On the integrability of Friedmann–Robertson–Walker models with conformally coupled massive scalar fields

Abstract

In this paper, we use a nonintegrability theorem by Morales and Ramis to analyse the integrability of Friedmann–Robertson–Walker cosmological models with a conformally coupled massive scalar field. We answer the long-standing question of whether these models with a vanishing cosmological constant and non-self-interacting scalar field are integrable: by applying Kovacic's algorithm to the normal variational equations, we prove analytically and rigorously that these equations and, consequently, the Hamiltonians are nonintegrable. We then address the models with a self-interacting massive scalar field and cosmological constant and show that, with the exception of a set of measure zero, the models are nonintegrable. For the spatially curved cases, we prove that there are no additional integrable cases other than those identified in the previous work based on the non-rigorous Painlevé analysis. In our study of the spatially flat model, we explicitly obtain a new possibly integrable case.