arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S. Capozziello.
We present an $f(R)$-cosmological model with an exact analytic solution, coming from the request of the existence of a Noether symmetry, which is able to describe a dust-dominated decelerated phase before the current accelerated phase of the universe.
The cosmological background of gravitational waves can be tuned by Extended Theories of Gravity. In particular, it can be shown that assuming a generic function f(R) of the Ricci scalar R gives a parametric approach to control the evolution and the production mechanism of gravitational waves in the early Universe.
A huge amount of good quality data converges towards the picture of a spatially flat universe undergoing the today observed phase of accelerated expansion. This new observational trend is commonly addressed as Precision Cosmology. Despite of the excellent surveys, the nature of dark energy, dominating the matter-energy content of the universe, is still unknown and a lot of different scenarios are viable candidates to explain cosmic acceleration. Methods to test these cosmological models are based on distance measurements and lookback time toward astronomical objects used as standard candles. The related degeneracy problem is the signal that more data at low 0<z<1, medium 1<z<10 and high 10 <z< 1000 redshift are needed to definitively select realistic models.
f(R)-gravity with geometric torsion (not related to any spin fluid) is considered in a cosmological context. We derive the field equations in vacuum and in presence of perfect-fluid matter and discuss the related cosmological models. Torsion vanishes in vacuum for almost all arbitrary functions f(R) leading to standard General Relativity. Only for f(R)=R^{2}, torsion gives contribution in the vacuum leading to an accelerated behavior . When material sources are considered, we find that the torsion tensor is different from zero even with spinless material sources. This tensor is related to the logarithmic derivative of f'(R), which can be expressed also as a nonlinear function of the trace of the matter energy-momentum tensor. We show that the resulting equations for the metric can always be arranged to yield effective Einstein equations. When the homogeneous and isotropic cosmological models are considered, terms originated by torsion can lead to accelerated expansion. This means that, in f(R) gravity, torsion can be a geometric source for acceleration.
We consider the possibility that masses and gravitational potentials of galaxy cluster, estimated at X-ray wavelengths, could be explained without assuming huge amounts of dark matter, but in the context of $f(R)$-gravity. Specifically, we take into account the weak field limit of such theories and show that the corrected gravitational potential allows to estimate the total mass of a sample of 12 clusters of galaxies. Results show that such a gravitational potential provides a fair fit to the mass of visible matter (i.e. gas + stars) estimated by X-ray observations, without the need of additional dark matter while the size of the clusters, as already observed at different scale for galaxies, strictly depends on the interaction lengths of the corrections to the Newtonian potential.
Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have recently attracted much attention as a possible way to extend the Hubble diagram to very high redshift. However, the large scatter in their intrinsic properties prevents directly using them as distance indicator so that the hunt is open for a relation involving an observable property to standardize GRBs in the same way as the Phillips law makes it possible to use Type Ia Supernovae (SNeIa) as standardizable candles. We use here the data on the X - ray decay curve and spectral index of a sample of GRBs observed with the Swift satellite. These data are used as input to a Bayesian statistical analysis looking for a correlation between the X - ray luminosity L_X(T_a) and the time constant T_a of the afterglow curve. We find a linear relation between \log{[L_X(T_a)]} and \log{[T_a/(1+z)]} with an intrinsic scatter sigma_{int} = 0.33 comparable to previously reported relations. Remarkably, both the slope and the intrinsic scatter are almost independent on the matter density Omega_M and the constant equation of state w of the dark energy component thus suggesting that the circularity problem is alleviated for the $L_X - T_a$ relation.
We report on recent results on particle mixing and oscillations in quantum field theory. We discuss the role played in cosmology by the vacuum condensate induced by the neutrino mixing phenomenon. We show that it can contribute to the dark energy of the universe.
We show that the vacuum condensate due to particle mixing is responsible of a dynamically evolving dark energy. In particular, we show that values of the adiabatic index close to -1 for vacuum condensates of neutrinos and quarks imply, at the present epoch, contributions to the vacuum energy compatible with the estimated upper bound on the dark energy.
Relations connecting gamma ray burst quantities can be used to constrain cosmographic parameters of the Hubble law at medium-high redshifts. We consider a sample of 27 gamma ray bursts to construct the luminosity distance to redshift relation and derive the values of the parameters $q_0$, $j_0$, and $s_0$. The analysis is compared with other methods in the literature. gamma gay bursts, if calibrated by SNeIa, seem reliable as distance indicators and give cosmographic parameters in agreement with the $Λ$CDM model.
