Modified gravity with disappearing cosmological constant

New corrections to General Relativity are considered in the context of modified f(R) gravity, that satisfy cosmological and local gravity constraints. The proposed models behave asymptotically as R − 2Λ at large curvature and show the vanishing of the cosmological constant at the flat spacetime limit. The chameleon mechanism and thin shell restrictions for local systems were analyzed, and bounds on the models were found. The steepness of the deviation parameter m at late times leads to measurable signal of scalar-tensor regime in matter perturbations, that allows to detect departures form the ΛCDM model. The theoretical results for the evolution of the weighted growth rate fσ8(z), from the proposed models, were analyzed.

Brownian Noise and Temperature Sensitivity of Long-Period Lunar Seismometers

ABSTRACT As long-period ground motion holds the key to understanding the interior of the Earth’s Moon, reducing long-period noise sources will be an essential area of focus in the design of future lunar seismometers. For the proposed Lunar Geophysical Network (LGN), the International Lunar Network (ILN) Science Definition Team specifies that an LGN enabling seismometer will need to be more sensitive than any previous seismometer at frequencies below 1 Hz. In an effort toward lowering the seismometer noise floor for lunar geophysical missions, we evaluate the 1/f Brownian noise and the temperature sensitivity of a seismometer. Temperature sensitivity of a seismometer is related to an important component of the seismometer output noise that is proportional to the temperature noise in the environment. The implications of the ILN requirement are presented in the context of the state-of-the-art InSight Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) Very Broad Band (VBB) planetary seismometer. Brownian noise due to internal friction was estimated for future lunar operation after accounting for the rebalance of the product of mass and distance to the center of gravity of the pendulum for the SEIS-VBB sensor. We find that Brownian noise could be a limiting factor in meeting the ILN requirement for lunar seismometers. Further, we have developed a formalism to understand the temperature sensitivity of a seismometer, relating it quantitatively to the local gravity, the thermoelastic coefficient of the spring, change in center of gravity, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the mechanical structures. We found that in general the temperature sensitivity of a seismometer is proportional to the local gravity, and so the temperature sensitivity can be reduced when operating on a planetary body with lower gravity. Our Brownian noise and temperature sensitivity models will be useful in the design of the next generation of planetary seismometers.

Effects of Local Gravity Compensation on Motor Control During Altered Environmental Gravity

Our sensorimotor control is well adapted to normogravity environment encountered on Earth and any change in gravity significantly disturbs our movement. In order to produce appropriate motor commands for aimed arm movements such as pointing or reaching, environmental changes have to be taken into account. This adaptation is crucial when performing successful movements during microgravity and hypergravity conditions. To mitigate the effects of changing gravitational levels, such as the changed movement duration and decreased accuracy, we explored the possible beneficial effects of gravity compensation on movement. Local gravity compensation was achieved using a motorized robotic device capable of applying precise forces to the subject’s wrist that generated a normogravity equivalent torque at the shoulder joint during periods of microgravity and hypergravity. The efficiency of the local gravity compensation was assessed with an experiment in which participants performed a series of pointing movements toward the target on a screen during a parabolic flight. We compared movement duration, accuracy, movement trajectory, and muscle activations of movements during periods of microgravity and hypergravity with conditions when local gravity compensation was provided. The use of local gravity compensation at the arm mitigated the changes in movement duration, accuracy, and muscle activity. Our results suggest that the use of such an assistive device helps with movements during unfamiliar environmental gravity.

Charged stars in 4D Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity

An alternative gravity theory that has attracted considerable attention recently is the novel four-dimensional Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet (4EGB) gravity. This idea was proposed to bypass the Lovelock’s theorem and to permit nontrivial higher curvature effects on the four-dimensional local gravity. In this approach, the Gauss–Bonnet (GB) coupling constant $$\alpha $$ α is rescaled by a factor of $$\alpha /(D -4)$$ α / ( D - 4 ) in D dimensions and taking the limit $$D \rightarrow 4$$ D → 4 . In this article, we analyze the effects of charge on static compact stars in the regularized 4D EGB gravity theory. Two classes of new exact solutions are found for a particular choice of the gravitational potential and assuming a relationship between the electric field intensity and the spatial potential. A graphical analysis indicates that the matter and electromagnetic variables are well behaved for specific values of the parameter space. Finally, based on physical grounds appropriate bounds on the model parameters we show that compact objects with the value of adiabatic index $$\gamma $$ γ is consistent with expectations.

Causal Gödel-type metrics in non-local gravity theories

It is well known that non-local theories of gravity have been a flourish arena of studies for many reasons, for instance, the UV incompleteness of General Relativity (GR). In this paper we check the consistency of ST-homogeneous Gödel-type metrics within the non-local gravity framework. The non-local models considered here are ghost-free but not necessarily renormalizable since we focus on the classical solutions of the field equations. Furthermore, the non-locality is displayed in the action through transcendental entire functions of the d’Alembert operator $$\Box $$ □ that are mathematically represented by a power series of the $$\Box $$ □ operator. We find two exact solutions for the field equations correspondent to the degenerate ($$\omega =0$$ ω = 0 ) and hyperbolic ($$m^{2}=4\omega ^2$$ m 2 = 4 ω 2 ) classes of ST-homogeneous Gödel-type metrics.