arXiv subjects

V. K. Oikonomou

Publications and source records attributed to V. K. Oikonomou.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Early Dark Energy with Power-law F(R) Gravity

We study a power-law $F(R)$ gravity with an early dark energy term, that can describe both the early-time and the late-time acceleration of the Universe. We confront this scenario with recent observational data including the Pantheon Type Ia supernovae, measurements of the Hubble parameter $H(z)$ (Cosmic Chronometers), data from Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and standard rulers data from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. The model demonstrates some achievements in confronting with these observations and can be compared with the $Λ$-Cold-Dark-Matter model. In particular, in both models we obtain very close estimates for the Hubble constant $H_0$, but it is not true for $Ω_m^0$. The early dark energy term supports viability of the considered $F(R)$ gravity model.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Inflationary Attractors Predictions for Static Neutron Stars in the Mass-Gap Region

In this work we study static neutron stars in the context of several inflationary models which are popular in cosmology. These inflationary models are non-minimally coupled scalar theories which yield a viable inflationary phenomenology in both Jordan and Einstein frames. By considering the constraints from inflationary theories, which basically determine the values of the potential strength, usually considered as a free parameter in astrophysical neutron star works, we construct and solve the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations using a solid python-3 LSODA integrator. For our study we consider several popular inflationary models, such as the universal attractors, the $R^p$ attractors (three distinct model values), the induced inflation, the quadratic inflation, the Higgs inflation and the $a$-attractors (two distinct model values) and for the following popular equations of state the WFF1, the SLy, the APR, the MS1, the AP3, the AP4, the ENG, the MPA1 and the MS1b. We construct the $M-R$ diagram and we confront the resulting theory with theoretical and observational constraints. As we demonstrate, remarkably, all the neutron stars produced by all the inflationary models we considered are compatible with all the constraints for the MPA1 equation of state. It is notable that for this particular equation of state, the maximum masses of the neutron stars are in the mass-gap region with $M>2.5M_{\odot}$, but lower than the 3 solar masses causal limit. We also make the observation that as the NICER constraints are pushed towards larger radii, as for example in the case of the black widow pulsar PSR J0952-0607, it seems that equations of state that produce neutron stars with maximum masses in the mass gap region, with $M>2.5M_{\odot}$, but lower than the 3 solar masses causal limit, are favored and are compatible with the modified NICER constraints.

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arXiv2023

Effects of the Axion Through the Higgs Portal on Primordial Gravitational Waves During the Electroweak Breaking

We investigate the effects of short axion kination eras on the energy spectrum of the primordial gravitational waves corresponding to modes that re-enter the Hubble horizon at the post-electroweak symmetry breaking epoch, well within the radiation domination era. Our main assumption is the existence of an extremely weakly coupled hidden sector between the Higgs and the axion, materialized by higher order non-renormalizable dimension six and dimension eight operators, active at a scale M of the order 20-100TeV. This new physics scale M which is way higher than the electroweak scale, is motivated by the lack of new particle observations in the large hadron collider to date, beyond the electroweak scale. Once the electroweak symmetry breaking occurs at T\sim 100 GeV, the axion potential acquires a new minimum due to the new terms generated by the electroweak breaking, and the axion oscillations at the origin are destabilized. In effect after some considerable amount of time, the axion rolls swiftly to its new minimum, experiencing a short kination epoch, where its energy density redshifts as $ρ_a\sim a^{-6}$. After it reaches the new minimum, since the latter is energetically less favorable that the Higgs minimum, it decays to the Higgs minimum and the Universe is described again by the Higgs minimum. The axion returns to the origin and commences again oscillations initiated by quantum fluctuations, redshifts as dark matter, and the same procedure is repeated perpetually. These short axion kination eras may disturb the background total equation of state parameter during the radiation domination era. As we show, the energy spectrum of the gravitational waves mainly depends on how many times the short axion kination epochs occur.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Inflationary Dynamics and Swampland Criteria for Modified Gauss-Bonnet Gravity Compatible with GW170817

