Related papers: Weakly trapped surfaces in asymptotically de Sitte…
We show that if a compact complex surface admits a locally conformally flat metric, then it cannot contain a smooth rational curve of odd self-intersection. In particular, the surface has to be minimal. Then we give a list of possibilities…
Seven different refinements of trapped surfaces are proposed, each intended as potential stability conditions. This article concerns spherical symmetry, but each condition can be generalized. Involute trapped spheres satisfy a similar…
This paper explores cosmological scenarios in a scalar-tensor theory of gravity, including both a non-minimal coupling with scalar curvature of the form $R\phi^2$ and a non-minimal derivative coupling of the form…
We present a new approach to constructing inflationary models in closed universes. Conformal embedding of closed-universe models in a de Sitter background suggests a quantisation condition on the available conformal time. This condition…
We study non-resonant circles for strong magnetic fields on a closed, connected, oriented surface and show how these can be used to prove the existence of trapping regions and of periodic magnetic geodesics with prescribed low speed. As a…
This work discusses the apriori possible asymptotic behavior to the future, for (vacuum) space-times which are geodesically complete to the future and which admit a foliation by compact constant mean curvature Cauchy surfaces.
Three-dimensional topological insulators are classified into "strong" (STI) and "weak" (WTI) according to the nature of their surface states. While the surface states of the STI are topologically protected from localization, this does not…
We discuss the cosmological implications of the string swampland conjectures for late-time cosmology, and test them against a wide range of state of the art cosmological observations. The refined de Sitter conjecture constrains either the…
We introduce the concept of $k-$future convex spacelike/null hypersurface $\Sigma$ in an $n+1$ dimensional spacetime $M$ and prove that no $k-$dimensional closed trapped submanifold (k-CTM) can be tangent to $\Sigma$ from its future side.…
The problem of existence of spacelike hypersurfaces with constant mean curvature in asymptotically flat spacetimes is considered for a class of asymptotically Schwarzschild spacetimes satisfying an interior condition. Using a barrier…
We study extremal surfaces in the static patch coordinatization of de Sitter space, focussing on the future and past universes. We find connected timelike codim-2 surfaces on a boundary Euclidean time slice stretching from the future…
The cosmological observations provide a strong evidence that there is a positive cosmological constant in our universe and thus the spacetime is asymptotical de Sitter space. The conjecture of gravity as the weakest force in the…
This work explores the dynamical stability of cosmological models where dark matter and dark energy can non-minimally couple to spacetime (scalar) curvature. Two different scenarios are presented here. In the initial case, only dark matter…
In a matter-filled spacetime, perhaps with positive cosmological constant, a stable marginally outer trapped 2-sphere must satisfy a certain area inequality. Namely, as discussed in the paper, its area must be bounded above by $4\pi/c$,…
We show that every orientable infinite-type surface is properly rigid as a consequence of a more general result. Namely, we prove that if a homotopy equivalence between any two non-compact orientable surfaces is a proper map, then it is…
We consider the region $\mathscr{T}$ in spacetime containing future-trapped closed surfaces and its boundary $\B$, and derive some of their general properties. We then concentrate on the case of spherical symmetry, but the methods we use…
We present a unified treatment of the phase space of a spatially flat homogeneous and isotropic universe dominated by a phantom field. Results on the dynamics and the late time attractors (Big Rip, de Sitter, etc.) are derived without…
Recent observational results suggest that our universe is nearly flat and well modelled within a $\Lambda$CDM framework. The observed values of $\Omega_{m}$ and $\Omega_{\Lambda}$ inevitably involve uncertainties. Motivated by this, we make…
We present a generic condition for Lorentzian manifolds to have a barrier that limits the reach of boundary-anchored extremal surfaces of arbitrary dimension. We show that any surface with nonpositive extrinsic curvature is a barrier, in…
We discuss some global properties of cosmological spacetimes of de Sitter type, based on results with Lars Andersson obtained in hep-th/0202161. We relate the geometry and topology of conformal infinity to the occurrence of singularities in…