arXiv subjects

Tomi Koivisto

Publications and source records attributed to Tomi Koivisto.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

The spectrum of symmetric teleparallel gravity

General Relativity and its higher derivative extensions have symmetric teleparallel reformulations in terms of the non-metricity tensor within a torsion-free and flat geometry. These notes present a derivation of the exact propagator for the most general infinite-derivative, even-parity and generally covariant theory in the symmetric teleparallel spacetime. The action made up of the non-metricity tensor and its contractions is decomposed into terms involving the metric and a gauge vector field and is found to complement the previously known non-local ghost- and singularity-free theories.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Spacetime and dark matter from spontaneous breaking of Lorentz symmetry

It is shown that a spontaneously-broken gauge theory of the Lorentz group contains Ashtekar's chiral formulation of General Relativity accompanied by dust. From this perspective, gravity is described entirely by a connection $ω$ valued in the Lie algebra of the complexified Lorentz group and a Lorentz-charged scalar field $τ$. The model is "pre-geometric" in the sense that the spacetime metric may be constructed only in the symmetry-broken regime. We speculate on the extent to which this dust may account for dark matter and on the behaviour of the theory in regimes where the symmetry is not broken.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Scale transformations in metric-affine geometry

This article presents an exhaustive classification of metric-affine theories according to their scale symmetries. First it is clarified that there are three relevant definitions of a scale transformation. These correspond to a projective transformation of the connection, a rescaling of the orthonormal frame, and a combination of the two. The most general second order quadratic metric-affine action, including the parity-violating terms, is constructed in each of the three cases. The results can be straightforwardly generalised by including higher derivatives, and implemented in the general metric-affine, teleparallel, and symmetric teleparallel geometries.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

The spectrum of teleparallel gravity

The observer's frame is the more elementary description of the gravitational field than the metric. The most general covariant, even-parity quadratic form for the frame field in arbitrary dimension generalises the New General Relativity by nine functions of the d'Alembertian operator. The degrees of freedom are clarified by a covariant derivation of the propagator. The consistent and viable models can incorporate an ultra-violet completion of the gravity theory, an additional polarisation of the gravitational wave, and the dynamics of a magnetic scalar potential.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Coincident General Relativity

The metric-affine variational principle is applied to generate teleparallel and symmetric teleparallel theories of gravity. From the latter is discovered an exceptional class which is consistent with a vanishing affine connection. Based on this remarkable property, this work proposes a simpler geometrical formulation of General Relativity that is oblivious to the affine spacetime structure, thus fundamentally depriving gravity of any inertial character. The resulting theory is described by the Hilbert action purged from the boundary term and is more robustly underpinned by the spin-2 field theory, where an extra symmetry is now manifest, possibly related to the double copy structure of the gravity amplitudes. This construction also provides a novel starting point for modified gravity theories, and the paper presents new and simple generalisations where analytical self-accelerating cosmological solutions arise naturally in the early and late time universe.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Cosmological perturbations in modified teleparallel gravity models

Cosmological perturbations are considered in $f(T)$ and in scalar-torsion $f(φ)T$ teleparallel models of gravity. Full sets of linear perturbation equations are accurately derived and analysed at the relevant limits. Interesting features of generalisations to other teleparallel models, spatially curved backgrounds, and rotated tetrads are pointed out.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Teleparallel Palatini theories

The Palatini formalism is developed for gravitational theories in flat geometries. We focus on two particularly interesting scenarios. First, we fix the connection to be metric compatible, but we follow a completely covariant approach by imposing the constraints with suitable Lagrange multipliers. For a general quadratic theory we show how torsion naturally propagates and we reproduce the Teleparallel Equivalent of General Relativity as a particular quadratic action that features an additional Lorentz symmetry. We then study the much less explored theories formulated in a geometry with neither curvature nor torsion, so that all the geometrical information is encoded in the non-metricity. We discuss how this geometrical framework leads to a purely inertial connection that can thus be completely removed by a coordinate gauge choice, the coincident gauge. From the quadratic theory we recover a simpler formulation of General Relativity in the form of the Einstein action, which enjoys an enhanced symmetry that reduces to a second linearised diffeomorphism at linear order. More general theories in both geometries can be formulated consistently by taking into account the inertial connection and the associated additional degrees of freedom. As immediate applications, the new cosmological equations and their Newtonian limit are considered, where the role of the lapse in the consistency of the equations is clarified, and the Schwarzschild black hole entropy is computed by evaluating the corresponding Euclidean action. We discuss how the boundary terms in the usual formulation of General Relativity are related to different choices of coordinates in its coincident version and show that in isotropic coordinates the Euclidean action is finite without the need to introduce boundary or normalisation terms.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

