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Physics General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

gr-qc Watch General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Friday 4 September

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Nonlinear evolution in Galileon EFTs: Regularization and screening

Farid Thaalba, Aaron Held, Ramiro Cayuso et al. (+1 more)

In a scalar effective field theory (EFT) with Galileon symmetry, we distinguish the strong-field expansion from the derivative expansion and study spherically symmetric classical nonlinear dynamics. More concretely, we consider two models related via perturbative field redefinitions: one with second-order equations that can also exhibit screening, and one that includes a higher-derivative term that introduces a propagating ghost. The latter term is of the type that can “regularise” the equations to render them well-posed as an initial value problem. For initial data that respect the derivative expansion, we find that the first model (ghost-free, unregularised) develops ill-posed regions during evolution only when the derivative expansion breaks down. This result persists in the strong-field regime. We further find that the regularized model reproduces the evolution of the unregularised one when the latter remains well-posed, while it exhibits tachyonic behaviour when the unregularised one becomes ill-posed. We also consider initial data that corresponds to stationary states that exhibit screening in the unregularised, ghost-free theory. In this case, we find that the regularised theory can remain well-posed for initial data that the unregularised one developed ill-posed regions. However, the ghost term naturally dominates over the Galileon term in the screening regime, contrary to common expectation.
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All authors Farid Thaalba, Aaron Held, Ramiro Cayuso, Thomas P. Sotiriou

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Fast Bayesian Inference for Long-Duration Gravitational-Wave Signals in 3G detectors

Anand S. Sengupta

Third-generation (3G) gravitational-wave detectors will observe binary-neutron-star inspirals for nearly a day, so Earth's rotation becomes part of the signal rather than a negligible correction. This destroys the usual separation between intrinsic and extrinsic parameters and creates a major computational bottleneck for Bayesian inference. We show that the exact five-harmonic Jaranowski-Krolak-Schutz (JKS) decomposition restores the separation of the rotating antenna amplitude response from the computationally expensive intrinsic waveform calculations. By sampling the intrinsic waveform on a frequency grid set by its phase curvature and then applying error-controlled relative binning, likelihood evaluations for a 21.3-h signal are accelerated by O(10^4), making day-long 3G signal inference practical.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from astro-ph.HE

Electromagnetic alignment and jet precession around supermassive black holes: Quasi-periodic oscillations in tidal disruption events

Pau Amaro-Seoane, Leif Lui, Alejandro Torres-Orjuela et al. (+1 more)

We evaluate quasi-periodic oscillations and jet formation in tidal disruption events using the covariant formulation of electromagnetic angular-momentum transfer. General-relativistic frame-dragging tears apart misaligned transient accretion flows, forming an isolated inner mini-disk. The accumulation of magnetic flux on the event horizon powers a relativistic jet via the Blandford-Znajek mechanism. Because the magnetic field anchors to the precessing mini-disk, the jet axis rotates, generating geometric modulations in the observed X-ray and radio fluxes. To ensure physical consistency with the force-free magnetosphere required to launch a Blandford-Znajek jet, we model the electromagnetic back-reaction using a split-monopole magnetic field topology. By performing a small-spin expansion of the Noether current density over the event horizon, we derive a closed-form analytical reaction torque exerted by the electromagnetic field on the accretion plasma. We evaluate the resulting kinematics to show that the electromagnetic back-reaction induces a retrograde precession of the mini-disk, coupling with the prograde Lense-Thirring precession to dictate the global oscillation frequency. We formulate explicit predictions for observable transient signals and predict a monotonic attenuation of the peak-to-trough flux ratio as the mini-disk aligns, as well as a specific frequency drift signature characterized by an initial lengthening followed by an asymptotic shortening of the time interval between consecutive flares. We establish an analytical mechanism where magnetic flux depletion stalls alignment, predicting a constant residual modulation amplitude at late times. We formulate a methodology to extract the black hole spin and the magnetic flux density directly from the temporal derivatives of this predicted frequency drift, operating independently of spectral continuum fitting.
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All authors Pau Amaro-Seoane, Leif Lui, Alejandro Torres-Orjuela, Xian Chen

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Cosmological Evolution of the Randall-Sundrum II Model with Running Vacuum: A Special Class of Solutions

Hao Yu, Jin Li and Zi-Chao Lin

In this work, we construct a novel cosmological framework by integrating the running vacuum model into the Randall-Sundrum II braneworld scenario. We derive a special class of analytical solutions in the model. Our investigation focuses on the complete evolutionary trajectory of the universe, with particular emphasis on the realization of primordial inflation and the evolution of cosmic entropy. We evaluate the model's viability across three scenarios: dust-dominated, radiation-dominated, and general perfect fluid-dominated universes. Our findings show that while the hybrid model is in principle capable of supporting inflation, producing enough e-fold number demands either severe fine-tuning of the parameter or unreasonably large (and thus physically unnatural) value of the parameter.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Spherically symmetric inextendibility of weak null singularities with Christoffel symbols in $L^s_{\text{loc}}$

Peter Cameron and Jan Sbierski

Motivated by the strong cosmic censorship conjecture in general relativity, we prove the inextendibility of spherically symmetric weak null singularities as spherically symmetric Lorentzian manifolds with a continuous metric and Christoffel symbols in $L^{s}_{\text{loc}}$ for $s>1$. The result assumes a suitable blow-up condition on the derivative of the area-radius function transverse to the weak null singularity in combination with a rigidity result on continuous spherically symmetric extensions across null boundaries proven in [1]. In particular we show that these assumptions are satisfied by the Reissner-Nordström-Vaidya spacetime as well as by a class of spacetimes arising from small and generic spherically symmetric perturbations of subextremal Reissner-Nordström under the Einstein-Maxwell-scalar field system.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from hep-th