In this article we present an alternative formalism for the inflationary phenomenology of rescaled Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet models which are in agreement with the GW170817 event. By constraining the propagation velocity of primordial tensor perturbations, an approximate form for the time derivative of the scalar field coupled to the Gauss-Bonnet density is extracted. In turn, the overall degrees of freedom decrease and similar to the case of the canonical scalar field, only one scalar function needs to be designated, while the other is extracted from the continuity equation of the scalar field. We showcase explicitly that the slow-roll indices can be written in a closed form as functions of three dimensionless parameters, namely $x=\frac{1}{2α}\bigg(\frac{κξ'}{ξ''}\bigg)^2$, $β=8H^2ξ''$ and $γ=\frac{ξ'ξ'''}{ξ''^2}$ and in turn, we prove that the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet model can in fact produce a blue-tilted tensor spectral index if the condition $β\geq1$ is satisfied, which is possible only for Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet models with $ξ''(ϕ_k)>0$. Afterwards, a brief comment on the running of the spectral indices is made where it is shown that $a_{\mathcal{S}}(k_*)$ and $a_{\mathcal{T}}(k_*)$ in the constrained case are approximately of the order $\mathcal{O}(10^{-3})$, if not smaller. Last but not least, we examine the conditions under which the Swampland criteria are satisfied. We connect the tracking condition related to scalar field theories with the present models, and we highlight the important feature of the models we propose that the tracking condition can be satisfied only if the Swampland criteria are simultaneously satisfied, however the cases with $ξ\sim1/V$ and $ξ\sim V$ are excluded, as they cannot describe the inflationary era properly.

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arXiv2023

Swampland Criteria and Constraints on Inflation in a $f(R,T)$ Gravity Theory

In this paper, we worked in the framework of an inflationary $f(R,T)$ theory, in the presence of a canonical scalar field. More specifically, the $f(R,T)=γR+2καT$ gravity. The values of the dimensionless parameters $α$ and $γ$ are taken to be $α\geq 0$ and $0 < γ\leq 1$. The motivation for that study was the striking similarities between the slow-roll parameters of the inflationary model used in this work and the ones obtained by the rescaled Einstein-Hilbert gravity inflation $f(R)=αR$. We examined a variety of potentials to determine if they agree with the current Planck Constraints. In addition, we checked whether these models satisfy the Swampland Criteria and we specified the exact region of the parameter space that produces viable results for each model. As we mention in Section IV the inflationary $f(R,T)$ theory used in this work can not produce a positive $n_T$ which implies that the stochastic gravitational wave background will not be detectable.

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arXiv2023

Static Neutron Stars Perspective of Quadratic and Induced Inflationary Attractor Scalar-tensor Theories

This study focuses on the static neutron star perspective for two types of cosmological inflationary attractor theories, namely the induced inflationary attractors and the quadratic inflationary attractors. The two cosmological models can be discriminated cosmologically, since one of the two does not provide a viable inflationary phenomenology, thus in this paper we investigate the predictions of these theories for static neutron stars, mainly focusing on the mass and radii of neutron stars. We aim to demonstrate that although the models have different inflationary phenomenology, the neutron star phenomenology predictions of the two models are quite similar. We solve numerically the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations in the Einstein frame using a powerful double shooting numerical technique, and after deriving the mass-radius graphs for three types of polytropic equations of state, we derive the Jordan frame mass and radii. With regard the equations of state we use polytropic equation of state with the small density part being either the WFF1, the APR or the intermediate stiffness equation of state SLy. The results of our models will be confronted with quite stringent recently developed constraints on the radius of neutron stars with specific mass. As we show, the only equation of state which provides results compatible with the constraints is the SLy, for both the quadratic and induced inflation attractors. Thus nowadays, scalar-tensor descriptions of neutron stars are quite scrutinized due to the growing number of constraining observations, which eventually may also constrain theories of inflation.

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arXiv2023

Kinetic Axion Dark Matter in String Corrected $f(R)$ Gravity

Under the main assumption that the axion scalar field mainly composes the dark matter in the Universe, in this paper we shall extend the formalism of kinetic axion $R^2$ gravity to include Gauss-Bonnet terms non-minimally coupled to the axion field. As we demonstrate, this non-trivial Gauss-Bonnet term has dramatic effects on the inflationary phenomenology and on the kinetic axion scenario. Specifically, in the context of our formalism, the kinetic axion ceases to be kinetically dominated at the end of the inflationary era, since the condition $\dotϕ\simeq 0$ naturally emerges in the theory. Thus, unlike the case of kinetic axion $R^2$ gravity, the Gauss-Bonnet corrected kinetic axion $R^2$ gravity leads to an inflationary era which is not further extended and the reheating era commences right after the inflationary era, driven by the $R^2$ fluctuations.

