Related papers: Consequences of a Cosmic Scalar with Kinetic Coupl…
In the present work we revisit a model consisting of a scalar field with a quartic self-interaction potential non-minimally (conformally) coupled to gravity [1]. When the scalar field vacuum is in a broken symmetry state, an effective…
In this paper we consider a model of scalar-tensor theory of gravitation in which the scalar field, $\phi$ determines the gravitational coupling G and has a Lagrangian of the form, $\mathcal{L}_{\phi} =-V(\phi)\sqrt{1 -…
We present the gravitational coupling function $\omega(\phi)$ in the vacuum scalar-tensor theory as allowed by the Noether symmetry. We also obtain some exact cosmological solutions in the spatially homogeneous and isotropic background…
Scalar-tensor theories of gravity that embrace conformal coupling to the scalar curvature are the focal point of cosmology on discussions of inflation and late-time accelerating universe. Although there exists a stringent nucleo-synthesis…
We explore a novel cosmological model based on coupled fields in the framework of scalar tensor theories, considering the specific interplay between gravity and scalar fields. The model further extends a recent axion-dilaton system by…
We study a general Scalar-Tensor Theory with an arbitrary coupling funtion $\omega (\phi )$ but also an arbitrary dependence of the ``gravitational constant'' $G(\phi )$ in the cases in which either one of them, or both, do not admit an…
The best motivated alternatives to general relativity are scalar-tensor theories, in which the gravitational interaction is mediated by one or several scalar fields together with the usual graviton. The analysis of their various…
In the framework of teleparallel equivalent of general relativity, we study a gravity theory where a scalar field beyond its minimal coupling, is also coupled with the vector torsion through a non-minimal derivative coupling. After a…
In this work, we consider a generalised gravitational theory that contains the Einstein term, a scalar field and the quadratic Gauss-Bonnet term. We focus on the early-universe dynamics, and demonstrate that a simple choice of the coupling…
We study a scalar field with kinetic term coupled to itself and to the curvature, as a source of dark energy, and analyze the role of this new coupling in the accelerated expansion at large times. In the case of scalar field dominance, the…
Scalar-tensor theory of gravity with non-minimal coupling is a fairly good candidate for dark energy, required to explain late-time cosmic evolution. Here we study the very early stage of evolution of the universe with a modified version of…
Motivated by constant-G theory, we introduce a one-parameter family of scalar-tensor theories as an extension of constant-G theory in which the conformal symmetry is a cosmological attractor. Since the model has the coupling function of…
Scalar-tensor theories of gravity modify General Relativity by introducing a scalar field that couples non-minimally to the metric tensor, while satisfying the weak-equivalence principle. These theories are interesting because they have the…
The cosmological consequences of a slow rolling scalar field with constant kinetic term in analogy to the vertical movement of a skydiver after reaching terminal velocity are investigated. It is shown that the terminal scalar field…
We consider alternative theories of gravity with a direct coupling between matter and the Ricci scalar We study the relation between these theories and ordinary scalar-tensor gravity, or scalar-tensor theories which include non-standard…
Cosmology in extended theories of gravity is considered assuming the Palatini variational principle, for which the metric and connection are independent variables. The field equations are derived to linear order in perturbations about the…
One of the fundamental objectives of contemporary cosmology is to understand the physics of the inflationary universe, owing to its observably verifiable predictions about the very early universe with an energy scale of $\sim 10^{16}$ GeV.…
The paper studies a new type of dark energy, a scalar field with positive or negative kinetic energy, generically coupled to a term which is composed by specific contractions of the Riemann tensor. After presenting the resulting field…
We study Proca theory with non-minimal coupling to gravity through the Ricci tensor and Ricci scalar interactions. We show that in the homogeneous and isotropic Universe together with cosmological constant, the temporal component of the…
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…