Related papers: Ruling out a higher spin field solution to the cos…
We study the behavior of a general gravitational action, including quadratic terms in the curvature, supplemented by a compact scalar field in 4+1 dimensions. The generalized Einstein equation for this system admits solutions which are…
We consider different observational effects to test modified gravity approach involving the cosmological constant in the common description of the dark matter and the dark energy. We obtain upper limits for the cosmological constant by…
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…
Proca-Nuevo is a non-linear theory of a massive spin-1 field which enjoys a non-linearly realized constraint that distinguishes it among other generalized vector models. We show that the theory may be extended by the addition of operators…
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 explore possible cosmological consequences of a running Newton's constant $ G ( \Box ) $, as suggested by the non-trivial ultraviolet fixed point scenario in the quantum field-theoretic treatment of Einstein gravity with a cosmological…
We consider a conformal model involving two real scalar fields in which the conformal symmetry is broken by a soft mechanism and is not anomalous. One of these scalar fields is representative of the standard model Higgs. The model predicts…
We discuss some of the issues which we encounter when we try to invoke the scalar-tensor theories of gravitation as a theoretical basis of quintessence. One of the advantages of appealing to these theories is that they allow us to implement…
We consider classically scale-invariant theories with non-minimally coupled scalar fields, where the Planck mass and the hierarchy of physical scales are dynamically generated. The classical theories possess a fixed point, where scale…
We compute the evolution of cosmological perturbations in a recently proposed Weyl-symmetric theory of two scalar fields with oppositely-signed conformal couplings to Einstein gravity. It is motivated from the minimal conformal extension of…
The (old) cosmological constant problem consists of two different problems. The first is the huge discrepancy between the value of the cosmological constant deduced from observations and its value expected from cosmological constant-like…
In a homogenous and isotropic cosmology, we introduce general exact solutions for some modified gravity models. In particular, we introduce exact solutions for power-law $f(R)$ gravity and Brans-Dicke theory in Einstein and Jordan conformal…
In this essay we offer a comprehensible overview of the gravitational aether scenario. This is a possible extension of Einstein's theory of relativity to the quantum regime via an effective approach. Quantization of gravity usually faces…
It has been suggested that by increasing the speed of light during the early universe various cosmological problems of standard big bang cosmology can be overcome, without requiring an inflationary phase. However, we find that as the Planck…
We calculate the quantum corrections to the gauge-invariant gravitational potentials of spinning particles in flat space, induced by loops of both massive and massless matter fields of various types. While the corrections to the Newtonian…
We advance the viewpoint that only relevant modes of the vacuum fluctuations, namely, with wavelengths conditioned by the size, homogeneity, geometry and topology of the Universe, do contribute into the cosmological constant. A formula is…
Cosmological perturbations are generally described by quantum fields on (curved but) classical space-times. While this strategy has a large domain of validity, it can not be justified in the quantum gravity era where curvature and matter…
We investigate the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) model corrected by higher curvature brane terms. We show that these corrections have a dramatic impact on the spectrum of the model at the linearized level. Owing to the presence of higher…
A five-dimensional solution to Einstein's equations coupled to a scalar field has been proposed as a partial solution to the cosmological constant problem: the effect of arbitrary vacuum energy (tension) of a 3-brane is cancelled; however,…
Traditional derivations of the Planck mass ignore the role of charge and spin in general relativity. From the Kerr-Newman null surface and horizon radii, quantized charge and spin dependence are introduced in an extended Planck scale of…