted parameters include the dark matter density $Ω_{0m}$, the SnIa absolute magnitude $M$, the Hubble constant $H_0$ and the dark energy parameters (e.g., $w$ for $wCDM$). All models considered lead to a best-fit value of $M$ that is inconsistent with the locally determined value obtained by Cepheid calibrators ($M$ tension). We then use the best-fit dark energy parameters to reconstruct the quintessence Lagrangian that would be able to reproduce these best-fit parameterizations. Due to the derived late phantom behavior of the best-fit dark energy equation-of-state parameter $w(z)$, the reconstructed quintessence models have a negative kinetic term and are therefore plagued with instabilities.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

A rapid transition of $G_{\rm eff}$ at $z_t \simeq 0.01$ as a solution of the Hubble and growth tensions

The mismatch in the value of the Hubble constant from low- and high-redshift observations may be recast as a discrepancy between the low- and high-redshift determinations of the luminosity of Type Ia supernovae, the latter featuring an absolute magnitude which is $\approx 0.2$~mag lower. Here, we propose that a rapid transition in the value of the relative effective gravitational constant $μ_G\equiv\frac{G_{\rm eff}}{G_N}$ at $z_t\simeq 0.01$ could explain the lower luminosity (higher magnitude) of local supernovae, thus solving the $H_0$ crisis. A model that features $μ_G = 1$ for $z \lesssim 0.01$ but $μ_G \simeq 0.9$ for $z \gtrsim 0.01$ is trivially consistent with local gravitational constraints but would raise the Chandrasekhar mass and so decrease the absolute magnitude of Type Ia supernovae at $z \gtrsim 0.01$ by the required value of $\approx 0.2$~mag. Such a rapid transition of the effective gravitational constant would not only resolve the Hubble tension but it would also help resolve the growth tension as it would reduce the growth of density perturbations without affecting the Planck/$Λ$CDM background expansion.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

A $w-M$ phantom transition at $z_t<0.1$ as a resolution of the Hubble tension

A rapid phantom transition of the dark energy equation of state parameter $w$ at a transition redshift $z_t<0.1$ of the form $w(z)=-1+Δw\;Θ(z_t-z)$ with $Δw<0$ can lead to a higher value of the Hubble constant while closely mimicking a Planck18/$Λ$CDM form of the comoving distance $r(z)=\int_0^z\frac{dz'}{H(z')}$ for $z>z_t$. Such a transition however would imply a significantly lower value of the SnIa absolute magnitude $M$ than the value $M_C$ imposed by local Cepheid calibrators at $z<0.01$. Thus, in order to resolve the $H_0$ tension it would need to be accompanied by a similar transition in the value of the SnIa absolute magnitude $M$ as $M(z)=M_C+ΔM \;Θ(z-z_t)$ with $ΔM<0$. This is a Late $w-M$ phantom transition ($LwMPT$). It may be achieved by a sudden reduction of the value of the normalized effective Newton constant $μ=G_{\rm{eff}}/G_{\rm{N}}$ by about $6\%$ assuming that the absolute luminosity of SnIa is proportional to the Chandrasekhar mass which varies as $μ^{-3/2}$. We demonstrate that such an ultra low $z$ abrupt feature of $w-M$ provides a better fit to cosmological data compared to smooth late time deformations of $H(z)$ that also address the Hubble tension. For $z_t=0.02$ we find $Δw\simeq -4$, $ΔM \simeq -0.1$. This model also addresses the growth tension due to the predicted lower value of $μ$ at $z>z_t$. A prior of $Δw=0$ (no $w$ transition) can still resolve the $H_0$ tension with a larger amplitude $M$ transition with $ΔM\simeq -0.2$ at $z_t\simeq 0.01$. This implies a larger reduction of $μ$ for $z>0.01$ (about $12\%$). The $LwMPT$ can be generically induced by a scalar field non-minimally coupled to gravity with no need of a screening mechanism since in this model $μ=1$ at $z<0.01$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Weak gravity on a $Λ$CDM background

