Related papers: K-Chameleon and the Coincidence Problem
K-essence has been proposed as a possible means of explaining the coincidence problem of the Universe beginning to accelerate only at the present epoch. We carry out a comprehensive dynamical systems analysis of the k-essence models given…
We recently introduced the concept of "k-essence" as a dynamical solution for explaining naturally why the universe has entered an epoch of accelerated expansion at a late stage of its evolution. The solution avoids fine-tuning of…
In this paper, we consider the Universe at the late stage of its evolution and deep inside the cell of uniformity. At these scales, we can consider the Universe to be filled with dust-like matter in the form of discretely distributed…
Chameleons are scalar fields whose mass depends on the environment, specifically on the ambient matter density. While nearly massless in the cosmos, where the matter density is tiny, their mass is of order of an inverse millimeter on Earth,…
The so called `cosmic coincidence' problem seems to suggest a coupling between dark energy and dark matter. A possibility could be given by dark matter particles with masses depending exponentially on the scalar field associated to dark…
We consider a model of dark energy/matter unification based on a k-essence type of theory similar to tachyon condensate models. Using an extension of the general relativistic spherical model which incorporates the effects of both pressure…
We investigate the role of a possible coupling of dark matter and dark energy. In particular, we explore the consequences of such an interaction for the coincidence problem, i.e., for the question, why the energy densities of dark matter…
We show that all cosmological models with an accelerated stationary global attractor reduce asymptotically to a dark energy field with an exponential potential coupled linearly to a perfect fluid dark matter. In such models the abundance of…
Recently it was argued that the conformal coupling of the chameleon to matter fields created an issue for early universe cosmology. As standard model degrees of freedom become non-relativistic in the early universe the chameleon is…
We consider a generalized Brans-Dicke model in which the scalar field has a self-interacting potential function. The scalar field is also allowed to couple non-minimally with the matter part. We assume that it has a chameleon behavior in…
The coincidence problem of late cosmic acceleration is a serious riddle in connection with our understanding of the evolution of the Universe. In this paper we show that an interaction between the dark energy component (either phantom or…
A criterion to seek for compatibility of any given matter coupling with a fundamental theory of physics - assumed here to be the string theory - is developed. We call this criterion as"`compatibility check", and apply it to test different…
We investigate a class of interacting dark energy and dark matter (DM) models, where dark energy is modeled as a $k$-essence scalar field with an inverse-square potential. Two general forms of interaction are considered: one proportional to…
We consider a model of interacting cosmological constant/quintessence, where dark matter and dark energy behave as, respectively, two coexisting phases of a fluid, a thermally excited Bose component and a condensate, respectively. In a…
We investigate cosmological solutions of the chameleon model with a non-minimal coupling between the matter and the scalar field through a conformal factor with gravitational strength. By considering the spatially flat FLRW metric and the…
We show that the chameleon scalar field can drive the current phase of cosmic acceleration for a large class of scalar potentials that are also consistent with local tests of gravity. These provide explicit realizations of a quintessence…
We show that a suitable interaction between a scalar field and a matter fluid in a spatially homogeneous and isotropic spacetime can drive the transition from a matter dominated era to an accelerated expansion phase and simultaneously solve…
Cosmological scenarios with k-essence are invoked in order to explain the observed late-time acceleration of the universe. These scenarios avoid the need for fine-tuned initial conditions (the "coincidence problem") because of the…
Chameleons are light scalar fields with remarkable properties. Through the interplay of self-interactions and coupling to matter, chameleon particles have a mass that depends on the ambient matter density. The manifestation of the fifth…
We consider a hybrid scalar field which is non-minimally coupled to the matter and models a chameleon cosmology. By introducing an effective potential, we study the dependence of the effective potential's minimum and hybrid chameleon…