Fourth-order Gravity Research Articles

Black hole shadows in fourth-order conformal Weyl gravity

We calculate the characteristics of the “black hole shadow” for a rotating, neutral black hole in fourth-order conformal Weyl gravity. It is shown that the morphology is not significantly affected by the underlying framework, except for very large masses. Conformal gravity black hole shadows would also significantly differ from their general relativistic counterparts if the values of the main conformal gravity parameters, γ and κ, were increased by several orders of magnitude. Such increased values for γ and κ are currently ruled out by gravitational phenomenology. Therefore, it is unlikely that these differences in black hole shadows will be detected in future observations, carried out by the Event Horizon Telescope or other such experiments.

Constraints on fourth order gravity from binary pulsars and gravitational waves

We have earlier proposed a fourth order gravity model as a possible explanation for late time cosmic acceleration, and for flattened galaxy rotation curves. The model has a free length parameter whose value depends on the scale of the system under study (e.g. the whole Universe, a galaxy, or a compact binary pulsar). In the present work, we investigate the constraints imposed on the free model parameter by Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar data: periastron advance; and emission of gravitational waves and consequent period decay. It is shown that the model is consistent with these observations, provided the length parameter is bounded from above.

Scattering of Ricci scalar perturbations from Schwarzschild black holes in modified gravity

It has already been shown that the gravitational waves emitted from a Schwarzschild black hole in f(R) gravity have no signatures of the modification of gravity from General Relativity, as the Regge–Wheeler equation remains invariant. In this paper we consider the perturbations of Ricci scalar in a vacuum Schwarzschild spacetime, which is unique to higher order theories of gravity and is absent in General Relativity. We show that the equation that governs these perturbations can be reduced to a Volterra integral equation. We explicitly calculate the reflection coefficients for the Ricci scalar perturbations, when they are scattered by the black hole potential barrier. Our analysis shows that a larger fraction of these Ricci scalar waves are reflected compared to the gravitational waves. This may provide a novel observational signature for fourth order gravity.

Higher-order gravity in higher dimensions: geometrical origins of four-dimensional cosmology?

Determining the cosmological field equations is still very much debated and led to a wide discussion around different theoretical proposals. A suitable conceptual scheme could be represented by gravity models that naturally generalize Einstein theory like higher-order gravity theories and higher-dimensional ones. Both of these two different approaches allow one to define, at the effective level, Einstein field equations equipped with source-like energy-momentum tensors of geometrical origin. In this paper, the possibility is discussed to develop a five-dimensional fourth-order gravity model whose lower-dimensional reduction could provide an interpretation of cosmological four-dimensional matter–energy components. We describe the basic concepts of the model, the complete field equations formalism and the 5-D to 4-D reduction procedure. Five-dimensional f(R) field equations turn out to be equivalent, on the four-dimensional hypersurfaces orthogonal to the extra coordinate, to an Einstein-like cosmological model with three matter–energy tensors related with higher derivative and higher-dimensional counter-terms. By considering the gravity model with f(R)=f_0R^n the possibility is investigated to obtain five-dimensional power law solutions. The effective four-dimensional picture and the behaviour of the geometrically induced sources are finally outlined in correspondence to simple cases of such higher-dimensional solutions.

Studies on Polyakov and Nambu–Goto random surface path integrals on QCD(SU(∞)): Interquark potential and phenomenological scattering amplitudes

We present new path integral studies on the Polyakov noncritical and Nambu–Goto critical string theories and their applications to [Formula: see text] interquark potential. We also evaluate the long distance asymptotic behavior of the interquark potential on the Nambu–Goto string theory with an extrinsic term in Polyakov’s string at [Formula: see text]. We also propose an alternative and a new view to covariant Polyakov’s string path integral with a fourth-order two-dimensional quantum gravity, is an effective stringy description for [Formula: see text] at the deep infrared region.