We consider Horndeski modified gravity models obeying stability, velocity of gravitational waves $c_T$ equals $c$ and quasistatic approximation (QSA) on subhorizon scales. We assume further a $Λ$CDM background expansion and a monotonic evolution on the cosmic background of the $α$ functions as $α_i= α_{i0}~a^s$ where $i=M,B$, $a$ is the scale factor and $α_{i0}$ ($α_{M0}, α_{B0}$), $s$ are arbitrary parameters. We show that the growth and lensing reduced (dimensionless) gravitational couplings $μ\equiv G_{\rm growth}/G$, $Σ\equiv G_{\rm lensing}/G$ exhibit the following generic properties today: $Σ_0 < 1$ for all viable parameters, $μ_0<1$ (weak gravity today) is favored for small $s$ while $μ_0>1$ is favored for large $s$. We establish also the relation $μ\geq Σ$ at all times. Taking into account the $fσ_8$ and $E_G$ data constrains the parameter $s$ to satisfy $s\lesssim 2$. Hence these data select essentially the weak gravity regime today ($μ_0<1$) when $s<2$, while $μ_0>1$ subsists only marginally for $s\approx 2$. At least the interval $0.5\lesssim s \lesssim 2$ would be ruled out in the absence of screening. We consider further the growth index $γ(z)$ and identify the $(α_{M0},α_{B0},s)$ parameter region that corresponds to specific signs of the differences $γ_0-γ_0^{ΛCDM}$, and $γ_1-γ_1^{ΛCDM}$, where $γ_0\equiv γ\bigl|_{z=0}$ and $γ_1\equiv \frac{{\rm d}γ}{\rm d z}\bigl|_{z=0}$. In this way important information is gained on the past evolution of $μ$. We obtain in particular the signature $γ_0>γ_0^{ΛCDM}$ for $s<2$ in the selected weak gravity region.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Hints of Modified Gravity in Cosmos and in the Lab?

General Relativity (GR) is consistent with a wide range of experiments/observations from millimeter scales up to galactic scales and beyond. However, there are reasons to believe that GR may need to be modified because it includes singularities (it is an incomplete theory) and also it requires fine-tuning to explain the accelerating expansion of the universe through the cosmological constant. Thus, it is important to check various experiments and observations beyond the above range of scales for possible hints of deviations from the predictions of GR. If such hints are found it is important to understand which classes of modified gravity theories are consistent with them. The goal of this review is to summarize recent progress on these issues. On sub millimeter scales we show an analysis of the data of the Washington experiment (Kapner et al. (2007)) searching for modifications of Newton's Law on sub-millimeter scales and demonstrate that a spatially oscillating signal is hidden in this dataset. We show that even though this signal cannot be explained in the context of standard modified theories (viable scalar tensor and $f(R)$ theories), it is a rather generic prediction of nonlocal gravity theories. On cosmological scales we review recent analyses of Redshift Space Distortion data which measure the growth rate of cosmological perturbations at various redshifts and show that these data are in some tension with the $Λ$CDM parameter values indicated by Planck/2015 CMB data at about 3$σ$ level. This tension can be reduced by allowing for an evolution of the effective Newton constant that determines the growth rate of cosmological perturbations. We conclude that even though this tension between the data and the predictions of GR could be due to systematic/statistical uncertainties of the data, it could also constitute early hints of a new gravitational theory.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Consistency of Modified Gravity with a decreasing $G_{\rm eff}(z)$ in a $Λ$CDM background

Recent analyses \cite{Nesseris:2017vor,Kazantzidis:2018rnb} have indicated that an effective Newton's constant $G_{\rm eff}(z)$ decreasing with redshift may relieve the observed tension between the Planck15 best fit $Λ$CDM cosmological background ({\it i.e.} Planck15/$Λ$CDM) and the corresponding $Λ$CDM background favored by growth $fσ_8$ and weak lensing data. We investigate the consistency of such a decreasing $G_{\rm eff}(z)$ with some viable scalar-tensor models and $f(R)$ theories. We stress that $f(R)$ theories generically can not lead to a decreasing $G_{\rm eff}(z)$ for any cosmological background. For scalar-tensor models we deduce that in the context of a $Λ$CDM cosmological background, a decreasing $G_{\rm eff}(z)$ is not consistent with a large Brans-Dicke parameter $ω_{BD,0}$ today. This inconsistency remains and amplifies in the presence of a phantom dark energy equation of state parameter ($w < -1$). However it can be avoided for $w >-1$. We also find that any modified gravity model with the required decreasing $G_{\rm eff}(z)$ and $G_{{\rm eff},0}=G$, would have a characteristic signature in its growth index $γ$ with $0.61\lesssim γ_0\lesssim 0.69$ and large slopes $γ_0'$, $0.16\lesssim γ_0'\lesssim 0.4$, which is a characteristic signature of a decreasing (with $z$) $G_{\rm eff}(z)<G$ on small redshifts. This is a substantial departure today from the quasi-static behaviour in $Λ$CDM with $(γ_0,γ_0')\approx (0.55,-0.02)$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Evolution of the $fσ_8$ tension with the Planck15/$Λ$CDM determination and implications for modified gravity theories

