arXiv subjects

Thomas P. Sotiriou

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas P. Sotiriou.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Rotating black holes in three-dimensional Hořava gravity

We study black holes in the infrared sector of three-dimensional Hořava gravity. It is shown that black hole solutions with anti-de Sitter asymptotics are admissible only in the sector of the theory in which the scalar degree of freedom propagates infinitely fast. We derive the most general class of stationary, circularly symmetric, asymptotically anti-de Sitter black hole solutions. We also show that the theory admits black hole solutions with de Sitter and flat asymptotics, unlike three-dimensional general relativity. For all these cases, universal horizons may or may not exist depending on the choice of parameters. Solutions with de Sitter asymptotics can have universal horizons that lie beyond the de Sitter horizon.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Black hole hair in generalized scalar-tensor gravity

The most general action for a scalar field coupled to gravity that leads to second order field equations for both the metric and the scalar --- Horndeski's theory --- is considered, with the extra assumption that the scalar satisfies shift symmetry. We show that in such theories the scalar field is forced to have a nontrivial configuration in black hole spacetimes, unless one carefully tunes away a linear coupling with the Gauss--Bonnet invariant. Hence, black holes for generic theories in this class will have hair. This contradicts a recent no-hair theorem, which seems to have overlooked the presence of this coupling.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Gravity and Scalar Fields

Gravity theories with non-minimally coupled scalar fields are used as characteristic examples in order to demonstrate the challenges, pitfalls and future perspectives of considering alternatives to general relativity. These lecture notes can be seen as an illustration of concepts, subtleties and techniques present in all alternative theories, but they also provide a brief review of generalised scalar-tensor theories.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Matter around Kerr black holes in scalar-tensor theories: scalarization and superradiant instability

In electrovacuum stationary, asymptotically flat black holes in scalar-tensor theories of gravity are described by the Kerr-Newman family of solutions, just as in general relativity. We show that there exist two mechanisms which can render Kerr black holes unstable when matter is present in the vicinity of the black hole, as this induces an effective mass for the scalar. The first mechanism is a tachyonic instability that appears when the effective mass squared is negative, triggering the development of scalar hair --- a black hole version of "spontaneous scalarization". The second instability is associated with superradiance and is present when the effective mass squared is positive and when the black hole spin exceeds a certain threshold. The second mechanism is also responsible for a resonant effect in the superradiant scattering of scalar waves, with amplification factors as large as 10^5 or more.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Gravity with Auxiliary Fields

Modifications of General Relativity usually include extra dynamical degrees of freedom, which to date remain undetected. Here we explore the possibility of modifying Einstein's theory by adding solely nondynamical fields. With the minimal requirement that the theory satisfies the weak equivalence principle and admits a covariant Lagrangian formulation, we show that the field equations generically have to include higher-order derivatives of the matter fields. This has profound consequences for the viability of these theories. We develop a parametrization based on a derivative expansion and show that - to next to leading order - all theories are described by just two parameters. Our approach can be used to put stringent, theory-independent constraints on such theories, as we demonstrates using the Newtonian limit as an example.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Black holes with surrounding matter in scalar-tensor theories

We uncover two mechanisms that can render Kerr black holes unstable in scalar-tensor gravity, both associated to the presence of matter in the vicinity of the black hole and the fact that this introduces an effective mass for the scalar. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the structure of spacetime in realistic, astrophysical black holes in scalar-tensor theories.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Black holes in Lorentz-violating gravity theories

Lorentz-symmetry and the notion of light cones play a central role in the definition of horizons and the existence of black holes. Current observations provide strong indications that astrophysical black holes do exist in Nature. Here we explore what happens to the notion of a black hole in gravity theories where local Lorentz symmetry is violated, and discuss the relevant astrophysical implications. Einstein-aether theory and Horava gravity are used as the theoretical background for addressing this question. We review earlier results about static, spherically symmetric black holes, which demonstrate that in Lorentz-violating theories there can be a new type of horizon and, hence, a new notion of black hole. We also present both known and new results on slowly rotating black holes in these theories, which provide insights on how generic these new horizons are. Finally, we discuss the differences between black holes in Lorentz-violating theories and in General Relativity, and assess to what extent they can be probed with present and future observations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Gradient expansion of superhorizon perturbations in G-inflation

We develop the gradient expansion formalism for shift-symmetric Galileon-type actions. We focus on backgrounds that undergo inflation, work in the synchronous gauge, and obtain a general solution up to second order without imposing extra conditions at first order. The solution simplifies during the late stages of inflation. We also define a curvature perturbation conserved up to first order.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Slowly rotating black holes in Horava-Lifshitz gravity

In a recent paper we claimed that there there are no slowly rotating, stationary, axisymmetric black holes in the infrared limit of Horava-Lifshitz gravity, provided that they are regular everywhere apart from the central singularity. Here we point out a subtlety in the equivalence between Einstein-aether theory and the infrared limit of Horava-Lifshitz gravity which was missed in our earlier derivation and drastically modifies our conclusion: our earlier calculations (which are otherwise technically correct) do not really imply that there are no slowly rotating black holes in Horava-Lifshitz gravity, but that there are no slowly rotating black holes in the latter that are also solutions of Einstein-aether theory and vice versa. That is, even though the two theories share the static, spherically symmetric solutions, there are no slowly rotating black holes that are solutions to both theories. We proceed to generate slowly rotating black hole solutions in the infrared limit of Horava-Lifshitz gravity, and we show that the configuration of the foliation-defining scalar remains the same as in spherical symmetry, thus these black holes are expected to posses a universal horizon.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Absence of scalar hair in scalar-tensor gravity

