Related papers: Abelian cosmic string in the extended Starobinsky …
In this paper we provide both a diagnosis and resolution of the cosmological constant problem, one in which a large (as opposed to a small) cosmological constant $\Lambda$ can be made compatible with observation. We trace the origin of the…
In this paper the quantum cosmological consequences of introducing a term cubic in the Ricci curvature scalar $R$ into the Einstein--Hilbert action are investigated. It is argued that this term represents a more generic perturbation to the…
It is believed that soon after the Planck era, space time should have a semi-classical nature. According to this, the escape from General Relativity theory is unavoidable. Two geometric counter-terms are needed to regularize the divergences…
We study cosmic Nielsen-Olesen strings in space-times with a positive cosmological constant. For the free cosmic string in a cylindrically symmetric space-time, we calculate the contribution of the cosmological constant to the angle…
In contrast to the phenomenon of nullification of the cosmological constant in the equilibrium vacuum, which is the general property of any quantum vacuum, there are many options in modifying the Einstein equation to allow the cosmological…
We propose that the solution to the cosmological vacuum energy puzzle may come from the infrared sector of the effective theory of gravity, where the impact of the trace anomaly is of upmost relevance. We proceed by introducing two…
A qualitative discussion of possible features of a composite graviton arising out of open string field theory is provided along with expected modifications to the graviton propagator due to such a composite graviton model. Possible…
We present a numerical solution of a stationary 5-dimensional spinning cosmic string in the Einstein-Yang-Mills (EYM) model, where the extra bulk coordinate $\psi$ is periodic. It turns out that when $g_{\psi\psi}$ approaches zero, i.e., a…
Cosmic strings, as remnants of the symmetry breaking phase in the Early Universe, may be susceptible to non-local physics. Here we show that the presence of a Poincar\'e-invariant non-locality -- parametrized by a factor $\exp(-\Box\ell^2)$…
Using the formalism developed in a previous paper we analyze the cosmological implications of our conclusions concerning the scaling behaviour of a network of cosmic strings, in particular the idea that once gravitational back-reaction…
Particle emission, in addition to gravitational radiation from cosmic string loops, affects the resulting loop distribution and hence the corresponding observational consequences of cosmic strings. Here we focus on two models in which loops…
Modified gravity provides a possible explanation for the currently observed cosmic accelaration. In this paper, we study general classes of modified gravity models. The Einstein-Hilbert action is modified by using general functions of the…
We consider quantum corrections to a recently obtained perturbative form of Starobinsky model to extract information about the initial conditions of the universe leading to cosmological inflation. Integrating out graviton modes, we find…
General Relativity allows for a cosmological constant ($\Lambda$) which has inspired models of cosmic Inflation and Dark Energy. We show instead that $r_\Lambda = \sqrt{3/\Lambda}$ corresponds to an event horizon: a causal boundary term in…
The cosmological constant problem is examined under the assumption that the extrinsic curvature of the space-time contributes to the vacuum. A compensation mechanism based on a variable cosmological term is proposed. Under a suitable…
In this paper, we investigate and analyze the cosmological dynamics of the universe, with an effect of modified $f(R)$ gravity emerging at cosmological scale. We choose the Einstein frame as a physical frame. We consider phase portraits of…
Observations indicate that our universe is characterized by a late-time accelerating phase, possibly driven by a cosmological constant $\Lambda$, with the dimensionless parameter $\Lambda L_P^2 \simeq 10^{-122}$, where $L_P = (G \hbar…
This thesis investigates a toy model for inflation in a class of modified theories of gravity in the metric formalism. Instead of the standard procedure -- assuming a non-linear Lagrangian $f(R)$ in the Jordan frame -- we start from a…
A novel function for modified gravity is proposed, $f(R, T)=R+\lambda R^2+2\beta\ln(T)$, with constants $\lambda$ and $\beta$, scalar curvature $R$, and the trace of stress energy tensor $T$, satisfying $T=\rho-3p>0$. Subsequently, two…
It is argued that classical string solutions should not be fine tuned to have a positive cosmological constant (CC) at the observed size, since even the quantum corrections from standard model effects will completely negate any classical…