The endless journey towards the horizon of a quantum black hole

Victor Franken, Thomas G. Mertens and Bruno de S. L. Torres

It is a problem of great importance in quantum gravity whether quantum effects lead to nontrivial structure near black hole horizons, and if their interiors are emergent features of a large $N$ limit. We show that the strongly chaotic nature of black holes, captured by random matrix statistics of their spectrum, makes it so that a suitably gravitationally dressed infalling observer takes an infinite amount of proper time to reach the horizon. This makes the black hole interior operationally inaccessible to any outside observer, marking a sharp breakdown of the large $N$ causal structure of black holes in quantum gravity. To model the experience of an infalling observer, we study the response of an infalling particle detector coupled to a matter field in a 2d quantum black hole background, finding a peak in the detector's excitation probability as it enters an infinitely long non-perturbative journey close to the black hole horizon.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Probing Neutron Star Equation of State Universality with Gravitational Waves

Praveer Tiwari, Ajit Kumar Mehta and K. G. Arun

Current neutron star equation-of-state inferences assume that a common equation of state describes all neutron stars. However, {poorly understood dense-matter physics may give rise to distinct long-lived stellar subpopulations following different mass–tidal-deformability relations, invalidating this assumption. In this Letter, we demonstrate that next-generation gravitational-wave observatories enable neutron star equation-of-state universality to be transformed from an assumption into a testable hypothesis. By combining hierarchical Bayesian inference with a piecewise-polytropic parametrization of the neutron star equation of state, we establish a framework for testing equation-of-state universality with next-generation gravitational-wave observatories. We find that about 30 (50) loud binary neutron star mergers with network SNRs above 100 are sufficient to provide compelling evidence for departures from equation-of-state universality, even if only 20% (10%) of the population exhibits one of the representative non-universality parametrizations considered here.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Probing Dark Matter with Strongly Lensed Binary Black Hole Mergers: Prospects in the Near Future

Koustav N. Maity, Souvik Jana, Ankur Barsode et al. (+2 more)

Gravitational-wave~(GW) transients, strongly lensed by intervening galaxies and clusters, are expected to constitute a small fraction ($\sim 0.1$-$0.5\%$) of the events detectable by ground-based detectors. A strongly lensed binary black hole (BBH) merger will produce multiple copies of the GW signal arriving at different times at the detector. The abundance and time-delay distribution of these lensed events are sensitive to the mass, density profile, and redshift distribution of the lens population, and in turn, to the underlying nature of dark matter. Jana et al. (Phys.Rev.Lett. 135 (2025) 11, 111402) recently proposed a method to constrain the masses of warm dark matter (WDM) particles making use of the strongly lensed events detectable by next-generation GW detectors. In this work, we investigate the prospects of constraining the mass of the WDM particle using upcoming observations of the upgraded LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network. This requires a careful modeling of the detector selection effects. The upcoming fifth observing run (O5) is expected to yield only a modest bound, since only a few lensed pairs are expected at that early stage. By the sixth observing run (O6), we forecast a bound on the WDM particle mass, $m_{\rm wdm}^{-1} \lesssim 0.1$-$0.2\text{keV}^{-1}$ ($m_{\rm wdm} \gtrsim 5$-$10\text{keV}$), which is comparable to the tightest existing astrophysical constraints. Runs beyond O6 will tighten the constraint by roughly an order of magnitude. Strongly lensed GWs therefore offer a complementary, competitive, and independent probe of dark matter.
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All authors Koustav N. Maity, Souvik Jana, Ankur Barsode, Tejaswi Venumadhav, Parameswaran Ajith

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

Expanding the scope of dark siren cosmology: Inferring the population properties of gravitational wave-hosting galaxies

Rachel Gray, Daniel Williams and Alexander Papadopoulos

The field of gravitational wave "dark siren" cosmology is facing a number of challenges surrounding the way in which galaxy catalogue data is incorporated into the analysis. The three biggest challenges are adequately compensating for galaxy catalogue incompleteness, robust treatment of galaxy redshift and source properties, and the as-yet unknown host galaxy weighting model. We present an updated methodology for inferring cosmological parameters using dark sirens and incomplete galaxy catalogues. By switching to a sampled redshift prior, rather than one which is pre-computed on a grid, we can jointly infer parameters which describe the population of gravitational-wave hosting galaxies, alongside the gravitational wave population and cosmological model. Using the cosmological inference software gwcosmo, we reproduce a subset of GWTC-5.0 cosmology results, then extend the analysis to jointly infer the host galaxy weighting model - the first measurement of its kind to do so - leading to an updated measurement of the Hubble constant with $H_0 = {71.9}_{-7.5}^{+9.1}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$ (median and 68% symmetric credible interval). This innovative new method opens the door to solving several of the biggest challenges currently facing the field of dark siren cosmology.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Static Spherically Symmetric Solutions in Modified Entropic Gravity