We analyze seven different viable $f(R)$-gravities towards the Solar System tests and stochastic gravitational waves background. The aim is to achieve experimental bounds for the theory at local and cosmological scales in order to select models capable of addressing the accelerating cosmological expansion without cosmological constant but evading the weak field constraints. Beside large scale structure and galactic dynamics, these bounds can be considered complimentary in order to select self-consistent theories of gravity working at the infrared limit. It is demonstrated that seven viable $f(R)$-gravities under consideration not only satisfy the local tests, but additionally, pass the above PPN-and stochastic gravitational waves bounds for large classes of parameters.
It is nowadays clear that General Relativity cannot be the definitive theory of Gravitation due to several shortcomings that come out both from theoretical and experimental viewpoints. At large scales (astrophysical and cosmological) the attempts to match it with the latest observational data lead to invoke Dark Energy and Dark Matter as the bulk components of the cosmic fluid. Since no final evidence, at fundamental level, exists for such ingredients, it is clear that General Relativity presents shortcomings at infrared scales. On the other hand, the attempts to formulate more general theories than Einstein's one give rise to mathematical difficulties that need workarounds that, in turn, generate problems from the interpretative viewpoint. We present here a completely new approach to the mathematical objects in terms of which a theory of Gravitation may be written in a first-order (a' la Palatini) formalism, and introduce the concept of Dark Metric which could completely bypass the introduction of disturbing concepts as Dark Energy and Dark Matter.
It is nowadays accepted that the universe is undergoing a phase of accelerated expansion as tested by the Hubble diagram of Type Ia Supernovae (SNeIa) and several LSS observations. Future SNeIa surveys and other probes will make it possible to better characterize the dynamical state of the universe renewing the interest in cosmography which allows a model independent analysis of the distance - redshift relation. On the other hand, fourth order theories of gravity, also referred to as $f(R)$ gravity, have attracted a lot of interest since they could be able to explain the accelerated expansion without any dark energy. We show here how it is possible to relate the cosmographic parameters (namely the deceleration $q_0$, the jerk $j_0$, the snap $s_0$ and the lerk $l_0$ parameters) to the present day values of $f(R)$ and its derivatives $f^{(n)}(R) = d^nf/dR^n$ (with $n = 1, 2, 3$) thus offering a new tool to constrain such higher order models. Our analysis thus offers the possibility to relate the model independent results coming from cosmography to the theoretically motivated assumptions of $f(R)$ cosmology.
We discuss scalar-tensor cosmology with an extra $R^{-1}$ correction by the Noether Symmetry Approach. The existence of such a symmetry selects the forms of the coupling $ω(ϕ)$, of the potential $V(ϕ)$ and allows to obtain physically interesting exact cosmological solutions.
We show that dust matter-dark energy combined phases can be achieved by the exact solution derived from a power law $f(R)$ cosmological model. This example answers the query by which a dust-dominated decelerated phase, before dark-energy accelerated phase, is needed in order to form large scale structures.
The probability representation, in which cosmological quantum states are described by a standard positive probability distribution, is constructed for minisuperspace models selected by Noether symmetries. In such a case, the tomographic probability distribution provides the classical evolution for the models and can be considered an approach to select "observable" universes. Some specific examples, derived from Extended Theories of Gravity, are worked out. We discuss also how to connect tomograms, symmetries and cosmological parameters.
Spherical symmetry in $f(R)$ gravity is discussed in details considering also the relations with the weak field limit. Exact solutions are obtained for constant Ricci curvature scalar and for Ricci scalar depending on the radial coordinate. In particular, we discuss how to obtain results which can be consistently compared with General Relativity giving the well known post-Newtonian and post-Minkowskian limits. Furthermore, we implement a perturbation approach to obtain solutions up to the first order starting from spherically symmetric backgrounds. Exact solutions are given for several classes of $f(R)$ theories in both $R =$ constant and $R = R(r)$.
The emission of gravitational waves from a system of massive objects interacting on hyperbolic orbits is studied in the quadrupole approximation. Analytic expressions are derived for the gravitational radiation luminosity, the total energy output and the gravitational radiation amplitude. An estimation of the expected number of events towards different targets (i.e. globular clusters and the center of the Galaxy) is also given. In particular, for a dense stellar cluster at the galactic center, a rate up to one event per year is obtained.
We discuss the f(R)-theories of gravity with torsion in the framework of jet-bundles. Such an approach is particularly useful since the components of the torsion and curvature tensors can be chosen as fiber jet-coordinates on the bundles and then the symmetries and the conservation laws of the theory can be easily achieved. Field equations of f(R)-gravity are studied in empty space and in presence of various forms of matter as Dirac fields, Yang--Mills fields and spin perfect fluid. Such fields enlarge the jet-bundles framework and characterize the dynamics. Finally we give some cosmological applications and discuss the relations between f(R)-gravity and scalar-tensor theories.