Non-minimally coupled Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity with massless gravitons: the constant-roll case

Abstract

In this letter, we study the behavior of non-minimally coupled Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity theories with the constant-roll condition. Recalling the results of the striking GW170817 event, we demand that the velocity of the gravitational waves is equated to unity in natural units, meaning that \(c_T^2=1\). This is a powerful restriction since it leads to a decrease in the degrees of freedom and subsequently reveals a connection between the scalar functions of the theory which presumably have different origins. In this framework, we shall assume that a scalar potential is present and can be extracted easily from the equations of motion by simply designating the scalar coupling functions. Obviously, a different approach is feasible but such choice will prove to be extremely convenient. Afterward, we impose certain approximations in order to facilitate our study. Each assumption is capable of producing different phenomenology so a summary of all the possible configurations for Hubble’s parameter, its derivative and the scalar potential along with the corresponding assumptions are present at the end of the paper. We show that compatibility under the constant-roll assumption can be achieved for a variety of model functions and different approaches, although one must always be aware of the imposed approximations since the possibility of a model producing viable results while simultaneously violating even a single approximation exists. Finally, in the end, a new formalism which leads to a plethora of convenient coupling functions according to the readers choice is presented. Utilizing such formalism may lead to new cases for coupling functions which have not been used yet, but are in fact able of producing viable phenomenology for the inflationary era.