The weak-gravity bound and the need for spin in asymptotically safe matter-gravity models

We discover a weak-gravity bound in scalar-gravity systems in the asymptotic-safety paradigm. The weak-gravity bound arises in these systems under the approximations we make, when gravitational fluctuations exceed a critical strength. Beyond this critical strength, gravitational fluctuations can generate complex fixed-point values in higher-order scalar interactions. Asymptotic safety can thus only be realized at sufficiently weak gravitational interactions. We find that within truncations of the matter-gravity dynamics, the fixed point lies beyond the critical strength, unless spinning matter, i.e., fermions and vectors, is also included in the model.

Gravitational decoupling and superfluid stars

The gravitational decoupling is applied to studying minimal geometric deformed (MGD) compact superfluid stars, in covariant logarithmic scalar gravity on fluid branes. The brane finite tension is shown to provide more realistic values for the asymptotic value of the mass function of MGD superfluid stars, besides constraining the range of the self-interacting scalar field, minimally coupled to gravity. Several other physical features of MGD superfluid stars, regulated by the finite brane tension and a decoupling parameter, are derived and discussed, with important corrections to the general-relativistic limit that corroborate to current observational data.

Gravitational dynamics in the toy model of the Higgs-dark matter sector: the field theoretic perspective

The objective of the paper was to examine gravitational evolutions in the Higgs-dark matter sector toy model. The real part of the Higgs doublet was modelled by a neutral scalar. Two dark matter candidates introduced were the dark photon and a charged complex scalar. Non-minimal couplings of both scalars to gravity were included. The coupling channels between the ordinary and dark matter sectors were kinetic mixing between the electromagnetic and dark U(1) fields and the Higgs portal coupling among the scalars. The structures of emerging singular spacetimes were either of Schwarzschild or Reissner–Nordström types. The non-minimal scalar–gravity couplings led to an appearance of timelike portions of apparent horizons where they transform from spacelike to null. The features of dynamical black holes were described as functions of the model parameters. The black holes formed later and their radii and masses were smaller as the mass parameter of the complex scalar increased. The dependencies on the coupling of the Higgs field to gravity exhibited extrema, which were a maximum for the time of the black holes formation and minima in the cases of their radii and masses. A set of quantities associated with an observer moving with the evolving matter was proposed. The energy density, radial pressure and pressure anisotropy within dynamical spacetimes get bigger as the singularity is approached. The increase is more considerable in the Reissner–Nordström spacetimes. The apparent horizon local temperature changes monotonically in the minimally coupled case and non-monotonically when non-minimal scalar–gravity couplings are involved.

Effective universality in quantum gravity

We investigate the asymptotic safety scenario for a scalar-gravity system. This system contains two avatars of the dynamical Newton coupling, a gravitational self-coupling and a scalar-graviton coupling. We uncover an effective universality for the dynamical Newton coupling on the quantum level: its momentum-dependent avatars are in remarkable quantitative agreement in the scaling regime of the UV fixed point. For the background Newton coupling, this effective universality is not present, but qualitative agreement remains.