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arXiv2023

$R^p$ Attractors Static Neutron Star Phenomenology

In this work we study the neutron star phenomenology of $R^p$ attractor theories in the Einstein frame. The Einstein frame $R^p$ attractor theories have the attractor property that they originate from a large class of Jordan frame scalar theories with arbitrary non-minimal coupling. These theories in the Einstein frame provide a viable class of inflationary models, and in this work we investigate their implications on static neutron stars. We numerically solve the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations in the Einstein frame, for three distinct equations of state, and we provide the mass-radius diagrams for several cases of interest of the $R^p$ attractor theories. We confront the results with several timely constraints on the radii of specific mass neutron stars, and as we show, only a few cases corresponding to specific equations of state pass the stringent tests on neutron stars phenomenology.

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arXiv2022

Formalizing Anisotropic Inflation in Modified Gravity

Motivated by the fact that the pre-inflationary era may evolve in an exotic way, in this work we formalize anisotropic evolution in the context of modified gravity, focusing on pre-inflationary and near the vicinity of the inflationary epochs. We specialize on specific metrics like Bianchi and Taub and we formalize the inflationary theory in vacuum $F(R)$ gravity, in $F(R)$ gravity with an extra scalar field and in Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We discuss the qualitative effects of the anisotropies on the evolution of the Universe and also we consider several specific solutions, like the de Sitter solution, in both the isotropic and anisotropic contexts. Furthermore, several exotic modified gravity cosmological solutions, like the ones which contain finite time singularities, are also discussed in brief.

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arXiv2022

Generalized $R^p$-attractor Cosmology in the Jordan and Einstein Frames: New Type of Attractors and Revisiting Standard Jordan Frame $R^p$ Inflation

In this work we shall study a new class of attractor models which we shall call generalized $R^p$-attractor models. This class of models is based on a generalization of the Einstein frame potential of $R^p$ $f(R)$ gravity models in the Jordan frame. We present the attractor properties of the corresponding non-minimally coupled Jordan frame theory, and we calculate the observational indices of inflation in the Einstein frame. As we show, there is a large class of non-minimally coupled scalar theories, with an arbitrary non-minimal coupling which satisfies certain conditions, that yield the same Einstein frame potential, this is why these models are characterized attractors. As we demonstrate, the generalized $R^p$-attractor models are viable and well fitted within the Planck constraints. This includes the subclass of the generalized $R^p$-attractor models, namely the Einstein frame potential of $R^p$ inflation in the Jordan frame, a feature also known in the literature. We also highlight an important issue related to the $R^p$ inflation in the Jordan frame, which is known to be non-viable. By conformal invariance, the $R^p$ inflation model should also be viable in the Jordan frame, which is not. We pinpoint the source of the problem using two different approaches in the $f(R)$ gravity Jordan frame, and as we demonstrate, the problem arises in the literature due to some standard simplifications made for the sake of analyticity. We demonstrate the correct way to analyze $R^p$ inflation in the Jordan frame, using solely the slow-roll conditions.

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arXiv2022

Effects of a Pre-inflationary de Sitter Bounce on the Primordial Gravitational Waves in $f(R)$ Gravity Theories

In this work we examine the effects of a pre-inflationary de Sitter bounce on the energy spectrum of the primordial gravitational waves. Specifically we assume that the Universe is described by several evolution patches, starting with a de Sitter pre-inflationary bounce which is followed by an quasi-de Sitter slow-roll inflationary era, followed by a constant equation of state parameter abnormal reheating era, which is followed by the radiation and matter domination eras and the late-time acceleration eras. The bounce and the inflationary era can be realized by vacuum $f(R)$ gravity and the abnormal reheating and the late-time acceleration eras by the synergy of $f(R)$ gravity and the prefect matter fluids present. Using well-known reconstruction techniques we find which $f(R)$ gravity can realize each evolution patch, except from the matter and radiation domination eras which are realized by the corresponding matter fluids. Accordingly, we calculate the damping factor of the primordial de Sitter bounce, and as we show, the signal can be detected by only one gravitational wave future experiment, in contrast to the case in which the bounce is absent. We discuss in detail the consequences of our results and the future perspectives.