We construct an updated extended compilation of distinct (but possibly correlated) $fσ_8(z)$ Redshift Space Distortion (RSD) data published between 2006 and 2018. It consists of 63 datapoints and is significantly larger than previously used similar datasets. After fiducial model correction we obtain the best fit $Ω_{0m}-σ_8$ $Λ$CDM parameters and show that they are at a $5σ$ tension with the corresponding Planck15/$Λ$CDM values. Introducing a nontrivial covariance matrix correlating randomly $20\%$ of the RSD datapoints has no significant effect on the above tension level. We show that the tension disappears (becomes less than $1σ$) when a subsample of the 20 most recently published data is used. A partial cause for this reduced tension is the fact that more recent data tend to probe higher redshifts (with higher errorbars) where there is degeneracy among different models due to matter domination. Allowing for a nontrivial evolution of the effective Newton's constant as $G_{\textrm{eff}}(z)/G_{\textrm{N}} = 1 + g_a \left(\frac{z}{1+z}\right)^2 - g_a \left(\frac{z}{1+z}\right)^4$ ($g_a$ is a parameter) and fixing a \plcdm background we find $g_a=-0.91\pm 0.17$ from the full $fσ_8$ dataset while the 20 earliest and 20 latest datapoints imply $g_a=-1.28^{+0.28}_{-0.26}$ and $g_a=-0.43^{+0.46}_{-0.41}$ respectively. Thus, the more recent $fσ_8$ data appear to favor GR in contrast to earlier data. Finally, we show that the parametrization $fσ_8(z)=λσ_8 Ω(z)^γ/(1+z)^β$ provides an excellent fit to the solution of the growth equation for both GR ($g_a=0$) and modified gravity ($g_a\neq 0$).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Constraints on Spatially Oscillating Sub-mm Forces from the Stanford Levitated Microsphere Experiment Data

A recent analysis by one of the authors\cite{Perivolaropoulos:2016ucs} has indicated the presence of a $2σ$ signal of spatially oscillating new force residuals in the torsion balance data of the Washington experiment. We extend that study and analyse the data of the Stanford Optically Levitated Microsphere Experiment (SOLME) \cite{Rider:2016xaq} (kindly provided by the authors of \cite{Rider:2016xaq}) searching for sub-mm spatially oscillating new force signals. We find a statistically significant oscillating signal for a force residual of the form $F(z)=α\; cos(\frac{2π}λ\; z +c)$ where $z$ is the distance between the macroscopic interacting masses (levitated microsphere and cantilever). The best fit parameter values are $α=(1.1 \pm 0.4)\times 10^{-17}N$, $λ=(35.2\pm 0.6)μm$. Monte Carlo simulation of the SOLME data under the assumption of zero force residuals has indicated that the statistical significance of this signal is at about $2σ$ level. Private communication with members of the SOLME group has indicated that this previously unnoticed signal is most probably due to a systematic effect (diffraction of non-Gaussian tails of the laser beam). Thus it can only be useful as an upper bound of the amplitude of new spatially oscillating forces on sub-mm scales. Assuming gravitational origin emerging from a fundamental modification of the Newtonian potential of the form $V_{eff}(r)=-G\frac{M}{r}(1+α_O \cos(\frac{2π}λ\; r+θ))\equiv V_{N}(r)+V_{osc}(r)$, we evaluate the source integral and obtain a bound $α_O < 10^7$ for $λ\simeq 35 μm$. Thus, we get no useful constraints on the modified gravity parameter $α_O$. However, the constraints on the general phenomenological parameter $α$ can be useful in constraining other fifth force models related to dark energy (chameleon oscillating potentials etc).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Tension and constraints on modified gravity parametrizations of $G_{\textrm{eff}}(z)$ from growth rate and Planck data

