Related papers: A Solution to the Graceful Exit Problem in Pre-Big…
We compute the amount of inflation required to solve the horizon problem of cosmology in the pre-big-bang scenario. First we give a quick overview of string cosmology as developed by Veneziano and collaborators. Then we show that the amount…
We recently proposed a chameleonic solution to the cosmological constant problem - Phys. Rev. D82 (2010) 044006. We further elaborate on our proposal discussing also some new results. The basic ingredients of the model are A) a chameleonic…
We review O$(d,d)$ Covariant String Cosmology to all orders in $\alpha'$ in the presence of matter and study its solutions. We show that the perturbative analysis for a constant dilaton in the absence of a dilatonic charge does not lead to…
I discuss cosmological models either derived from, or inspired by, string theory or M-theory. In particular I discuss solutions in the low-energy effective theory and the role of the dilaton, moduli and antisymmetric form fields in the…
One of the clear predictions of string theory is the presence of a dynamical scalar partner of the spin-2 graviton, known as the dilaton. This will violate the Einstein Equivalence Principle, leading to a plethora of possibly observable…
We study cosmological solutions in the low-energy effective heterotic string theory, which is the Einstein gravity with Gauss-Bonnet term and the dilaton. We show that the field equations are cast into an autonomous system for flat internal…
Classical string cosmology consists of two branches related to each other by scale-factor duality: a super-inflation branch and a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) branch. Curvature and string coupling singularity separates the two branches,…
We present a broad and simple class of scalar-tensor scenarios that successfully realize dynamical damping of the effective cosmological constant, therefore providing a viable dynamical solution to the fine-tuning or "old" cosmological…
We study dilaton-electrodynamics in flat spacetime and exhibit a set of global cosmic string like solutions in which the magnetic flux is confined. These solutions continue to exist for a small enough dilaton mass but cease to do so above a…
We present cosmological solutions for (1+3+n)-dimensional steady state universe in dilaton gravity with an arbitrary dilaton coupling constant w and exponential dilaton self-interaction potentials in the string frame. We focus particularly…
A gravity-anti-gravity (GaG) odd linear dilaton action offers an eternal inflation evolution governed by the unified (cosmological constant plus radiation) equation of state $\rho-3P=4\Lambda$. At the mini superspace level, a 'two-particle'…
Current cosmological models require the universe to be in a very smooth initial state before the onset of inflation, a situation to which Penrose ascribes a vanishingly small probability, leading to his proposal of a Conformal Cyclic…
The Pre-Big Bang cosmology inspired generations of cosmologists in attempts to cure the initial Big Bang singularity using a fundamental length scale as proposed by String Theory. The existence of a phase of collapse/inflation with…
We present a minimal model for the Universe evolution fully extracted from effective String Theory. This model is by its construction close to the standard cosmological evolution, and it is driven selfconsistently by the evolution of the…
We analyse numerically the onset of pre-big bang inflation in an inhomogeneous, spherically symmetric Universe. Adding a small dilatonic perturbation to a trivial (Milne) background, we find that suitable regions of space undergo…
Quantum gravity may remove classical space-time singularities and thus reveal what a universe at and before the big bang could be like. In loop quantum cosmology, an exactly solvable model is available which allows one to address precise…
At low energy, the four-dimensional effective action of the ekpyrotic model of the universe is equivalent to a slightly modified version of the pre big bang model. We discuss cosmological perturbations in these models. In particular we…
The evolution of the rotational inhomogeneities is investigated in the specific framework of four-dimensional pre-big bang models. While minimal (dilaton-driven) scenarios do not lead to rotational fluctuations, in the case of non-minimal…
There are no reasons why the singularity in the growth of the dilaton coupling should not be regularised, in a string cosmological context, by the presence of classical inhomogeneities. We discuss a class of inhomogeneous dilaton-driven…
The interplay between string theory and early-universe cosmology offers promising avenues to explore high-energy regimes where the standard single-field slow-roll model may no longer provide an accurate description. One intriguing scenario…