A. Rostami, M. Rostampour, A. Yarahmadi et al. (+1 more)

Within the entropic gravity paradigm introduced by Verlinde, one assumes that the microscopic degrees of freedom residing on the holographic screen obey the equipartition law of energy. Nevertheless, implications of statistical mechanics suggest that this energy sharing can acquire corrections that depend on temperature. Taking such modifications into account leads to altered gravitational field equations when derived from thermodynamic considerations. We solve the resulting modified Einstein equations in the case of a static, spherically symmetric spacetime and determine the general structure of the metric components. Our findings indicate that if the temperature correction function behaves as $f(T)\propto T^{2}$, the corresponding spacetime geometry reduces to the flat Minkowski metric. Therefore, to obtain small deviations from flatness, it is necessary to consider slight departures from this purely quadratic temperature dependence. Such deviations can be interpreted as encoding additional gravitational effects, potentially associated with matter contributions that are not entirely described by the holographic screen. As a result of these effects, the effective gravitational potential acquires a logarithmic correction, which can give rise to deviations from Newtonian gravity. This aspect is especially significant in the regime of very weak gravitational fields, where these corrections may affect particle motion and could carry implications for both astrophysical and cosmological contexts.
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All authors A. Rostami, M. Rostampour, A. Yarahmadi, K. Rezazadeh

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Probing magnetic fields of compact objects with continuous gravitational waves

Gopalkrishna Prabhu, Aditya Kumar Sharma, R. Prasad et al. (+2 more)

Spinning, deformed compact objects such as neutron stars are canonical sources of continuous gravitational waves. These objects may be born with magnetic fields that can strongly influence their spin evolution and, consequently, their gravitational wave detectability. Employing a Bayesian framework, we use for the first time, the non detection of continuous gravitational waves in the LIGO Virgo KAGRA (LVK) third observing run (O3), using reported amplitude upper limits from various LVK and Einstein@Home searches, to place population level constraints on the birth magnetic field distribution of Galactic compact objects. To this end, we simulate compact object populations whose spin evolution is governed by gravitational wave emission and magnetic dipole radiation. We explore multiple ellipticity models and magnetic field decay timescales, and find that the lower limit on the birth magnetic field distribution hyperparameter $B_0$ is constrained to lie in the range $10^{9.6}\mathrm{G} \lesssim B_0\,\lesssim 10^{13.3}\mathrm{G}$. Furthermore, we reinterpret the number constraints on the total population of Galactic compact objects, reported previously by \citet{Prabhu_2024}, as upper limits on the number of compact objects with a population averaged magnetic field, presented as a function of ellipticity and gravitational wave frequency for all searches considered here.
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All authors Gopalkrishna Prabhu, Aditya Kumar Sharma, R. Prasad, David Keitel, Shasvath J. Kapadia

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Dirac fields in LRS III spacetimes: a dynamical systems analysis

Fabrizio Esposito, Sante Carloni and Stefano Vignolo

Within the $1+1+2$ covariant formalism, we investigate Locally Rotationally Symmetric (LRS) class III spacetimes sourced by a self-gravitating Dirac field expressed in polar form. By recasting the covariant field equations into an autonomous dynamical system, we perform a phase-space analysis of their solutions. We show that the cosmological evolution asymptotically converges to a contracting Bianchi I spacetime, a result also supported by numerical integrations of the system.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Naked Singularities beyond Spherical Symmetry: Instability of $\kappa$-Self-Similar Solutions via an Iteration Scheme

Xinliang An and Shengrong Wu

This paper provides the instability counterpart to our recent construction of nonspherically symmetric approximating $\kappa$-self-similar naked-singularity solutions for the Einstein–scalar field system. These singular solutions contain pervasive nonspherical borderline terms, and to prove instability the delicate renormalization procedure developed in [2] does not extend to the more singular setting considered here. To overcome these difficulties, we introduce a new iteration scheme adapted to singular backgrounds whose leading-order geometry depends on the angular variables. At each step, the nonlinear coefficients are frozen using the preceding double-null geometry, and the resulting equations are solved in a triangular order. In this way, the nonspherical borderline terms are incorporated into the approximate geometry rather than treated as perturbative errors, yielding successively sharper estimates. After sufficiently many iterations, the scheme controls the singular angular structure and produces an approximate spacetime whose difference from the exact solution satisfies the required bounds. In particular, these bounds provide an existence region large enough to carry out the instability argument. We further prove that anisotropic perturbations of the outgoing data, arbitrarily small in a scale-critical norm, lead to the formation of a trapped surface. We also formulate and verify a matter-focusing condition under which a parabolic flow argument guarantees the existence of a corresponding marginally outer trapped surface (MOTS). Together, these results establish the nonlinear instability of $\kappa$-self-similar naked singularities beyond spherical symmetry in the Einstein–scalar field system and introduce a framework for applications across Einstein systems.
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Thursday 3 September

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Inverse Reconstruction of Causal Nonlinear Electrodynamics: Functional Families, Spectral Constraints, and Single-Horizon Black Holes

Ariel Guzmán, Mohsen Fathi and J. R. Villanueva

Nonlinear electrodynamics (NLED) admits many causal theories, so causality alone does not provide a unique selection principle. We formulate an inverse construction in which constitutive integrability, the Maxwell weak-field limit, and causal propagation are imposed before either a Lagrangian or a spacetime geometry is chosen. An affine-separable reduction of the two-invariant Plebański class yields an infinite-dimensional causal family $\mathcal{C}_X$, characterized by a bounded logarithmic index; Born-Infeld is its unique self-dual member, while generic members are birefringent. On the magnetic axis, complete monotonicity gives a positive spectral representation. Finite monopole self-energy is equivalent to the existence of the spectral moment of order $-1/4$, whereas global magnetic causality restricts the support. Generalized-gamma spectra are simultaneously causal and finite-energy precisely for $1/4<\gamma\le1/2$, independently of the shape parameter, and a separate criterion determines when the magnetic law admits a causal two-invariant completion. After coupling to Einstein gravity, a positive magnetic response and characteristic factor, finite self-energy, and nonnegative residual mass imply a strictly increasing metric function, excluding more than one positive horizon; positive residual mass guarantees a unique horizon. The two optical metrics of $\mathcal{C}_X$ remain Lorentzian with overlapping timelike cones, establishing symmetric hyperbolicity of the electromagnetic subsystem. Thus inverse matter selection connects local causal consistency to global black-hole structure without prescribing the geometry.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Constraints on Scalar–Tensor–Vector Gravity Theory Parameters Inferred from Quasiperiodic Oscillations

