Related papers: The accelerating universe and a limiting curvature…
A new speculative model for the expansion of our universe has been under development by the author for the last two decades, which correctly predicts astronomical measurements with no dark matter or dark energy. This new closed model (no…
A class of well-behaved modified gravity models with long enough matter domination epoch and a late-time accelerated expansion is confronted with SNIa, CMB, SDSS, BAO and H(z) galaxy ages data, as well as current measurements of the linear…
Unlike Noether symmetry, a metric independent general conserved current exits for non-minimally coupled scalar-tensor theory of gravity, if the trace of the energy momentum tensor vanishes. Thus, in the context of cosmology, a symmetry…
We explore a cosmological model in which dark matter is non-minimally coupled to gravity at the fluid level. While typically subdominant compared to Standard Model forces, such couplings may dominate dark matter dynamics. We show that this…
We investigate a cosmological model in which the Stueckelberg fields are non-minimally coupled to the scalar curvature in a gauge invariant manner. We present not only a solution that can be considered in the context of the late time…
Attempts at constraining theories of late time accelerated expansion often assume broad priors for the parameters in their phenomenological description. Focusing on shift-symmetric scalar-tensor theories with standard gravitational wave…
We propose a gravitational theory in which the effective Lagrangian of the gravitational field is given by an arbitrary function of the Ricci scalar, the trace of the matter energy-momentum tensor, and the contraction of the Ricci tensor…
We construct gravitational modifications that go beyond Horndeski, namely theories with extended nonminimal derivative couplings, in which the coefficient functions depend not only on the scalar field but also on its kinetic energy. Such…
The nonminimal coupling (NMC) of the scalar field to the Ricci curvature is unavoidable in many cosmological scenarios. Inflation and quintessence models based on nonminimally coupled scalar fields are studied, with particular attention to…
Theoretical background of our proposed relation between the accelerating universe and the time-variability of the fine-structure constant is discussed, based on the scalar-tensor theory, with emphases on the intuitive aspects of underlying…
A new Lorentz gauge gravity model with R^2-type Lagrangian is proposed. In the absence of classical torsion the model admits a topological phase with an arbitrary metric. We analyze the equations of motion in constant curvature space-time…
Understanding the observations of dynamical tracers and the trajectories of lensed photons at galactic scales within the context of General Relativity (GR), requires the introduction of a hypothetical dark matter dominant component. The…
Nonlocal massive gravity can provide an interesting explanation for the late-time cosmic acceleration, with a dark energy equation of state $w_{\rm DE}$ smaller than $-1$ in the past. We derive the equations of linear cosmological…
Recent investigations seem to favor a cosmological dynamics according to which the accelerated expansion of the Universe may have already peaked and is now slowing down again \cite{sastaro}. As a consequence, the cosmic acceleration may be…
We present a unified framework that simultaneously addresses the dynamics of early-time cosmic inflation and late-time cosmic acceleration within the context of a single scalar field non-minimally coupled to gravity. By employing an…
We present a novel approach to modified theories of gravity that consists of adding to the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian an f(R) term constructed a la Palatini. Using the respective dynamically equivalent scalar-tensor representation, we show…
To understand mechanisms leading to inflation and late acceleration of the Universe it is important to see how one or a set of quantum fields may evolve such that the classical energy-momentum tensor behave similar to a cosmological…
The present thesis is a collection of papers which deals with analytic models that can drive the present accelerated expansion of the universe, starting from a decelerated expansion in the early matter dominated regime. Both minimally and…
Alterations of the gravity Lagrangian introduced in modified torsion gravity theories---also referred to as $f(T)$ gravity---allows for an accelerated expansion in a matter dominated Universe. In this framework, the cosmic speed up is…
Scalar fields with inverse power-law effective potentials may provide a negative pressure component to the energy density of the universe today, as required by cosmological observations. In order to be cosmologically relevant today, the…