Gravitation as anholonomy

A gravitational field can be seen as the anholonomy of the tetrad fields. This is more explicit in the teleparallel approach, in which the gravitational field-strength is the torsion of the ensuing Weitzenbock connection. In a tetrad frame, that torsion is just the anholonomy of that frame. The infinitely many tetrad fields taking the Lorentz metric into a given Riemannian metric differ by point-dependent Lorentz transformations. Inertial frames constitute a smaller infinity of them, differing by fixed-point Lorentz transformations. Holonomic tetrads take the Lorentz metric into itself, and correspond to Minkowski flat spacetime. An accelerated frame is necessarily anholonomic and sees the electromagnetic field strength with an additional term.

Gravitation: global formulation and quantum effects

A non-integrable phase-factor global approach to gravitation is developed by using the similarity of teleparallel gravity to electromagnetism. The phase shifts of both the COW and the gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effects are obtained. It is then shown, by considering a simple slit experiment, that in the classical limit the global approach yields the same result as the gravitational Lorentz force equation of teleparallel gravity. It represents, therefore, the quantum mechanical version of the classical description provided by the gravitational Lorentz force equation. As teleparallel gravity can be formulated independently of the equivalence principle, it will consequently require no generalization of this principle at the quantum level.

Torsion gravity: A reappraisal

The role played by torsion in gravitation is critically reviewed. After a description of the problems and controversies involving the physics of torsion, a comprehensive presentation of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity is made. According to this theory, curvature and torsion are alternative ways of describing the gravitational field, and consequently related to the same degrees of freedom of gravity. However, more general gravity theories, like for example Einstein-Cartan and gauge theories for the Poincare and the affine groups, consider curvature and torsion as representing independent degrees of freedom. By using an active version of the strong equivalence principle, a possible solution to this conceptual question is reviewed. This solution ultimately favors the teleparallel point of view, and consequently the completeness of general relativity. A discussion of the consequences for gravitation is presented.

The energy of Bianchi type I and II universes in teleparallel gravity

For certain models, the energy of the universe, which includes the energy of both matter and the gravitational fields, is obtained by using the quasi-local energy-momentum in teleparallel gravity. It is shown that, in the case of the Bianchi type I and II universes, not only the total energy but also the quasi-local energy-momentum for any region vanishes independently of the three dimensionless coupling constants of teleparallel gravity.

Fierz-Pauli higher derivative gravity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Bending of light in the framework of R + R2 gravity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Cosmic acceleration from second order gauge gravity

We construct a phenomenological theory of gravitation based on a second order gauge formulation for the Lorentz group. The model presents a long-range modification for the gravitational field leading to a cosmological model provided with an accelerated expansion at recent times. We estimate the model parameters using observational data and verify that our estimative for the age of the Universe is of the same magnitude than the one predicted by the standard model. The transition from the decelerated expansion regime to the accelerated one occurs recently (at similar to 9.3 Gyr).

Black-hole back-reaction - a toy model

Using a kink of arbitrary shape as a toy model for a black hole ( horizon), we study the back-reaction of the evaporation process and find that the horizon is always pushed back ( as in the gravitational case). The associated heat capacity and entropy variation, on the other hand, can be positive or negative, depending on the parameters.

Higgsing M2 to D2 with gravity: N=6 chiral supergravity from topologically gauged ABJM theory

We present the higgsing of three-dimensional N = 6 superconformal ABJM type theories coupled to conformal supergravity, so called topologically gauged ABJM theory, thus providing a gravitational extension of previous work on the relation between N M2 and N D2-branes. The resulting N = 6 supergravity theory appears at a chiral point similar to that of three-dimensional chiral gravity introduced recently by Li, Song and Strominger, but with the opposite sign for the Ricci scalar term in the lagrangian. We identify the supersymmetry in the broken phase as a particular linear combination of the supersymmetry and special conformal supersymmetry in the original topologically gauged ABJM theory. We also discuss the higgsing procedure in detail paying special attention to the role played by the U(1) factors in the original ABJM model and the U(1) introduced in the topological gauging.

Spin-2 Fields and Helicity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Positive tension 3-branes in an AdS(5) bulk

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Gauge formulation for higher order gravity

This work is an application of the second order gauge theory for the Lorentz group, where a description of the gravitational interaction is obtained that includes derivatives of the curvature. We analyze the form of the second field strength, G=partial derivative F+fAF, in terms of geometrical variables. All possible independent Lagrangians constructed with quadratic contractions of F and quadratic contractions of G are analyzed. The equations of motion for a particular Lagrangian, which is analogous to Podolsky's term of his generalized electrodynamics, are calculated. The static isotropic solution in the linear approximation was found, exhibiting the regular Newtonian behavior at short distances as well as a meso-large distance modification.

Towards a UV completion of chameleons in string theory

Chameleons are scalar fields that couple directly to ordinary matter with gravitational strength, but which nevertheless evade the stringent constraints on tests of gravity because of properties they acquire in the presence of high ambient matter density. Chameleon theories were originally constructed in a bottom-up, phenomenological fashion, with potentials and matter couplings designed to hide the scalar from experiments. In this paper, we attempt to embed the chameleon scenario within string compactifications, thus UV completing the scenario. We look for stabilized potentials that can realize a screening mechanism, and we find that the volume modulus rather generically works as a chameleon, and in fact the supersymmetric potential used by Kachru, Kallosh, Linde and Trivedi (KKLT) is an example of this type. We consider all constraints from tests of gravity, allowing us to put experimental constraints on the KKLT parameters.

Towards a hybrid compactification with a scalar-tensor global cosmic string

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Spherical collapse in chameleon models

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)