Marco Muccino, Kuantay Boshkayev, Binay Prakash Akhouri et al. (+2 more)

We study circular geodesics of neutral test particles in the static charged solution of Scalar–Tensor–Vector Gravity (STVG), and we use the twin kilohertz quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) of twelve accreting compact objects to bound its parameters. Starting from the effective potential we obtain closed forms for the specific energy, the specific angular momentum and the Keplerian angular velocity, and from these the radial and vertical epicyclic frequencies. The horizon, photon sphere, shadow radius and innermost stable circular orbit are given in closed form as well, and each one reduces to the RN and Schwarzschild value in the appropriate limit. Null geodesics are integrated numerically and show how the enhanced coupling widens the capture cross section while leaving the logarithmic divergence of the deflection angle at the photon sphere intact. Within the RP model we then run Metropolis–Hastings MCMC simulations on the QPO pairs of eight neutron stars and four microquasars, comparing the Schwarzschild spacetime, the RN spacetime, STVG with vanishing charge and the full STVG solution. The best fits are obtained mainly for the charged solutions in the neutron star sample, while all four models describe the black hole sample equally well. We show that the orbital dynamics depends on the mass $M$, the coupling $\alpha$ and the charge $Q$ only through the two combinations $\Meff=(1+\alpha)M$ and $\Qeff^{2}=(1+\alpha)(\alpha M^{2}+Q^{2})$, which accounts for the multimodal posteriors found in the neutron star sample and sets a model-independent limit on what QPO timing alone can measure. The astrophysical implications of these bounds, in particular for inferred masses above the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit, are discussed in detail.
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All authors Marco Muccino, Kuantay Boshkayev, Binay Prakash Akhouri, Izzet Sakall{\i}, Yassine Sekhmani

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Entropy Obstruction to Closed Semiclassical Bounces

Naman Kumar

We prove a finite-$G\hslash$ singularity theorem for semiclassical spacetimes with compact Cauchy slices. Let a compact Cauchy slice be divided by a compact surface into regions $B$ and $C$. Suppose that $B$ is conditionally hyperentropic, $H_{\max,\mathrm{gen}}^\varepsilon(BC|C)>0$, that the future-inward null boundary from the dividing surface toward $B$ is a discrete max lightsheet, and that $C$ is robustly quantum trapped. Assuming discrete max-focusing and a regular semiclassical endpoint for a closing lightsheet, the future Cauchy development of $B$ contains an incomplete null generator. This parallels entropy singularity theorems in which hyperentropy is combined with the existence of an inward lightsheet, while robust quantum trapping supplies the additional finite-$G\hslash$ local obstruction needed here. In a closed Friedmann universe, the theorem excludes a controlled semiclassical bounce when a contracting hemisphere lies on such a lightsheet and contains more independent information than its boundary can support.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

The Einstein Tensor from UV-regulated Field Correlations

Matheus H. Zambianco and Achim Kempf

It is known that the spacetime metric can be recovered from quantum-field correlators. We extend this programme by showing that the Einstein tensor can be directly written in terms of UV-regulated field correlations. The same correlation structure also directly determines the Ricci tensor, while higher coincidence derivatives recover the connection and Riemann tensor. We further show that the renormalized stress-energy tensor can be formulated within this framework, up to the standard finite renormalization freedom. These results provide a correlation-based organization of the semiclassical Einstein equations and advance the programme of formulating spacetime geometry in terms of quantum field correlations.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Quantum-gravity-inspired Alcubierre warp-drive geometries

Kimet Jusufi and Francisco S.N. Lobo

String T-duality, through its correspondence with path-integral duality, endows the low-energy propagator with a zero-point length $l_0=2\pi\sqrt{\alpha'}$ that softens the short-distance behavior of gravitational fields. Motivated by the regular black-hole construction obtained from the corresponding smeared source, we formulate a T-duality-inspired Alcubierre geometry by identifying the warp profile with the complementary cumulative mass fraction of that source. For the effective one-scale choice $f(r_s)=1-r_s^3/(r_s^2+l^2)^{3/2}$, with $l^2=R^2+l_0^2$, the metric is $C^2$ at the bubble center and smooth elsewhere, while the energy density, its volume integral, and the York expansion are available in closed form. In particular, $E=-(15\pi/1024)v_s^2 l$ in geometric units and $|\rho_E|$ is bounded by a constant times $v_s^2/l^2$. Within this one-scale family, the model therefore removes the divergence associated with the profile-contraction limit $R\to 0$ at fixed velocity, because $l$ cannot fall below $l_0$. This should not be confused with a regularization of the conventional Alcubierre thin-wall limit at fixed macroscopic bubble radius, in which an independent wall thickness is taken to zero. We emphasize, however, that the construction is an effective ansatz rather than a derivation from string-corrected field equations: $R$ is a macroscopic profile scale, the choice $l^2=R^2+l_0^2$ is an interpolation, and the classical $l_0\to 0$ limit remains a smooth thick-walled profile rather than the distributional Alcubierre top hat. Exotic matter remains necessary, and neither semiclassical stability nor a modified quantum energy inequality is claimed without an explicit renormalized stress-tensor calculation.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Does spatial curvature generate new thermodynamic criticality at the FLRW apparent horizon?

