Non-Affine Extensions of the Raychaudhuri Equation in the K-essence Framework
Abstract
We present a new avenue of the Raychaudhuri Equation (RE) by introducing a non-affine parametrization within the k-essence framework. This modification accounts for non-geodesic flow curves, leading to emergent repulsive effects in cosmic evolution. Using a DBI-type k-essence Lagrangian, we derive a modified RE and demonstrate its ability to address the Hubble tension while predicting a natural emergence of a dynamical dark energy equation of state. Our Bayesian analysis, constrained by cosmological data, supports the theoretical scaling relation of the k-essence field () and the cosmic scale factor (). Furthermore, we reinterpret the modified RE as an anti-damped harmonic oscillator, we found a caustic avoidance signature, it may reveal classical or quantum-like effects in cosmic expansion. These results suggest a deep connection between scalar field dynamics and modified gravity, offering new perspectives on the nature of the expansion history of the universe.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2503.03076,
title = {Non-Affine Extensions of the Raychaudhuri Equation in the K-essence Framework},
author = {Samit Ganguly and Goutam Manna and Debashis Gangopadhyay and Eduardo Guendelman and Abhijit Bhattacharyya},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2503.03076},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
15 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables, Accepted from Physics Letters B