Related papers: On vacuum density, the initial singularity and dar…
A static non-singular 10-dimensional closed Friedmann universe of Planck size, filled with a perfect fluid with an equation of state with w = -2/3, can arise spontaneously by a quantum fluctuation from nothing in 11-dimensional spacetime. A…
In this paper we investigate how the energy density due to a non-standard choice of initial vacuum affects the expansion of the universe during inflation. To do this we introduce source terms in the Friedmann equations making sure that we…
This pedagogical review is devoted to quintessential inflation, which refers to unification of inflation and dark energy using a single scalar field. We present a brief but concise description of the concepts needed to join the two ends,…
We present an explicit cosmological model where inflation and dark energy both could arise from the dynamics of the same scalar field. We present our discussion in the framework where the inflaton field $\phi$ attains a nearly constant…
In the more recent literature on cosmological evolutions of the universe the cosmic vacuum energy has become a non-renouncable ingredient. The cosmological constant $\Lambda$, first invented by Einstein, but later also rejected by him,…
We consider cosmological inflation generated by a scalar field slowly rolling off from a de Sitter maximum of its potential. The models belong to the class of hilltop models and represent the most general model of this kind in which the…
The standard cosmological model is in the midst of a stress test, thanks to the tension between supernovae-based measurements of the Hubble constant $H_{0}$ and inferences of its values from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies.…
One of the major problems in cosmology today is to explain the observed acceleration of the universe. The present observational data are consistent with the simplest solution to this problem, which is based on the vacuum energy. A decaying…
We present a new mechanism to condense a scalar field coupled to the Gauss-Bonnet term. We propose a scenario in which the condensed state will emerge from the background energy density in the late-Universe. During the radiation and…
We present a novel source of dark energy, which is motivated by the prevalence of hidden sectors in string theory models and is consistent with all of the proposed swampland conjectures. Thermal effects hold a light hidden sector scalar at…
In the first part of this paper, we outline the construction of an inflationary cosmology in the framework where inflation is described by a universally evolving scalar field, with the Lagrangian ${\cal L}_\phi=-{1/2}(\partial\phi)^2…
By using the effective field theory approach, we investigate the role of initial condition for the dark energy or modified gravity models. In details, we consider the constant and linear parametrization of the effective Newton constant…
The failure to calculate the vacuum energy is a central problem in theoretical physics. Presumably the problem arises from the insistent use of effective field theory reasoning in a context that is well beyond its intended scope. If one…
Quintessential inflation provides a unified description of inflation and dark energy in terms of a single scalar degree of freedom, the cosmon. We present here a comprehensive overview of this appealing paradigm, highlighting its key…
The entire classical cosmological history between two extreme de Sitter vacuum solutions is discussed based on Einstein's equations and non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The initial non-singular de Sitter state is characterised by a very high…
Diverse cosmological and astrophysical observations strongly hint at the presence of dark matter and dark energy in the Universe. One of the main goals of Cosmology is to explain the nature of these two components. It may well be that both…
Vacuum energy is a simple model for dark energy driving an accelerated expansion of the universe. If the vacuum energy is inhomogeneous in spacetime then it must be interacting. We present the general equations for a spacetime-dependent…
For variable gravity models the strength of gravity, as measured by Newton's ``constant'' or the Planck mass, depends on the value of a scalar field, the cosmon. We discuss two simple four-parameter models with a quadratic or constant…
We propose an inflationary scenario inspired by a recent formulation, in terms of coherent states, of non-commutative quantum field theory. We consider the semiclassical Einstein equations, and we exploit the ultraviolet finiteness of the…
The one-loop effective action for non-minimal scalar modified gravity on de Sitter background with a constant scalar field is found. The corresponding induced cosmological constant is evaluated. It is shown that quantum effects in…