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arXiv2022

Amplification of the Primordial Gravitational Waves Energy Spectrum by a Kinetic Scalar in $F(R)$ Gravity

In this work we consider a combined theoretical framework comprised by $F(R)$ gravity and a kinetic scalar field. The kinetic energy of the scalar field dominates over its potential for all cosmic times, and the kinetic scalar potential is chosen to be small and non-trivial. In this case, we show that the primordial gravitational wave energy spectrum of vacuum $F(R)$ gravity is significantly enhanced and can be detectable in future interferometers. The kinetic scalar thus affects significantly the inflationary era, since it extends its duration, but also has an overall amplifying effect on the energy spectrum of pure $F(R)$ gravity primordial gravitational waves. The form of the signal is characteristic for all these theories, since it is basically flat and should be detectable from all future gravitational wave experiments for a wide range of frequencies, unless some unknown damping factor occurs due to some unknown physical process.

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arXiv2022

$R^2$ Gravity Effects on the Kinetic Axion Phase Space

In this work we consider the effect of an $R^2$ term on the kinetic misalignment axion theory. By using the slow-roll assumptions during inflation and the field equations, we construct an autonomous dynamical system for the kinetic axion, including the effects of the $R^2$ term and we solve numerically the dynamical system. As we demonstrate, the pure kinetic axion attractor is transposed to the right in the field phase space, and it is no longer $(ϕ,\dotϕ)=(\langle ϕ\rangle,0)$, but it is $(ϕ,\dotϕ)=(\langle ϕ'\rangle,0)$, with $\langle ϕ'\rangle\neq 0$ some non-zero value of the scalar field with $\langle ϕ'\rangle> \langle ϕ\rangle$. This feature indicates that the kinetic axion mechanism is enhanced, and the axion oscillations are further delayed, compared with the pure kinetic axion case. The phenomenological implications on the duration of the inflationary era, on the commencing of the reheating era and the reheating temperature, are also discussed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Probing our Universe's Past Using Earth's Geological and Climatological History and Shadows of Galactic Black Holes

In this short review, we discuss how Earth's climatological and geological history and also how the shadows of galactic black holes might reveal our Universe's past evolution. Specifically we point out that a pressure singularity that occurred in our Universe's past might have left its imprint on Earth's geological and climatological history and on the shadows of cosmological black holes. Our approach is based on the fact that the $H_0$ tension problem may be resolved if some sort of abrupt physics change occurred in our Universe $70-150\,$Myrs ago, an abrupt change that deeply affected the Cepheid parameters. We review how such an abrupt physics change might have been caused in our Universe by a smooth passage of it through a pressure finite-time singularity. Such finite-time singularities might occur in modified gravity and specifically in $F(R)$ gravity, so we show how modified gravity might drive this type of evolution, without resorting to peculiar cosmic fluids or scalar fields. The presence of such a pressure singularity can distort the elliptic trajectories of bound objects in the Universe, causing possible geological and climatological changes on Earth, if its elliptic trajectory around the Sun might have changed. Also, such a pressure singularity affects directly the circular photon orbits around supermassive galactic black holes existing at cosmological redshift distances, thus the shadows of some cosmological black holes at redshifts $z\leq 0.01$, might look different in shape, compared with the SgrA* and M87* supermassive black holes. This feature however can be checked experimentally in the very far future.

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arXiv2022

Dissimilar Donuts in the Sky? Effects of a Pressure Singularity on the Circular Photon Orbits and Shadow of a Cosmological Black Hole

The black hole observations obtained so far indicate one thing: similar "donuts" exist in the sky. But what if some of the observed black hole shadows that will obtained in the future are different from the others? In this work the aim is to show that a difference in the shadow of some observed black holes in the future, might explain the $H_0$-tension problem. In this letter we investigate the possible effects of a pressure cosmological singularity on the circular photon orbits and the shadow of galactic supermassive black holes at cosmological redshifts. Since the pressure singularity is a global event in the Universe, the effects of the pressure singularity will be imposed on supermassive black holes at a specific redshift. As we show, the pressure singularity affects the circular photon orbits around cosmological black holes described by the McVittie metric, and specifically, for some time before the time instance that the singularity occurs, the photon orbits do not exist. We discuss the possible effects of the absence of circular photon orbits on the shadow of these black holes. Our idea indicates that if a pressure singularity occurred in the near past, then this could have a direct imprint on the shadow of supermassive galactic black holes at the redshift corresponding to the time instance that the singularity occurred in the past. Thus, if a sample of shadows is observed in the future for redshifts $z\leq 0.01$, and for a specific redshift differences are found in the shadows, this could be an indication that a pressure singularity occurred, and this global event might resolve the $H_0$-tension as discussed in previous work. However, the observation of several shadows at redshifts $z\leq 0.01$ is rather a far future task.

