Related papers: Instabilities and the null energy condition
Recent determinations of the equation of state of dark energy hint that this may well be of the phantom type, i.e., $w_{de} < -1$. If confirmed by future experiments, this would strongly point to the existence of fields that violate the…
A variety of observational tests seem to suggest that the universe is anisotropic. This is incompatible with the standard dogma based on adiabatic, rotationally invariant perturbations. We point out that this is a consequence of the…
We show that a high frequency standing wave in SU(2) gauge theory is unstable against decay into long wavelength modes. This provides a non-perturbative mechanism for energy transfer from initial high momentum modes to final states with low…
We study the likelihood of energy condition violations in the history of the Universe. Our method is based on a set of functions that characterize energy condition violation. FLRW cosmological models are built around these "indication…
Based on the analogy with superconductor physics we consider a scalar-vector-tensor gravitational model, in which the dark energy action is described by a gauge invariant electromagnetic type functional. By assuming that the ground state of…
It is well known that positive values of redshift drift is a signature of dark energy within the conventionally studied Friedmann-Lema\^{\i}tre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) universe models. Here we show -- without making assumptions on the…
Quantum weak energy inequalities have recently been extensively discussed as a condition on the dynamical stability of quantum field states, particularly on curved spacetimes. We formulate the notion of a quantum weak energy inequality for…
We consider FLRW cosmological models with standard Friedmann equations, but leaving free the equation of state. We assume that the dark energy content of the universe is encoded in an equation of state $p=f(\rho)$, which is expressed with…
We establish analogues of the Hawking and Penrose singularity theorems based on (a) averaged energy conditions with exponential damping; (b) conditions on local stress-energy averages inspired by the Quantum Energy Inequalities satisfied by…
Many ambitious experiments have been proposed to constrain dark energy and detect its evolution. At present, observational constraints are consistent with a cosmological constant and there is no firm evidence for any evolution in the dark…
A quantum field theory has finite zero-point energy if the sum over all boson modes $b$ of the $n$th power of the boson mass $ m_b^n $ equals the sum over all fermion modes $f$ of the $n$th power of the fermion mass $ m_f^n $ for $n= 0$, 2,…
It is shown that the vacuum condensate induced by many phenomena behaves as a perfect fluid which, under particular conditions, has zero or negative pressure. In particular, the condensates of thermal states, of fields in curved space and…
A nonlinear parabolic differential equation is presented which has at least one equilibrium. This equilibrium is shown to have a negative definite linearization, but a spectrum which includes zero. An elementary construction shows that the…
The latest cosmological constraints on the sum of the neutrino masses depend on prior physical assumptions about the mass spectrum. To test the accordance of cosmological and laboratory constraints in the absence of such priors, we…
I review the observational prospects to constrain the equation of state parameter of dark energy and I discuss the potential of future imaging and redshift surveys. Bayesian model selection is used to address the question of the level of…
We study the viability conditions for the absence of ghost, gradient and tachyonic instabilities, in scalar-torsion $f(T,\phi)$ gravity theories in the presence of a general barotropic perfect fluid. To describe the matter sector, we use…
Transition to turbulence is due to the instability of a laminar flow subject to a disturbance. This complicated problem can be explained using a new proposed energy gradient theory in our previous study. This theory is extended to the…
We examine phantom dark energy models produced by a field with a negative kinetic term and a potential that satisfies the slow roll conditions: [(1/V)(dV/dphi)]^2 << 1 and (1/V)(d^2 V/dphi^2) << 1. Such models provide a natural mechanism to…
Current cosmological observations show a strong signature of the existence of a dark energy component with negative pressure. The most obvious candidate for this dark energy is the cosmological constant (with the equation of state…
Recently the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Collaboration presented evidence that the equation of state $w$ of the dark energy is varying, or $w \simeq -0.948$ if it is constant. In either case, the dark energy cannot be due to a cosmological…