Samuel Lepe and Joel Saavedra

We generalize the apparent-horizon thermodynamic construction of [1] to a FLRW universe with non-zero spatial curvature, non-interacting cold dark matter and holographic-type dark energy. For nonzero curvature, the scale factor is an additional geometric variable in the horizon equation of state. The usual criticality conditions are thus not well defined until a closure prescription for the curvature sector is provided. We introduce a dimensionless curvature variable and restrict the thermodynamic variations to slices of constant value of this variable. For each such slice, a positive holographic coupling and nonlinear powers larger than one guaranty the existence of a unique positive critical point. The critical specific volume, temperature and pressure are shifted by the spatial curvature, while the critical ratio and the mean-field critical exponents remain unchanged. It thus rescales the critical quantities, without generating a new local universality class. We construct a Helmholtz potential out of the physical thermodynamic volume and the entropy conjugate to the rescaled horizon temperature. In the quadratic holographic model, the parametric coexistence curve which is equivalent to the Maxwell construction is derived from the equality of the Gibbs free energies of the competing branches. The associated latent heat disappears at the critical endpoint, resulting in a global first-order coexistence in the fixed-curvature ensemble. Whether a physical FLRW trajectory intersects the critical or coexistence locus is a separate dynamical question because the dimensionless curvature variable generally evolves during cosmological expansion.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Exact solution of the Klein-Gordon equation in a Kiselev black hole background

Matheus. D. de Oliveira and Alexandre G. M. Schmidt

In this work, we investigate exactly the dynamics of a relativistic spinless particle influenced by a static and uncharged black hole surrounded by a quintessence-like anisotropic fluid or Kiselev black hole. Considering two quintessence-like models as examples, we calculate the radial wave function and determine, in both cases, the quasispectrum of energy, as well as the Hawking radiation and temperature. We find that the stronger the influence of quintessence-like anisotropic fluid, the smaller the radiation observed outside the event horizon. Furthermore, the temperatures obtained in both cases are directly influenced by the quintessence-like anisotropic fluid, and we recover the values obtained in other contexts, such as those derived using the surface gravity. Finally, in the absence of quintessence, we recover in both cases the Hawking temperature $T_{H} = 1/(8\pi k_{B} M)$ corresponding to the Schwarzschild black hole.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

From Nonmetricity Operators to the Physical Spectrum: A Branch-Complete Analysis of Local Four-Derivative Symmetric Teleparallel Gravity

Caglar Pala

We develop a branch-complete classical free-spectrum analysis of local parity-even symmetric teleparallel gravity containing all pure-gravity nonmetricity operators through four derivatives. After canonicalisation and integration by parts, the nonlinear action contains 116 independent operators distributed as $5+13+29+69$ among $Q^2$, $(\nabla Q)^2$, $Q^2\nabla Q$ and $Q^4$. Around Minkowski spacetime in the coincident gauge only the first two sectors contribute to the quadratic action, which reduces to four two-derivative and five four-derivative bilinears. We map the original coefficients to this nine-dimensional basis, construct the Hessian and momentum kernel, and classify local linear gauge symmetries. Unrestricted linearised diffeomorphism invariance imposes six independent relations and leaves a three-parameter family $(A,B,C)$. We also recover TDiff, Weyl, WTDiff and additional accidental symmetry branches. Barnes–Rivers decomposition, gauge fixing, exact inversion and conserved-source saturation reduce the physical exchange to spin-two and scalar factors $A+2Cq$ and $2A+(3B-2C)q$. The generic regular spectrum contains a massless graviton, a massive spin-two state and a massive scalar, with eight degrees of freedom. The massive spin-two residue is necessarily opposite to that of the healthy massless graviton. The regular classification leaves only GR/STEGR, $A>0$ with $B=C=0$, and the scalar extension, $A>0$, $B>0$, $C=0$, as fully healthy Minkowski loci. The latter has three degrees of freedom and mixed ultraviolet behaviour, with tensor exchange scaling as $k^{-2}$ and scalar exchange as $k^{-4}$. Thus, within this finite local metric theory, full four-derivative tensor suppression requires the finite massive spin-two pole with opposite residue.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Screened Scalar Hair and the Weak-Lensing Separation of Black Holes from Neutron Stars in Quadratic $f(R)$ Gravity

Yashmitha Kumaran and Ilídio Lopes

Quadratic $f(R)$ gravity carries a massive scalar degree of freedom, the scalaron, whose finite range $\lambda$ screens its influence on the geometry outside a compact object. We show that this screening severs the exterior of a black hole from that of a neutron star of the same mass. The correction to the Schwarzschild metric is Yukawa-suppressed, falling as $e^{-r/\lambda}$ instead of polynomially in the coupling, and is thus invisible to any expansion in powers of that coupling; also, the exterior is intrinsically isotropic, so that inverting the temporal potential alone, as in single-potential solutions, fails to solve ]field equations. Applying the Gauss-Bonnet theorem to this geometry, we find the leading deflection angle to be exactly the general-relativistic $4GM/b$, the scalaron contributions cancelling identically in the combination that bends light. The first correction carries the unfamiliar signature $\lambda^{-1/2}b^{-3/2}e^{-b/\lambda}$, screened beyond the scalaron range and confirmed against direct quadrature to around 20% at $b=4\lambda$, improving to 7% at $b=12\lambda$. What survives is not a difference of degree but of kind. The three ingredients that deliver it, non-analyticity in the coupling, the intrinsically isotropic gauge and the pressure-weighted scalar charge, are here obtained within a single, self-consistent derivation for the first time. A static black hole carries no scalar hair, and lenses precisely as GR requires; a neutron star acquires a scalar charge weighted by the pressure supporting it against collapse, and does not. Weak lensing hence closes as a discriminant of the theory, whilst the horizon, as against a material surface, remains one in principle. The observational advantage lies not in bending angles at large $b$ but in the strong-field imaging of the photon sphere, and in the stellar interior, where the scalar charge is fixed by EoS.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

