Related papers: Galileon bounce after ekpyrotic contraction
Global topological defects described by real scalar field in (3,1) dimensions coupled to gravity are analyzed. We consider a class of scalar potentials with explicit dependence with distance, evading Derrick's theorem and leading to defects…
In the present thesis, using an effective field theory point of view, we explore theories of single-field inflation where higher derivative operators become relevant, affecting in a novel way the dynamics and therefore the observations. For…
We consider the cosmology obtained using scalar fields with a negative potential energy, such as employed to obtain an Ekpyrotic phase of contraction. Applying the covariant entropy bound to the tower of states dictated by the distance…
Certain scalar fields with higher derivative interactions and novel classical and quantum mechanical properties - the Galileons - can be naturally covariantized by coupling to nonlinear massive gravity in such a way that their symmetries…
We derive all single-field cosmologies with unit sound speed that generate scale invariant curvature perturbations on a dynamical attractor background. We identify three distinct phases: slow-roll inflation; a slowly contracting adiabatic…
An oscillating universe cycles through a series of expansions and contractions. We propose a model in which ``phantom'' energy with a supernegative pressure ($p < - \rho$) grows rapidly and dominates the late-time expanding phase. The…
For bouncing cosmologies such as the ekpyrotic/cyclic scenarios we show that it is possible to make predictions for density perturbations which are independent of the details of the bouncing phase. This can be achieved, as in inflationary…
Several examples are known where quantum gravity effects resolve the classical big bang singularity by a bounce. The most detailed analysis has probably occurred for loop quantum cosmology of isotropic models sourced by a free, massless…
Cosmic acceleration can be achieved not only with a sufficiently flat scalar field potential but through kinetic terms coupled to gravity. These derivative couplings impose a shift symmetry on the scalar field, aiding naturalness. We write…
In recent work, two of us proposed a nonsingular Ekpyrotic cosmology making use of an S-brane which forms at the end of the phase of Ekpyrotic contraction. This S-Brane mediates a transition between contraction and expansion. Graviitational…
We reconstruct $F(\mathcal{G})$ gravity theory with an exponential scale factor to realize the bouncing behavior in the early universe and examine the asymptotic behaviour of late-time solutions in this model. We propose an approach to the…
We calculate the running of the scalar index in the ekpyrotic and matter bounce cosmological scenarios, and find that it is typically negative for ekpyrotic models, while it is typically positive for realizations of the matter bounce where…
It was recently realized that a model constructed from a Lee-Wick type scalar field theory yields, at the level of homogeneous and isotropic background cosmology, a bouncing cosmology. However, bouncing cosmologies induced by pressure-less…
In this paper we provide approximate analytical analysis of stability of nonsingular inflationary chaotic-type cosmological models. Initial conditions for nonsingular solutions at the bounce correspond to dominance of potential part of the…
Cyclic models of the universe have the advantage of avoiding initial conditions problems related to postulating any sort of beginning in time. To date, the only known viable examples of cyclic models have been ekpyrotic. In this paper, we…
We study the cosmological effects of a Galileon term in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. The subset of scalar-tensor theories considered are characterized by a non-minimal coupling $F(\sigma) R$, a kinetic term with arbitrary sign $Z…
The classical gravitational theory of a scalar field with a gradient coupling to the Ricci tensor is examined. This is a scalar-vector-tensor gravitational theory, but in the case that the coupling is weak and the scalar evolves like a…
It has been shown that gravitational fields produced by realistic classical-matter distributions can force quantum vacuum fluctuations of some nonminimally coupled free scalar fields to undergo a phase of exponential growth. The…
We consider a higher dimensional gravity theory with a negative kinetic energy scalar field and a cosmological constant. We find that the theory admits an exact cosmological solution for the scale factor of our universe. It has the feature…
We investigate the dynamics of the Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker spacetime within the framework of $f(R)$ gravity using a compact, model-independent dynamical systems approach. By assuming a power-law scale factor, we explore…