Title

Aether Unleashed

Author(s)/Creator(s)

Christian Armendariz-Picon, Department of Physics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NYFollow
Alberto Diez-Tejedor, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

Document Type

Article

Date

11-20-2009

Language

English

Disciplines

Physics

Description/Abstract

We follow a low-energy effective theory approach to identify the general class of theories that describes a vector field (of unconstrained norm) coupled to gravity. The resulting set may be regarded as a generalization of the conventional vector-tensor theories, and as a high-momentum completion of aether models. We study the conditions that a viable cosmology, Newtonian limit and absence of classical and quantum instabilities impose on the parameters of our class of models, and compare these constraints with those derived in previously studied and related cases. The most stringent conditions arise from the quantum stability of the theory, which allows dynamical cosmological solutions only for a non-Maxwellian kinetic term. The gravitational constant in the Newtonian limit turns to be scale dependent, suggesting connections to dark matter and degravitation. This class of theories has a very rich gravitational phenomenology, and offers an ample but simple testing ground to study modifications of gravity and their cosmological implications.

Additional Information

41 pages, 1 figure and 4 tables. v2: Minor changes and added references, matches version accepted for publication More information at http://arxiv.org/abs/0904.0809

Recommended Citation

Armendariz-Picon, Christian and Diez-Tejedor, Alberto, "Aether Unleashed" (2009). Physics - All Scholarship. 225.
https://surface.syr.edu/phy/225

Source

Harvested from Arxiv.org