On an integrable geometrical foundation of gravity

In a talk at the conference {\it Geometrical Foundations of Gravity at Tartu 2017}, it was suggested that the affine spacetime connection could be associated with purely fictitious forces. This leads to gravitation in a flat and smooth geometry. Fermions are found to nevertheless couple with the metrical connection and a phase gauge field. The theory is reviewed in this proceeding, in a Palatini and in a metric-affine gauge formulation.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Stability of disformally coupled accretion disks

The no-hair theorem postulates that the only externally observable properties of a black hole are its mass, its electric charge, and its angular momentum. In scalar-tensor theories of gravity, a matter distribution around a black hole can lead to the so called "spontaneous scalarisation" instability that triggers the development of scalar hair. In the Brans-Dicke type theories, this effect can be understood as a result of tachyonic effective mass of the scalar field. Here we consider the instability in the generalised class of scalar-theories that feature non-conformal, i.e. "disformal", couplings to matter. Such theories have gained considerable interest in the recent years and have been studied in a wide variety of systems, both cosmological and astrophysical. In view of the prospects of gravitational wave astronomy, it is relevant to explore the implications of the theories in the strong-gravity regime. In this article, we concentrate on the spontaneous scalarisation of matter configurations around Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes. We find that in the more generic scalar-tensor theories, the instability of the Brans-Dicke theory can be enhanced, suggesting violations of the no-hair theorem. On the other hand, we find that, especially if the coupling is very strong, or if the gradients in the matter distribution are negligible, the disformal coupling tends to stabilise the system.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

On the covariance of teleparallel gravity theories

The basics of teleparallel gravity and its extensions are reviewed with particular emphasis on the problem of Lorentz-breaking choice of connection in pure-tetrad versions of the theories. Various possible ways to covariantise such models are discussed. A by-product is a new form of $f(T)$ field equations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

A note on viability of nonminimally coupled $f(R)$ theory

Consistency conditions for nonminimally coupled $f(R)$ theories have been derived by requiring the absence of tachyons and instabilities in the scalar fluctuations. This note confirms these results and clarifies a subtlety regarding different definitions of sound speeds.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Non-Gaussianity in multi-sound-speed disformally coupled inflation

Most, if not all, scalar-tensor theories are equivalent to General Relativity with a disformally coupled matter sector. In extra-dimensional theories such a coupling can be understood as a result of induction of the metric on a brane that matter is confined to. This article presents a first look at the non-Gaussianities in disformally coupled inflation, a simple two-field model that features a novel kinetic interaction. Cases with both canonical and Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) kinetic terms are taken into account, the latter motivated by the possible extra-dimensional origin of the disformality. The computations are carried out for the equilateral configuration in the slow-roll regime, wherein it is found that the non-Gaussianity is typically rather small and negative. This is despite the fact that the new kinetic interaction causes the perturbation modes to propagate with different sounds speeds, which may both significantly deviate from unity during inflation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Anisotropic non-Gaussianity from Rotational Symmetry Breaking Excited Initial States

If the initial quantum state of the primordial perturbations broke rotational invariance, that would be seen as a statistical anisotropy in the angular correlations of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) temperature fluctuations. This can be described by a general parameterisation of the initial conditions that takes into account the possible direction-dependence of both the amplitude and the phase of particle creation during inflation. The leading effect in the CMBR two-point function is typically a quadrupole modulation, whose coefficient is analytically constrained here to be $|B| \lesssim 0.06$. The CMBR three-point function then acquires enhanced non-gaussianity, especially for the local configurations. In the large occupation number limit, a distinctive prediction is a modulation of the non-gaussianity around a mean value depending on the angle that short and long wavelength modes make with the preferred direction. The maximal variations with respect to the mean value occur for the configurations which are coplanar with the preferred direction and the amplitude of the non-gaussianity increases (decreases) for the short wavelength modes aligned with (perpendicular to) the preferred direction. For a high scale model of inflation with maximally pumped up isotropic occupation and $ε\simeq 0.01$ the difference between these two configurations is about $0.27$, which could be detectable in the future. For purely anisotropic particle creation, the non-Gaussianity can be larger and its anisotropic feature very sharp. The non-gaussianity can then reach $f_{NL} \sim 30$ in the preferred direction while disappearing from the correlations in the orthogonal plane.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Hemispherical Anomaly from Asymmetric Initial States

