Related papers: Relic gravitons from non-singular string cosmologi…
We present a set of equations describing the evolution of the scalar-type cosmological perturbation in a gravity with general quadratic order curvature coupling terms. Equations are presented in a gauge ready form, thus are ready to…
Non-critical String Cosmologies are offered as an alternative to Standard Big Bang Cosmology. The new features encompassed within the dilaton dependent non-critical terms affect the dynamics of the Universe\'s evolution in an unconventional…
We propose a mechanism to evade the Lyth bound in models of inflation. We minimally extend the conventional single-field inflation model in general relativity (GR) to a theory with non-vanishing graviton mass in the very early universe. The…
We consider the evolution of perturbations to a flat FRW universe that arise from a ``stiff source,'' such as a self-ordering cosmic field that forms in a global symmetry-breaking phase transition and evolves via the Kibble mechanism.…
The possible cosmological effects of primordial fluctuation corrections to the evolution equation of matter obtained from the Wheeler--De Witt equation are explored. In particular, both the metric and a scalar matter field are expanded…
We present a brief review of recent advances in string cosmology. Starting with the Dilaton-Moduli Cosmology (known also as the Pre Big Bang), we go on to include the effects of axion fields and address the thorny issue of the Graceful Exit…
We examine the effect of spatial curvature in the pre-big-bang inflationary model suggested by string theory. We study $O(\alpha ')$ corrections and we show that, independently of the initial curvature, they lead to a phase of exponential…
We derive the equations governing the dynamics of cosmic strings in a flat anisotropic universe of Bianchi type I and study the evolution of simple cosmic string loop solutions. We show that the anisotropy of the background can have a…
The pre--big bang cosmological scenario is studied within the context of the Brans--Dicke theory of gravity. An epoch of superinflationary expansion may occur in the pre--big bang phase of the Universe's history in a certain region of…
Stationary processes do not accurately describe the diffuse backgrounds of relic gravitons whose correlations are homogeneous in space (i.e. only dependent upon the distance between the two spatial locations) but not in time. The symmetries…
The topic of cosmic strings provides a bridge between the physics of the very small and the very large. They are predicted by some unified theories of particle interactions. If they exist, they may help to explain some of the largest-scale…
The aim of these lectures is to give an introduction to several topics which lie at the intersection of string theory, gravity theory and gravity phenomenology. One successively reviews: (i) the "membrane" approach to the dissipative…
We study the generation and evolution of second-order energy-density perturbations arising from primordial gravitational waves. Such "tensor-induced scalar modes" approximately evolve as standard linear matter perturbations and may leave…
We derive the complete spectrum of gravitational waves induced by primordial scalar perturbations ranging over all observable wavelengths. This scalar-induced contribution can be computed directly from the observed scalar perturbations and…
In this paper we show how quantum corrections, although perturbatively small, may play an important role in the analysis of the existence of some classical models. This, in fact, appears to be the case of static, uniform--density models of…
The cosmology of general fourth order corrections to Einstein gravity is considered, both for a homogeneous and isotropic background and for general tensor perturbations. It is explicitly shown how the standard cosmological history can be…
We present a comprehensive analysis of classical scalar, vector and tensor cosmological perturbations in ghost-free massive bigravity. In particular, we find the full evolution equations and analytical solutions in a wide range of regimes.…
We study the quantum evolution of the early universe, its semi-classical analogue together with inflationary regime, in view of a generalized modified theory of gravity. The action is built by supplementing the non-minimally coupled…
After a discussion of the inflationary production of primordial magnetic seeds, and a short review of various possible mechanisms, we concentrate on the analysis of the photon-dilaton coupling typical of string theory models. Particular…
I review several aspects of torsion in string-inspired cosmologies. In particular, I discuss its connection with fundamental, string-model independent, axion fields associated with the massless gravitational multiplet of the string. I argue…