Related papers: A minimal set of invariants as a systematic approa…
We compare higher order gravity models to observational constraints from magnitude-redshift supernova data, distance to the last scattering surface of the CMB, and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations. We follow a recently proposed systematic…
We consider general curvature-invariant modifications of the Einstein-Hilbert action that become important only in regions of extremely low space-time curvature. We investigate the far future evolution of the universe in such models,…
There is now overwhelming observational evidence that our Universe is accelerating in its expansion. I discuss how modified gravitational models can provide an explanation for this observed late-time cosmic acceleration. We consider…
Modifications of Einstein's theory of gravitation have been extensively considered in the past years, in connection to both cosmology and quantum gravity. Higher-curvature and higher-derivative gravity theories constitute the main examples…
We construct higher-order curvature invariants in causal set quantum gravity. The motivation for this work is twofold: first, to characterize causal sets, discrete operators that encode geometric information on the emergent spacetime…
An explicitly covariant formulation is presented of a modified DGP scenario proposed recently [1], to avoid the instability of the self-accelerating branch. It is based on the introduction of a bulk scalar field with appropriate non-minimal…
There are various types of global and local spacetime invariant in general relativity. Here I focus on the local invariants obtainable from the curvature tensor and its derivatives. The number of such invariants at each order of…
In this thesis, I investigate how to construct a self-consistent model of deformed general relativity using canonical methods and metric variables. The specific deformation of general covariance is predicted by some studies into loop…
The issues of quintessence and cosmic acceleration can be discussed in the framework of higher order theories of gravity. We can define effective pressure and energy density directly connected to the Ricci scalar of curvature of a generic…
The paper extends basic Einstein--Hilbert action by adding a newly proposed invariant constructed from a specific contraction between the Einstein tensor and the energy momentum tensor, encoding a non--minimal coupling between the…
We construct models with the Gauss-Bonnet term multiplied to a function of the scalar field leading to inflationary scenario. The consideration is related with the slow-roll approximation. The cosmological attractor approach gives the…
We present a new approach to gauge-invariant cosmological perturbations at second order, which is also covariant. We examine two cases in particular for a dust Friedman-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker model of any curvature: we investigate…
We study slow-roll inflation as a common feature in Metric-affine Theories of Gravity. In particular, we take into account extended metric, teleparallel and symmetric-teleparallel theories of gravity, based on different geometric…
In this thesis, we focus on higher-curvature extensions of Einstein gravity as toy models to probe universal properties of conformal field theory (CFT) using the gauge/gravity duality. In this context, we are particularly interested in…
A short review of scalar curvature invariants in gravity theories is presented. We introduce how these invariants are constructed and discuss the minimal number of invariants required for a given spacetime. We then discuss applications of…
A covariant algorithm for deriving the conserved quantities for natural Hamiltonian systems is combined with the non-relativistic framework of Eisenhart, and of Duval, in which the classical trajectories arise as geodesics in a higher…
The aim of this paper is to find higher order geometrical corrections to the Einstein-Hilbert action that can lead to only second order equations of motion. The metric formalism is used, and static spherically symmetric and…
We propose a class of actions for the spacetime metric that introduce corrections to the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian depending on the logarithm of some curvature scalars. We show that for some choices of these invariants the models are…
We consider the hypothesis of a limiting minimal curvature in gravity as a way to construct a class of theories exhibiting late-time cosmic acceleration. Guided by the minimal curvature conjecture (MCC) we are naturally lead to a set of…
Recently a new approach in constructing the conserved charges in cosmological Einstein's gravity was given. In this new formulation, instead of using the explicit form of the field equations a covariantly conserved rank four tensor was…