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arXiv2022

Kinetic Axion $F(R)$ Gravity Inflation

In this work we investigate the quantitative effects of the misalignment kinetic axion on $R^2$ inflation. Due to the fact that the kinetic axion possesses a large kinetic energy which dominates its potential energy, during inflation its energy density redshifts as stiff matter fluid and evolves in a constant-roll way, making the second slow-roll index to be non-trivial. At the equations of motion level, the $R^2$ term dominates the evolution, thus the next possible effect of the axion could be found at the cosmological perturbations level, via the second slow-roll index which is non-trivial. As we show, the latter elegantly cancels from the observational indices, however, the kinetic axion extends the duration of the inflationary era to an extent that it may cause a 15$\%$ decrease in the tensor-to-scalar ratio of the vacuum $R^2$ model. This occurs because as the $R^2$ model approaches its unstable quasi-de Sitter attractor in the phase space of $F(R)$ gravity due to the $\langle R^2 \rangle $ fluctuations, the kinetic axion dominates over the $R^2$ inflation and in effect the background equation of state is described by a stiff era, or equivalently a kination era, different from the ordinary radiation domination era. This in turn affects the duration of the inflationary era, increasing the $e$-foldings number up to $5$ $e$-foldings in some cases, depending on the reheating temperature, which in turn has a significant quantitative effect on the observational indices of inflation and especially on the tensor-to-scalar ratio.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Running of the Spectral Index and Inflationary Dynamics of $F(R)$ Gravity

In this work we shall provide a model-independent general calculation of the running of the spectral index for vacuum $F(R)$ gravities. We shall exploit the functional form of the spectral index and of the tensor-to-scalar ratio in order to present a general $n_s-r$ relation for vacuum $F(R)$ gravity theories. As we show, viable $F(R)$ gravity theories can be classified to two classes of models regarding their prediction for the running spectral index. The $R^2$-attractor models predict a running of the spectral index in the range $-10^{-3}<a_s<-10^{-4}$, which classifies them in the same universality class that most inflationary scalar field models belong to. We provide three models of this sort, for which we verify our claims in detail. However there exist viable $F(R)$ gravity models with running of spectral index outside the range $-10^{-3}<a_s<-10^{-4}$ and in some cases it can be positive. We also present an $R^2$-corrected scalar field model, which also predicts a running of the spectral index in the range $-10^{-3}<a_s<-10^{-4}$. For all the cases we studied, we found no evidence for the most phenomenologically interesting scenario of having $r<10^{-4}$ and a running $a_s<-10^{-3}$, which in principle could be realized.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Effects of a Geometrically Realized Early Dark Energy Era on the Spectrum of Primordial Gravitational Waves

In this work we investigate the effects of a geometrically generated early dark energy era on the energy spectrum of the primordial gravitational waves. The early dark energy era, which we choose it to have a constant equation of state parameter $w$, is synergistically generated by an appropriate $f(R)$ gravity in the presence of matter and radiation perfect fluids. As we demonstrate, the predicted signal for the energy spectrum of the $f(R)$ primordial gravitational waves is amplified and can be detectable, for various reheating temperatures, especially for large reheating temperatures. The signal amplitude depends on the duration of the early dark energy era and on the value of the dark energy equation of state parameter, with the most latter affecting more crucially the amplification. Specifically the amplification occurs when the equation of state parameter approaches the de Sitter value $w=-1$. Regarding the duration of the early dark energy era, we find that the largest amplification occurs when the early dark energy era commences at a temperature $T=0.85\,$eV until $T=7.8\,$eV. Moreover we study a similar scenario in which amplification occurs, where the early dark energy era commences at $T=0.29\,$eV and lasts until the temperature is increased by $ΔT\sim 1.7\,$eV.

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