We construct an updated and extended compilation of growth rate data consisting of 34 points and including corrections for model dependence. In order to maximize the independence of the datapoints we also construct a subsample of this compilation (`Gold' growth dataset) which consists of 18 datapoints. We test the consistency of this dataset with the best fit Planck15/$Λ$CDM parameters in the context of General Relativity (GR) using the evolution equation for the growth factor $δ(a)$ with a $w$CDM background. We find tension at the $\sim 3 σ$ level between the best fit parameters $w$ (the dark energy equation of state), $Ω_{0m}$ (the matter density parameter) and $σ_8$ (the matter power spectrum normalization on scales $8h^{-1}$Mpc) and the corresponding Planck15/$Λ$CDM parameters. We show that the tension disappears if we allow for evolution of the effective Newton's constant, parametrized as $G_{eff}(a)/G_N = 1 + g_a(1-a)^n-g_a(1-a)^{2n}$ with $n\ge2$ where $g_a$, $n$ are parameters of the model, $a$ is the scale factor and $z = 1/a-1$ is the redshift. This parametrization satisfies three criteria: a. $G_{eff} > 0$, b. Consistency with Big Bang Nucleosynthesis ($G_{eff}(a\ll 1)/G_N=1$), c. Consistency with solar system tests ($G_{eff}(a=1)/G_N=1$ and $G_{eff}'(a=1)/G_N=0$). We show that the best fit form of $G_{eff}(z)$ obtained from the growth data corresponds to weakening gravity at recent redshifts (decreasing function of $z$) and we demonstrate that this behavior is not consistent with any scalar-tensor Lagrangian with a real scalar field. Finally, we use MGCAMB to find the best fit $G_{eff}(z)$ obtained from the Planck CMB power spectrum on large angular scales and show that it is a mildly increasing function of $z$, in $3σ$ tension with the corresponding decreasing best fit $G_{eff}(z)$ obtained from the growth data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Sub-millimeter Spatial Oscillations of Newton's Constant: Theoretical Models and Laboratory Tests

We investigate the viability of sub-millimeter wavelength oscillating deviations from the Newtonian potential at both the theoretical and the experimental/observational level. At the theoretical level such deviations are generic predictions in a wide range of extensions of General Relativity (GR) including $f(R)$ theories, massive Brans-Dicke theories, compactified extra dimension models and nonlocal extensions of GR. However, the range of parameters associated with such oscillating deviations is usually connected with instabilities. An exception emerges in nonlocal gravity theories where oscillating deviations from Newtonian potential occur naturally on sub-millimeter scales without instabilities. As an example of a model with unstable Newtonian oscillations we review an $f(R)$ expansion around General Relativity of the form $f(R)=R+\frac{1}{6 m^2} R^2$ with $m^2<0$ pointing out possible stabilization mechanisms. As an example of a model with stable Newtonian oscillations we discuss nonlocal gravity theories. If such oscillations are realized in Nature on sub-millimeter scales, a signature is expected in torsion balance experiments testing Newton's law. We search for such a signature in the torsion balance data of the Washington experiment (combined torque residuals) testing Newton's law at sub-millimeter scales. We show that an oscillating residual ansatz with spatial wavelength $λ\simeq 0.1mm$ provides a better fit to the data compared to the residual Newtonian constant ansatz by $Δχ^2 = -15$. Similar improved fits, also occur in about $10\%$ of Monte Carlo realizations of Newtonian data. Thus, the significance level of this improved fit is at a level of not more than $2σ$. The energy scale corresponding to this best fit wavelength is identical to the dark energy length scale $λ_{de} \equiv\sqrt[4]{\hbar c/ρ_{ de}}\approx 0.1mm$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