An Attractor-Repeller model of the Local Universe : The $\Lambda$-Szekeres spacetime and Perturbation Theory

Maharshi Sarma, Christian Marinoni and Basheer Kalbouneh

The standard linearly perturbed Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) framework provides an accurate description of the Universe on large scales but cannot fully capture the non-linear inhomogeneities that characterize the local Universe. In this work, we investigate whether an exact inhomogeneous solution of the Einstein field equations can provide a more realistic description of the nearby cosmic environment. To this end, we employ the quasi-spherical Szekeres class I solution with $\Lambda$ and focus on its axisymmetric subclass, motivated by recent observations indicating an axisymmetric expansion rate of the local Universe. We determine light propagation by numerically integrating the Sachs optical equations, thereby obtaining the luminosity distance and its evolution with redshift. We further compute the multipoles of the covariant cosmographic parameters and apply the formalism to an attractor-repeller configuration representative of the local matter distribution. We find that the resulting covariant cosmographic parameters are consistent with current observational constraints. Finally, we derive the gravitational potential and peculiar velocity field generated by the Szekeres density distribution, establishing the connection between the exact relativistic solution and its Newtonian counterparts.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Waveform models for the gravitational-wave memory effect: III. Phenomenological frequency-domain model for nonspinning binaries

Arwa Elhashash and David A. Nichols

We present a phenomenological frequency-domain model for the gravitational-wave (GW) memory signal from nonspinning binary-black-hole mergers on quasicircular orbits. We develop separate amplitude and phase models for the dominant $(l,m)=(2,0)$ spherical-harmonic mode of the GW memory signal. The amplitude and phase models are built from superpositions of elementary and transcendental functions, which can be evaluated efficiently. Both portions of the model are calibrated against a numerical-relativity surrogate model over mass ratios from one to eight. Their accuracy is assessed by computing their mismatch with the numerical-relativity models using the Advanced LIGO sensitivity curve from the fourth observing run. The mismatches are of the order $10^{-4}\unicode{x2013}10^{-3}$ over the parameter space of total mass covered by LIGO. The resulting frequency-domain model is a more computationally efficient waveform model for the GW memory signal than a related time-domain model earlier produced by the authors. An open-access implementation of both the time-domain and frequency-domain models is provided in the Python package GWMemoryModel, which can be used for relevant analyses of nonspinning binary black holes.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Emergent dark sector in group field theory cosmology

Andrea Calcinari, Federico Greco, Daniele Oriti et al. (+1 more)

We develop an analytical treatment of the emergent cosmological dynamics induced by local polynomial interactions in a deparametrised group field theory model, moving beyond the usual non-interacting approximation. For a single field mode with quartic and sextic couplings we obtain a closed-form generalised Friedmann equation within a controlled Gaussian regime. The dynamics preserves the quantum bounce while generating effective dark matter and dark energy contributions as collective quantum-geometric phenomena, providing the first derivation of both components from a single model. Matching the resulting dark-energy-to-dark-matter density ratio to observations places concrete phenomenological constraints on the fundamental theory, linking the cosmic coincidence problem directly to the underlying quantum gravity dynamics. Our results extend to arbitrary even polynomial interactions, establishing a systematic dictionary between microscopic interaction orders and effective equations of state.
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All authors Andrea Calcinari, Federico Greco, Daniele Oriti, Pietro Pellecchia

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

Euclid preparation. The shape of halo profiles in $\Lambda$CDM and non-standard cosmologies

Euclid Collaboration: L. Pizzuti, G. Y. Ferron, A. Ragagnin et al. (+303 more)