Dynamical variables and evolution of the universe

One of the striking feature of inhomogeneous matter distribution under the effects of fourth-order gravity and electromagnetic field have been discussed in this manuscript. We have considered a compact spherical celestial star undergoing expansion due to the presence of higher curvature invariants of [Formula: see text] gravity and imperfect fluid. We have explored the dynamical equations and field equations in [Formula: see text] gravity. An explicit expression have been found for Weyl tensor and material variables under the dark dynamical effects. Using a viable [Formula: see text] model, some dynamical variables have been explored from splitting the Riemann curvature tensor. These dark dynamical variables are also studied for charged dust cloud with and without the constraint of constant Ricci scalar.

Horizon thermodynamics in fourth-order gravity

In the framework of horizon thermodynamics, the field equations of Einstein gravity and some other second-order gravities can be rewritten as the thermodynamic identity: $dE=TdS-PdV$. However, in order to construct the horizon thermodynamics in higher-order gravity, we have to simplify the field equations firstly. In this paper, we study the fourth-order gravity and convert it to second-order gravity via a so-called " Legendre transformation " at the cost of introducing two other fields besides the metric field. With this simplified theory, we implement the conventional procedure in the construction of the horizon thermodynamics in 3 and 4 dimensional spacetime. We find that the field equations in the fourth-order gravity can also be written as the thermodynamic identity. Moreover, we can use this approach to derive the same black hole mass as that by other methods.

Wormhole geometries in fourth-order conformal Weyl gravity

We present an analysis of the classic wormhole geometries based on conformal Weyl gravity, rather than standard general relativity. The main characteristics of the resulting traversable wormholes remains the same as in the seminal study by Morris and Thorne, namely, that effective super-luminal motion is a viable consequence of the metric. Improving on previous work on the subject, we show that for particular choices of the shape and redshift functions the wormhole metric in the context of conformal gravity does not violate the main energy conditions at or near the wormhole throat. Some exotic matter might still be needed at the junction between our solutions and flat spacetime, but we demonstrate that the averaged null energy condition (as evaluated along radial null geodesics) is satisfied for a particular set of wormhole geometries. Therefore, if fourth-order conformal Weyl gravity is a correct extension of general relativity, traversable wormholes might become a realistic solution for interstellar travel.

Irrotational-fluid cosmologies in fourth-order gravity

In this paper, we explore classes of irrotational-fluid cosmological models in the context of f(R)-gravity in an attempt to put some theoretical and mathematical restrictions on the form of the f(R) gravitational Lagrangian. In particular, we investigate the consistency of linearized dust models for shear-free cases as well as in the limiting cases when either the gravito-magnetic or gravito-elecric components of the Weyl tensor vanish. We also discuss the existence and consistency of classes of non-expanding irrotational spacetimes in f(R)-gravity.

Cosmic acceleration in a model of fourth order gravity

We investigate a fourth order model of gravity, having a free length parameter, and no cosmological constant or dark energy. We consider cosmological evolution of a flat Friedmann universe in this model for the case that the length parameter is of the order of present Hubble radius. By making a suitable choice for the present value of the Hubble parameter, and value of third derivative of the scale factor (the jerk) we find that the model can explain cosmic acceleration to the same degree of accuracy as the standard concordance model. If the free length parameter is assumed to be time-dependent, and of the order of the Hubble parameter of the corresponding epoch, the model can still explain cosmic acceleration, and provides a possible resolution of the cosmic coincidence problem. We work out the effective equation of state, and its time evolution, in our model. We also compare redshift drift in our model, with that in the standard model. The equation of state and the redshift drift serve to discriminate our model from the standard model.

Gravitational waves in fourth order gravity

In the post-Minkowskian limit approximation, we study gravitational wave solutions for general fourth-order theories of gravity. Specifically, we consider a Lagrangian with a generic function of curvature invariants \(f(R, R_{\alpha\beta}R^{\alpha\beta}, R_{\alpha\beta\gamma\delta }R^{\alpha\beta\gamma\delta})\). It is well known that when dealing with General Relativity such an approach provides massless spin-two waves as propagating degree of freedom of the gravitational field while this theory implies other additional propagating modes in the gravity spectra. We show that, in general, fourth order gravity, besides the standard massless graviton is characterized by two further massive modes with a finite-distance interaction. We find out the most general gravitational wave solutions in terms of Green functions in vacuum and in presence of matter sources. If an electromagnetic source is chosen, only the modes induced by \(R_{\alpha\beta}R^{\alpha\beta}\) are present, otherwise, for any \(f(R)\) gravity model, we have the complete analogy with tensor modes of General Relativity. Polarizations and helicity states are classified in the hypothesis of plane wave.