We investigate if the hemispherical asymmetry in the CMB is produced from "asymmetric" excited initial condition. We show that in the limit where the deviations from the Bunch-Davies vacuum is large and the scale of new physics is maximally separated from the inflationary Hubble parameter, the primordial power spectrum is modulated only by position dependent dipole and quadrupole terms. Requiring the dipole contribution in the power spectrum to account for the observed power asymmetry, $A=0.07\pm0.022$, we show that the amount of quadrupole terms is roughly equal to $A^2$. The {\it mean} local bispectrum, which gets enhanced for the excited initial state, is within the $1σ$ bound of Planck 2015 results for a large field model, $f_{\rm NL}\simeq 4.17$, but is reachable by future CMB experiments. The amplitude of the local non-gaussianity modulates around this mean value, depending on the angle that the correlated patches on the 2d CMB surface make with the preferred direction. The amount of variation minimizes for the configuration in which the short and long wavelengths modes are around the preferred pole and $|\vec k_3|\approx |\vec k_{l\approx10}|\ll |\vec k_1|\approx |\vec k_2|\approx |\vec k_{l\approx2500}|$ with $f_{\rm NL}^{\rm min}\approx 3.64 $. The maximum occurs when these modes are at the antipode of the preferred pole, $f_{\rm NL}^{\rm max}\approx 4.81$ . The difference of non-gaussianity between these two configurations is as large as $\simeq 1.17$ which can be used to distinguish this scenario from other scenarios that try to explain the observed hemispherical asymmetry.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Cosmology and Fundamental Physics with the Euclid Satellite

Euclid is a European Space Agency medium class mission selected for launch in 2020 within the Cosmic Vision 2015 2025 program. The main goal of Euclid is to understand the origin of the accelerated expansion of the universe. Euclid will explore the expansion history of the universe and the evolution of cosmic structures by measuring shapes and redshifts of galaxies as well as the distribution of clusters of galaxies over a large fraction of the sky. Although the main driver for Euclid is the nature of dark energy, Euclid science covers a vast range of topics, from cosmology to galaxy evolution to planetary research. In this review we focus on cosmology and fundamental physics, with a strong emphasis on science beyond the current standard models. We discuss five broad topics: dark energy and modified gravity, dark matter, initial conditions, basic assumptions and questions of methodology in the data analysis. This review has been planned and carried out within Euclid's Theory Working Group and is meant to provide a guide to the scientific themes that will underlie the activity of the group during the preparation of the Euclid mission.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Disformally coupled inflation

A disformal coupling between two scalar fields is considered in the context of cosmological inflation. The coupling introduces novel derivative interactions mixing the kinetic terms of the fields but without introducing superluminal or unstable propagation of the two scalar fluctuation modes. Though the typical effect of the disformal coupling is to inhibit one of the fields from inflating the universe, the energy density of the other field can drive viable near Sitter -inflation in the presence of nontrivial disformal dynamics, in particular when one assumes exponential instead of power-law form for the couplings. The linear perturbation equations are written for the two-field system, its canonical degrees of freedom are quantised, their spectra are derived and the inflationary predictions are reported for numerically solved exponential models. A generic prediction is low tensor-to-scalar ratio.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Effectively nonlocal metric-affine gravity

In metric-affine theories of gravity such as the C-theories, the spacetime connection is associated to a metric that is nontrivially related to the physical metric. In this article, such theories are rewritten in terms of a single metric and it is shown that they can be recast as effectively nonlocal gravity. With some assumptions, known ghost-free theories with non-singular and cosmologically interesting properties may be recovered. Relations between different formulations are analysed at both perturbative and nonperturbative levels taking carefully into account subtleties with boundary conditions in the presence of integral operators in the action, and equivalences between theories related by nonlocal redefinitions of the fields are verified at the level of equations of motion. This suggests a possible geometrical interpretation of nonlocal gravity as an emergent property of non-Riemannian spacetime structure.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Anisotropic cosmology and inflation from tilted Bianchi IX model

The dynamics of the tilted axisymmetric Bianchi IX cosmological models are explored allowing energy flux in the source fluid. The Einstein equations and the continuity equation are presented treating the equation of state $w$ and the tilt angle of the fluid $λ$ as time dependent functions, but when analysing the phase space $w$ and $λ$ are considered free parameters and the shear, the vorticity and the curvature of the spacetime span a three-dimensional phase space that contains seven fixed points. One of them is an attractor that inflates the universe anisotropically, thus providing a counter example to the cosmic no-hair conjecture. Also, examples of a realistic though fine-tuned cosmologies are presented wherein the rotation can grow significant towards the present epoch but the shear stays within the observational bounds. The examples suggest that the model used here can explain the parity-violating anomalies of the cosmic microwave background. The result significantly differs from an earlier study, where a non-axisymmetric Bianchi IX type with a tilted perfect dust source was found to induce too much shear for observationally significant vorticity.

astro-ph.CO↗