We study the shape of three-dimensional and projected dark-matter halo profiles extracted from cosmological $N$-body simulations in $\Lambda$CDM and non-standard cosmologies, using the DUSTGRAIN-PF and DEMNUni suites. The models considered include massive neutrinos, $f(\mathcal{R})$ gravity, and dynamical dark energy. By comparing density, mass, velocity-dispersion, and excess-surface-density profiles up to $5\,r_{500{\rm c}}$, we quantify the differential imprint of non-standard physics on halo structure in view of Euclid cluster WL studies. Our main analysis is performed at $z=1.1$, a high-redshift regime where the weak-lensing signal-to-noise starts to degrade, providing a conservative stress test for detectability; for DUSTGRAIN-PF we additionally analyse $z=0.5$ and $z=0.3$ snapshots. In low-mass haloes ($M_{\rm 200c}<7\times10^{13}\,M_\odot$), $f(\mathcal{R})$ gravity produces deviations of order $10\,\%$ in projected and three-dimensional profiles, especially in the outskirts where screening is less efficient. Massive neutrinos partially reduce this signal, reflecting the competition between free streaming and fifth-force-enhanced growth. Dynamical dark energy and massive-neutrino cosmologies generally induce smaller, few-percent deviations, with the largest effects again found in low-mass haloes and at large radii. Under simplified assumptions for \Euclid WL, detecting such profile differences at $z=1.1$ requires stacks of $\sim10^5$ haloes, while a few thousands haloes may be sufficient at $z\lesssim0.5$. This further calls for the need of integrating such precise modelling of non-standard effects – along with other observational effects – in any likelihood involving Euclid WL masses to avoid non-negligible systematic biases. Concentration–mass relations show weaker cosmology dependence, typically at the $\sim5\,\%$ level. [...]
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All authors Euclid Collaboration: L. Pizzuti, G. Y. Ferron, A. Ragagnin, A. M. C. Le Brun, P.-S. Corasaniti, T. Gayoux, G. Rácz, E. Altamura, Z. Sakr, C. Carbone, M. Baldi, C. Giocoli, T. Castro, F. Pace, J. E. Taylor, S. Borgani, O. Luongo, C. T. Mpetha, R. E. Angulo, B. Altieri, S. Andreon, N. Auricchio, C. Baccigalupi, S. Bardelli, P. Battaglia, A. Biviano, E. Branchini, M. Brescia, S. Camera, V. Capobianco, V. F. Cardone, J. Carretero, M. Castellano, G. Castignani, S. Cavuoti, K. C. Chambers, A. Cimatti, C. Colodro-Conde, G. Congedo, L. Conversi, Y. Copin, F. Courbin, H. M. Courtois, M. Cropper, H. Degaudenzi, G. De Lucia, H. Dole, F. Dubath, X. Dupac, S. Dusini, S. Escoffier, M. Farina, F. Faustini, S. Ferriol, F. Finelli, P. Fosalba, S. Fotopoulou, M. Frailis, E. Franceschi, M. Fumana, L. Gabarra, S. Galeotta, K. George, B. Gillis, J. Gracia-Carpio, A. Grazian, F. Grupp, S. V. H. Haugan, S. Hemmati, W. Holmes, F. Hormuth, A. Hornstrup, K. Jahnke, M. Jhabvala, B. Joachimi, S. Kermiche, A. Kiessling, B. Kubik, K. Kuijken, M. Kunz, H. Kurki-Suonio, S. Ligori, P. B. Lilje, V. Lindholm, I. Lloro, M. Magliocchetti, G. Mainetti, O. Mansutti, O. Marggraf, M. Martinelli, N. Martinet, F. Marulli, R. J. Massey, N. Mauri, S. Maurogordato, E. Medinaceli, S. Mei, M. Meneghetti, E. Merlin, G. Meylan, P. Monaco, A. Mora, M. Moresco, C. Moretti, L. Moscardini, E. Munari, C. Neissner, J. W. Nightingale, C. Padilla, S. Paltani, F. Pasian, V. Pettorino, A. Pezzotta, S. Pires, G. Polenta, M. Poncet, L. A. Popa, F. Raison, A. Renzi, J. Rhodes, G. Riccio, I. Risso, E. Romelli, M. Roncarelli, R. Saglia, D. Sapone, B. Sartoris, P. Schneider, T. Schrabback, A. Secroun, E. Sefusatti, E. Sihvola, P. Simon, C. Sirignano, G. Sirri, L. Stanco, J.-L. Starck, P. Tallada-Crespí, A. N. Taylor, I. Tereno, N. Tessore, S. Toft, R. Toledo-Moreo, F. Torradeflot, I. Tutusaus, E. A. Valentijn, J. Valiviita, T. Vassallo, Y. Wang, J. Weller, A. Zacchei, G. Zamorani, F. M. Zerbi, E. Zucca, M. Ballardini, P. Bergamini, A. Boucaud, E. Bozzo, C. Burigana, R. Cabanac, M. Calabrese, A. Cappi, F. Caro, J. A. Escartin Vigo, J. García-Bellido, T. Gasparetto, J. Macias-Perez, R. Maoli, R. B. Metcalf, M. Pöntinen, E. Sarpa, V. Scottez, M. Sereno, M. Tenti, M. Tucci, M. Viel, M. Wiesmann, J. A. Acevedo Barroso, Y. Akrami, I. T. Andika, S. Anselmi, M. Archidiacono, G. Aricò, F. Atrio-Barandela, M. Baes, L. Bazzanini, D. Bertacca, M. Bethermin, F. Beutler, A. Blanchard, L. Blot, H. Böhringer, M. L. Brown, S. Bruton, A. Calabro, B. Camacho Quevedo, C. S. Carvalho, F. Cogato, T. E. Collett, S. Conseil, A. R. Cooray, P. Corcho-Caballero, M. Costanzi, B. Csizi, O. Cucciati, T. de Boer, F. De Paolis, G. Desprez, A. Díaz-Sánchez, S. Di Domizio, J. M. Diego, V. Duret, Y. Fang, A. Farina, A. Finoguenov, F. Fontanot, A. Franco, Y. Fu, K. Ganga, R. Gavazzi, E. Gaztanaga, Z. Ghaffari, F. Giacomini, F. Gianotti, E. J. Gonzalez, G. Gozaliasl, A. Gruppuso, M. Guidi, C. M. Gutierrez, A. Hall, N. A. Hatch, C. Hernández-Monteagudo, H. Hildebrandt, J. Hjorth, J. J. E. Kajava, Y. Kang, V. Kansal, D. Karagiannis, J. Kim, C. C. Kirkpatrick, A. Kovács, I. Kovačić, K. Koyama, S. Kruk, M. C. Lam, M. Lattanzi, L. Legrand, M. Lembo, G. Leroy, G. F. Lesci, J. Lesgourgues, L. Linke, A. Manjón-García, F. Mannucci, F. R. Marleau, C. J. A. P. Martins, M. Migliaccio, M. Miluzio, G. Morgante, S. Nadathur, K. Naidoo, A. Navarro-Alsina, S. Nesseris, F. Oppizzi, D. Paoletti, F. Passalacqua, K. Paterson, L. Patrizii, C. Pattison, R. Paviot, A. Pisani, D. Potter, G. W. Pratt, S. Quai, M. Radovich, G. Rodighiero, W. Roster, S. Sacquegna, M. Sahlén, D. B. Sanders, A. Schneider, D. Sciotti, E. Sellentin, S. Serjeant, F. Shankar, L. C. Smith, J. G. Sorce, I. Szapudi, K. Tanidis, C. Tao, F. Tarsitano, G. Testera, R. Teyssier, S. Tosi, A. Troja, C. Uhlemann, C. Valieri, A. Venhola, D. Vergani, G. Verza, P. Vielzeuf, S. Vinciguerra, M. von Wietersheim-Kramsta, L. Wang, A. H. Wright, H. W. Yeung