Astrophysical constraints on extended gravity models

We investigate the propagation of gravitational waves in the context of fourth order gravity nonminimally coupled to a massive scalar field. Using the damping of the orbital period of coalescing stellar binary systems, we impose constraints on the free parameters of extended gravity models. In particular, we find that the variation of the orbital period is a function of three mass scales which depend on the free parameters of the model under consideration; we can constrain these mass scales from current observational data.

Fourth derivative gravity in the auxiliary fields representation and application to the black-hole stability

We consider an auxiliary fields formulation for the general fourth-order gravity on an arbitrary curved background. The case of a Ricci-flat background is elaborated in detail and it is shown that there is an equivalence with the standard metric formulation. At the same time, using auxiliary fields helps to make perturbations to look simpler and the results clearer. As an application we reconsider the linear perturbations for the classical Schwarzschild solution. We also briefly discuss the relation to the effect of massive unphysical ghosts in the theory.

Attitude stability of a spacecraft with two flexible solar arrays on a stationary orbit around an asteroid subjected to gravity gradient torque

In the gravity field of an asteroid with the second order and degree harmonics C (20) and C (22), the attitude stability of a spacecraft with two flexible solar arrays on a stationary orbit subjected to the fourth-order gravity gradient torque is investigated in this paper. The sufficient conditions of attitude stability of the spacecraft are obtained, the effect of the direction of the flexible solar arrays and some special cases are discussed. Taking the asteroids 4769 Castalia, 25143 Itokawa and the imaginary asteroids as examples, the attitude stability domains, determined by the sufficient conditions, of the spacecrafts moving on stationary orbits around them are presented. It is found that the attitude stability domains of the spacecraft with two flexible solar arrays are evidently different when the solar arrays are installed in different directions; the effect of the harmonics C (20) and C (22) of the asteroids has the significant influence on the attitude stability domains of the spacecrafts with flexible appendages moving on stationary orbits; in the certain case, the effect of the harmonics C (20) and C (22) of the asteroids has no influence on the attitude stability domains of the rigid spacecrafts moving on stationary orbits, but in the other cases, the effect of the harmonics C (20) and C (22) of the asteroids has also the significant influence on the attitude stability domains of the rigid spacecrafts moving on stationary orbits; whether the harmonics C (20) and C (22) of the asteroids are considered or not, the effect of flexible appendages decreases the attitude stability domains.

Kerr metric, geodesic motion, and Flyby Anomaly in fourth-order Conformal Gravity

In this paper we analyze the Kerr geometry in the context of Conformal Gravity, an alternative theory of gravitation, which is a direct extension of General Relativity (GR). Following previous studies in the literature, we introduce an explicit expression of the Kerr metric in Conformal Gravity, which naturally reduces to the standard GR Kerr geometry in the absence of Conformal Gravity effects. As in the standard case, we show that the Hamilton–Jacobi equation governing geodesic motion in a space-time based on this geometry is indeed separable and that a fourth constant of motion—similar to Carter’s constant—can also be introduced in Conformal Gravity. Consequently, we derive the fundamental equations of geodesic motion and show that the problem of solving these equations can be reduced to one of quadratures. In particular, we study the resulting time-like geodesics in Conformal Gravity Kerr geometry by numerically integrating the equations of motion for Earth flyby trajectories of spacecraft. We then compare our results with the existing data of the Flyby Anomaly in order to ascertain whether Conformal Gravity corrections are possibly the origin of this gravitational anomaly. Although Conformal Gravity slightly affects the trajectories of geodesic motion around a rotating spherical object, we show that these corrections are minimal and are not expected to be the origin of the Flyby Anomaly, unless conformal parameters are drastically different from current estimates. Therefore, our results confirm previous analyses, showing that modifications due to Conformal Gravity are not likely to be detected at the Solar System level, but might affect gravity at the galactic or cosmological scale.