Stationary, asymptotically flat black holes in scalar-tensor theories of gravity are studied. It is shown that such black holes have no scalar hair and are the same as in General Relativity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Apparent horizons in Clifton-Mota-Barrow inhomogeneous universe

We analyze the apparent horizon dynamics in the inhomogeneous Clifton-Mota-Barrow solution of Brans-Dicke theory. This solution models a central matter configuration embedded in a cosmological background. In certain regions of the parameter space we find solutions exhibiting dynamical creation or merging of two horizons.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Surface singularities in Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity

Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity was recently proposed as an alternative to general relativity that offers a resolution of spacetime singularities. The theory differs from Einstein's gravity only inside matter due to nondynamical degrees of freedom, and it is compatible with all current observations. We show that the theory is reminiscent of Palatini f(R) gravity and that it shares the same pathologies, such as curvature singularities at the surface of polytropic stars and unacceptable Newtonian limit. This casts serious doubts on its viability.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Horava-Lifshitz gravity with detailed balance

Horava-Lifshitz gravity with "detailed balance" but without the projectability assumption is discussed. It is shown that detailed balance is quite efficient in limiting the proliferation of couplings in Horava-Lifshitz gravity, and that its implementation without the projectability assumption leads to a theory with sensible dynamics. However, the (bare) cosmological constant is restricted to be large and negative.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Scale hierarchy in Horava-Lifshitz gravity: a strong constraint from synchrotron radiation in the Crab nebula

Horava-Lifshitz gravity models contain higher order operators suppressed by a characteristic scale, which is required to be parametrically smaller than the Planck scale. We show that recomputed synchrotron radiation constraints from the Crab nebula suffice to exclude the possibility that this scale is of the same order of magnitude as the Lorentz breaking scale in the matter sector. This highlights the need for a mechanism that suppresses the percolation of Lorentz violation in the matter sector and is effective for higher order operators as well.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

A no-go theorem for slowly rotating black holes in Horava-Lifshitz gravity

We consider slowly rotating, stationary, axisymmetric black holes in the infrared limit of Horava-Lifshitz gravity. We show that such solutions do not exist, provided that they are regular everywhere apart from the central singularity. This has profound implications for the viability of the theory, considering the astrophysical evidence for the existence of black holes with non-zero spin. NOTE ADDED: A subtlety in the dynamical equivalence between Horava-Lifshitz gravity and Einstein-aether theory has been missed and this has seriously affected the conclusions of this paper. Please see arXiv:1212.1334 for a full discussion

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

The dynamics of metric-affine gravity

Metric-affine theories of gravity provide an interesting alternative to General Relativity: in such an approach, the metric and the affine (not necessarily symmetric) connection are independent quantities. Furthermore, the action should include covariant derivatives of the matter fields, with the covariant derivative naturally defined using the independent connection. As a result, in metric-affine theories a direct coupling involving matter and connection is also present. The role and the dynamics of the connection in such theories is explored. We employ power counting in order to construct the action and search for the minimal requirements it should satisfy for the connection to be dynamical. We find that for the most general action containing lower order invariants of the curvature and the torsion the independent connection does not carry any dynamics. It actually reduces to the role of an auxiliary field and can be completely eliminated algebraically in favour of the metric and the matter field, introducing extra interactions with respect to general relativity. However, we also show that including higher order terms in the action radically changes this picture and excites new degrees of freedom in the connection, making it (or parts of it) dynamical. Constructing actions that constitute exceptions to this rule requires significant fine tuned and/or extra a priori constraints on the connection. We also consider f(R) actions as a particular example in order to show that they constitute a distinct class of metric-affine theories with special properties, and as such they cannot be used as representative toy theories to study the properties of metric-affine gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Dynamical apparent horizons in inhomogeneous Brans-Dicke universes

The presence and evolution of apparent horizons in a two-parameter family of spherically symmetric, time-dependent solutions of Brans-Dicke gravity are analyzed. These solutions were introduced to model space- and time-varying gravitational couplings and are supposed to represent central objects embedded in a spatially flat universe. We find that the solutions possess multiple evolving apparent horizons, both black hole horizons covering a central singularity and cosmological ones. It is not uncommon for two of these horizons to merge, leaving behind a naked singularity covered only by a cosmological horizon. Two characteristic limits are also explicitly worked out: the limit where the theory reduces to general relativity and the limit where the solutions become static. The physical relevance of this family of solutions is discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Horava-Lifshitz gravity: detailed balance revisited

We attempt a critical reconsideration of "detailed balance" as a principle that can be used to restrict the proliferation of couplings in Horava-Lifshitz gravity. We re-examine the shortcomings that have been usually associated with it in the literature and we argue that easy remedies can be found for all of them within the framework of detailed balance, and that the most persistent of them are actually related to projectability. We show that, once projectability is abandoned, detailed balance reduces the number of independent couplings by roughly an order of magnitude and imposes only one restriction that constitutes a phenomenological concern: the size of the (bare) cosmological constant is unacceptably large. Remarkably, this restriction (which is present in the projectable version as well) has been so far under-appreciated in the literature. Optimists might prefer to interpret it as a potential blessing in disguise, as it allows one to entertain the idea of a miraculous cancelation between the bare cosmological constant and the (still poorly understood) vacuum energy contribution.

hep-th↗