A general realistic treatment of the disk paradox

Mechanical angular momentum is not conserved in systems involving electromagnetic fields with non-zero electromagnetic field angular momentum. Conservation is restored only if the total (mechanical and field) angular momentum is considered. Previous studies have investigated this effect, known as "Feynman's Electromagnetic Paradox" or simply "Disk Paradox" in the context of idealized systems (infinite or infinitesimal solenoids and charged cylinders etc). In the present analysis we generalize previous studies by considering more realistic systems with finite components and demonstrating explicitly the conservation of the total angular momentum. This is achieved by expressing both the mechanical and the field angular momentum in terms of charges and magnetic field fluxes through various system components. Using this general expression and the closure of magnetic field lines, we demonstrate explicitly the conservation of total angular momentum in both idealized and realistic systems (finite solenoid concentric with two charged cylinders, much longer than the solenoid) taking all the relevant terms into account including the flux outside of the solenoid. This formalism has the potential to facilitate a simpler and more accurate demonstration of total angular momentum conservation in undergraduate physics electromagnetism laboratories.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2016

The fate of bound systems through Sudden Future Singularities

Sudden singularities occur in FRW spacetimes when the scale factor remains finite and different from zero while some of its derivatives diverge. After proper rescaling, the scale factor close to such a singularity at $t=0$ takes the form $a(t)=1+ c |t|^η$ (where $c$ and $η$ are parameters and $η\geq 0$). We investigate analytically and numerically the geodesics of free and gravitationally bound particles through such sudden singularities. We find that even though free particle geodesics go through sudden singularities for all $η\geq 0$, bound systems get dissociated for a wide range of the parameter $c$. For $η<1$ bound particles receive a diverging impulse at the singularity and get dissociated for all positive values of the parameter $c$. For $η> 1$ (Sudden Future Singularities (SFS)) bound systems get a finite impulse that depends on the value of $c$ and get dissociated for values of $c$ larger than a critical value $c_{cr}(η,ω_0)>0$ that increases with the value of $η$ and the rescaled angular velocity $ω_0$ of the bound system. We obtain an approximate equation for the analytical estimate of $c_{cr}(η,ω_0)$. We also obtain its accurate form by numerical derivation of the bound system orbits through the singularities. Bound system orbits through Big Brake singularities ($c<0$, $1<η<2$) are also derived numerically and are found to get disrupted at the singularity. However, they remain bound for all values of the parameter $c$ considered.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Geodesics of McVittie Spacetime with a Phantom Cosmological Background

We investigate the geodesics of a Schwarzschild spacetime embedded in an isotropic expanding cosmological background (McVittie metric). We focus on bound particle geodesics in a background including matter and phantom dark energy with constant dark energy equation of state parameter $w<-1$ involving a future Big Rip singularity at a time $t_{\ast}$. Such geodesics have been previously studied in the Newtonian approximation and found to lead to dissociation of bound systems at a time $t_{rip}<t_{\ast}$ which for fixed background $w$, depends on a single dimensionless parameter $\barω_0$ related to the angular momentum and depending on the mass and the size of the bound system. We extend this analysis to large massive bound systems where the Newtonian approximation is not appropriate and we compare the derived dissociation time with the corresponding time in the context of the Newtonian approximation. By identifying the time when the effective potential minimum disappears due to the repulsive force of dark energy we find that the dissociation time of bound systems occurs earlier than the prediction of the Newtonian approximation. However, the effect is negligible for all existing cosmological bound systems and it would become important only in hypothetical bound extremely massive ($10^{20} M_\odot$) and large ($100Mpc$) bound systems. We verify this result by explicit solution of the geodesic equations. This result is due to an interplay between the repulsive phantom dark energy effects and the existence of the well known innermost stable orbits of Schwarzschild spacetimes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Dilatonic Topological Defects in 3+1 Dimensions and their Embeddings

We consider Lagrangians in 3+1 dimensions admitting topological defects where there is an additional coupling between the defect scalar field $Φ$ and the gauge field kinetic term (eg $B(\vert Φ\vert^2) F_{μν}F^{μν}$). Such a {\it dilatonic} coupling in the context of a static defect, induces a spatially dependent effective gauge charge and effective mass for the scalar field which leads to modified properties of the defect core. In particular, the scale of the core gets modified while the stability properties of the corresponding embedded defects are also affected. These modifications are illustrated for gauged (Nielsen-Olesen) vortices and for gauged ('t Hooft-Polyakov) monopoles. The corresponding dilatonic global defects are also studied in the presence of an external gauge field.

hep-th↗