Related papers: Variations of $\alpha$ and $G$ from nonlinear mult…
We give an alternative description of the physical content of general relativity that does not require a Lorentz invariant spacetime. Instead, we find that gravity admits a dual description in terms of a theory where local size is…
The debate on the physical relevance of conformal transformations can be faced by taking the Palatini approach into account to gravitational theories. We show that conformal transformations are not only a mathematical tool to disentangle…
We show that the Einstein field equations for a five-dimensional warped spacetime, where only gravity can propagate into the bulk, determine the dynamical evolution of the warp factor of the four-dimensional brane spacetime. This can be…
In general relativity, the use of conformal transformation is ubiquitous and leads to two different frames of reference, known as the Jordan and the Einstein frames. Typically, the transformation from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame…
In the present article we study the cosmological evolution of a two-scalar field gravitational theory defined in the Jordan frame. Specifically, we assume one of the scalar fields to be minimally coupled to gravity, while the second field…
Starting from pure multidimensional gravity with curvature-nonlinear terms but no matter fields in the initial action, we obtain a cosmological model with two effective scalar fields related to the size of two extra factor spaces. The model…
Recent updated results of quasar spectra suggested a 3.9$\sigma$ significance of spatial variation of the fine-structure constant. Theoretically, it is important to examine whether the fine-structure constant, as a fundamental constant in…
We argue that in a nonlinear gravity theory, which according to well-known results is dynamically equivalent to a self-gravitating scalar field in General Relativity, the true physical variables are exactly those which describe the…
It is possible that fundamental constants may not be constant at all. There is a generally accepted view that one can only talk about variations of dimensionless quantities, such as the fine structure constant $\alpha_{\rm e}\equiv…
The universal character of the gravitational interaction provided by the equivalence principle motivates a geometrical description of gravity. The standard formulation of General Relativity \`a la Einstein attributes gravity to the…
We study how the constants $G$ and $\Lambda$ may vary in different theoretical models (general relativity with a perfect fluid, scalar cosmological models (\textquotedblleft quintessence\textquotedblright) with and without interacting…
We study spatial variations of the fine-structure constant in the presence of static straight cosmic strings in the weak-field approximation in Einstein gravity. We work in the context of a generic Bekenstein-type model and consider a gauge…
The gravitational dynamics and cosmological implications of three classes of recently introduced multi-scale spacetimes (with, respectively, ordinary, weighted and q-derivatives) are discussed. These spacetimes are non-Riemannian: the…
We investigate the scalar sector of linear cosmological perturbations in quadratic gravity. Working in the Einstein frame, we derive the equations of motion in a gauge-independent manner and express them in terms of three sets of…
We review recent progress in the study of varying constants and attempts to explain the observed values of the fundamental physical constants. We describe the variation of $G$ in Newtonian and relativistic scalar-tensor gravity theories. We…
A general scalar-tensor theory can be formulated in different parametrizations that are related by a conformal rescaling of the metric and a scalar field redefinition. We compare formulations of slow-roll regimes in the Einstein and Jordan…
We study capability of $f(R)$ gravity models to allow crossing the phantom boundary in both Jordan and Einstein conformal frames. In Einstein frame, these models are equivalent to Einstein gravity together with a scalar field minimally…
The scalar-tensor theory is plagued by nagging questions if different conformal frames, in particular the Jordan and Einstein conformal frames, are equivalent to each other. As a closely related question, there are opposing views on which…
Linearizing metric-affine~(scalar curvature)$^2$ gravity -- an ``umbrella'' theory that includes as special cases the metrical, Einstein-Cartan, and Weyl quadratic models -- on top of Minkowski spacetime leads to (numerous)…
Gravitation is described in the context of a dilatonic theory that is conformally related to general relativity. All dimensionless ratios of fundamental dimensional quantities, e.g. particle masses and the Planck mass, as well as the…