Thermodynamic and classical instability of AdS black holes in fourth-order gravity

We study thermodynamic and classical instability of AdS black holes in fourth-order gravity. These include the BTZ black hole in new massive gravity, Schwarzschild-AdS black hole, and higher-dimensional AdS black holes in fourth-order gravity. All thermodynamic quantities which are computed using the Abbot-Deser-Tekin method are used to study thermodynamic instability of AdS black holes. On the other hand, we investigate the $s$-mode Gregory-Laflamme instability of the massive graviton propagating around the AdS black holes. We establish the connection between the thermodynamic instability and the GL instability of AdS black holes in fourth-order gravity. This may show the Gubser-Mitra conjecture which holds for AdS black holes found from fourth-order gravity.

Galaxy rotation curves from a fourth order gravity

While the standard and most popular explanation for the flatness of galaxy rotation curves is dark matter, one cannot at this stage rule out an explanation based on a modified law of gravitation, which agrees with Newtonian gravitation on the scale of the Solar system, but differs from it on larger length scales. Examples include Modfied Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) and Scalar-Tensor-Vector Gravity (STVG). Here, we have reported on a fourth order modification of the Poisson equation, which yields the same Yukawa type modification of Newtonian gravity as STVG, and which can explain flat galaxy rotation curves for a large sample of galaxies, once specific values for two parameters have been chosen. We have speculated on two possible origins for this modified Poisson equation: First, a possible fourth order modification of general relativity, and second, quadrupole gravitational polarization induced on a galaxy because of the pull of neighbouring galaxies.

Fourth order gravity, scalar-tensor-vector gravity, and galaxy rotation curves

The lambda-CDM model is the best fit to cosmological data and to the observed galactic rotation curves. However, in the absence of a direct detection of dark matter one should explore theories such as modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND), and perhaps also modified gravity theories like fourth order gravity and scalar-tensor-vector gravity (STVG) as possible explanations for the non-Keplerian behavior of galaxy rotation curves. STVG has a modified law for gravitational acceleration which attempts to fit data by fixing two free parameters. We show that, remarkably, the biharmonic equation which we get in the weak field limit of the field equations in a fourth order gravity theory implies a modification of Newtonian acceleration which is precisely of the same repulsive Yukawa form as in the STVG theory, and the corrections could in principle be large enough to try and explain the observed rotation curves. We also explain how our model provides a first principles understanding of MOND. We also show that STVG and fourth order gravity predict an acceleration parameter ${a}_{0}$ whose value is of the same order as in MOND.

NONLINEAR CHARGED BLACK HOLES IN AdS QUASI-TOPOLOGICAL GRAVITY

In this paper, we present the static charged solutions of quartic quasi-topological gravity in the presence of a nonlinear electromagnetic field. Two branches of these solutions present black holes with one or two horizons or a naked singularity depending on the charge and mass of the black hole. The entropy of the charged black holes of fourth-order quasi-topological gravity through the use of Wald formula is computed and the mass, temperature and the charge of these black holes are found as well. We show that black holes with spherical, flat and hyperbolical horizon in quasi-topological gravity are stable for any allowed quasi-topological parameters. We also investigate the stability of nonlinear charged black holes.

Unstable Schwarzschild-Tangherlini black holes in fourth-order gravity

We study the stability of Schwarzschild-Tangherlini (ST) black holes in fourth-order gravity which provides a higher dimensional linearized massive equation. The linearized-Ricci tensor perturbation is employed to exhibit unstable modes featuring the Gregory-Laflamme (GL) instability of higher dimensional black strings, in comparison to the stable ST black holes in Einstein gravity. It turns out that the GL instability of the ST black holes in the fourth-order gravity originates from the massiveness, but not a nature of fourth-order derivative theories giving ghost states.