Related papers: Thermal instability in a gravity-like scalar theor…
Recently a scale invariant theory of gravity was constructed by imposing a conformal symmetry on general relativity. The imposition of this symmetry changed the configuration space from superspace - the space of all Riemannian 3-metrics…
We investigate a puzzle in the recent thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity, in which general relativity is a zero-temperature state of equilibrium and scalar-tensor gravity is the non-equilibrium configuration of an effective dissipative…
Thermodynamics provides a useful interpretation of scalar-tensor gravity, in which the effective imperfect fluid admitted by the nonminimal coupling features a temperature that is associated with the departure from general relativity.…
Conserved quantities are obtained and analyzed in the new models with global scale invariance recently proposed. Such models allow for non tivial scalar field potentials and masses for particles, so that the scale symmetry must be broken…
We complete previous investigations on the thermodynamics of self-gravitating systems by studying the grand canonical, grand microcanonical and isobaric ensembles. We also discuss the stability of polytropic spheres in the light of a…
Techniques of zero-temperature field theory that have found application in the analysis of field theory at finite temperature are revisited. Specifically, several of the results that are discussed are relevant to the study of…
The stability requirements for a noncommutative scalar field coupled to gravity is investigated through the positive energy theorem. It is shown that for a noncommutative scalar with a polynomial potential, the stability conditions are…
We study the thermal phase transitions of a generic real scalar field, without a $Z_2$-symmetry, referred to variously as an inert, sterile or singlet scalar, or $\phi^3+\phi^4$ theory. Such a scalar field arises in a wide range of models,…
We propose an approach toward understanding the spin glass phase at zero and low temperature by studying the stability of a spin glass ground state against perturbations of a single coupling. After reviewing the concepts of flexibility,…
The construction of the scalar theory based on the concept of gravity as Archimedes' thrust is briefly summarized, emphasizing the two (extreme) possibilities that result from this concept for the gravitational rod contraction: it can…
In this work we consider the 1-component real scalar $\phi^4$ theory in 4 space-time dimensions on the lattice and investigate the finite size scaling of thermodynamic quantities to study whether the thermodynamic limit is attained. The…
The dynamics of classical $\phi^4$ theory under weak and strong thermal gradients is studied. We obtain the thermal conductivity of the theory including its temperature dependence. Under moderately strong thermal gradients, the temperature…
The behavior of fundamental fields in strong gravity or nontrivial environments is important for our understanding of nature. This problem has interesting applications in the context of dark matter, of dark energy physics or of quantum…
We consider a model for gravity that is invariant under global scale transformations. It includes one extra real scalar field coupled non-minimally to the gravity fields. In this model all the dimensionful parameters like the gravitational…
Quantum field theory is constructed upon the assumption of stabilities of the vacuum and of the one-particle state. For finite temperature, the one-particle state becomes unstable because of thermal fluctuations, whereas the thermal vacuum…
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…
We discuss some of the issues which we encounter when we try to invoke the scalar-tensor theories of gravitation as a theoretical basis of quintessence. One of the advantages of appealing to these theories is that they allow us to implement…
We look at vacuum solutions for fields confined in cavities where the boundary conditions can rule out constant field configurations, other than the zero field. If the zero field is unstable, symmetry breaking can occur to a field…
Gravitational instabilities of isothermal spheres are studied in the presence of a positive or negative cosmological constant, in the Newtonian limit. In gravity, the statistical ensembles are not equivalent. We perform the analysis both in…
This paper explores cosmological scenarios in a scalar-tensor theory of gravity, including both a non-minimal coupling with scalar curvature of the form $R\phi^2$ and a non-minimal derivative coupling of the form…