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from astro-ph.CO

Consistency between cosmological and standard siren observations in evolving dark energy

Macarena Lagos and William J. Wolf

A scalar field non-minimally coupled to gravity can be the driver of cosmic acceleration. Such a non-minimal coupling (NMC) can produce a non-zero gravitational-wave (GW) friction function $\alpha_M(z)$, which modifies the luminosity distance inferred from GW sources relative to its electromagnetic counterpart. We use a particular NMC scalar-tensor model, that explains time-varying dark energy in good alignment with DESI, to predict $\alpha_M(z)$ and the expected GW/EM luminosity-distance ratio $D_L^{\rm GW}/D_L^{\rm EM}$, and map it onto two common parametrizations—the $c_M$ and the $(\Xi_0,n)$ models. We find $c_M = -0.5\pm 0.2$ and $\Xi_0 = 0.88\pm 0.05$, $n=3.2\pm 0.3$, both consistent with GWTC-5 constraints at the $\lesssim 1\sigma$ level. This consistency is mostly driven by current large uncertainties in GW data, which lead to measurements consistent with both $\Lambda$CDM and the NMC model. By contrast, the dark energy constraints derived from analyzing cosmological data, under the common parametric scalar-tensor model using $\alpha_M(z)=c_M\Omega_\Lambda(z)/\Omega_{\Lambda 0}$ and the CPL parametrized equation of state $w_0w_a$, are in $2.2\sigma$ ($3.6\sigma$) tension with the NMC predictions for the $c_M$ ($w_0w_a$) parameter. We confirm that, in order to avoid cosmological instabilities, this parametrized model imposes strong implicit priors that are incompatible with physically-motivated scalar-tensor models when dark energy is dynamical.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Dyonic rotating cosmological black hole surrounded by quintessence

M. D. de Oliveira and Alexandre G. M. Schmidt

In this work, we constructed a new metric describing a rotating cosmological black hole with electric and magnetic charges in the presence of quintessence dark energy, where the cosmological constant and quintessence are associated with external matter. Starting from a Schwarzschild-type metric and considering all energy contributions in the function $f(r)$, we introduced rotation through the Newman–Janis algorithm using a unique and general complexification rule, avoiding possible ambiguities. Assuming that the metric satisfies the Einstein field equations with matter, we calculate the event horizon condition, the total stress–energy tensor $T_{\mu\nu}$, and the Kretschmann and Ricci scalars. We also analyze the influence of the cosmological constant $\Lambda$ and quintessence parameter $\alpha$ on the event horizon and ergosphere. In the limit $\alpha \rightarrow 0$, the scalar curvature differs from the vacuum result, $R \neq -4\Lambda$, while the singularity region remains unchanged. Finally, we investigate the angular and rotational velocities of a test particle, as well as the energy conditions, through the energy density and pressures required for the existence of this black hole solution.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Gravitationally Induced Entanglement Across an Event Horizon

Hatim Salih

It has long been assumed that a particle–having crossed a black hole event horizon unentangled with another particle in the exterior universe–can no longer dynamically entangle with that particle. Here, we first establish the possibility of post-crossing entanglement via an electromagnetic mediator. We then show within a gravitational time-delayed-potential model that entanglement can be created between freely falling spatial superpositions across an event horizon. Radial escape, however, triggers bremsstrahlung emission–imposing a dephasing bound that grows with entangling phase, $\Gamma > \frac{6}{11\pi}\Phi$, within a constrained leading-quadrupole model–and is ultimately ruled out by macroscopic which-path leakage. By contrast, equivalent macroscopic optical masses in principle allow local harvesting of entanglement tangentially, via quantum erasure, thus revealing a remarkable geometric duality: Spacetime irreversibly degrades entanglement under radial escape, while allowing the transverse teleportation of the entangled qubit to infinity, independent of Hawking evaporation.
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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

An off-shell conformally invariant Galilean Weyl tensor

Quentin Vigneron, Philip K. Schwartz and James Read

We propose a manifestly conformally invariant off-shell definition of the Weyl tensor in Galilean geometry. We also propose definitions for the electric and magnetic parts thereof. For the latter to vanish, observers with specific kinematical properties need to exist. While this is guaranteed by the Newton–Cartan equation, it might not be true for other Galilean invariant theories. Therefore, we propose that imposing the existence of observers for which the off-shell magnetic part is zero should be a necessary condition for a Galilean invariant theory to be called `Newtonian', in the spirit of the `Newtonian' condition, introduced by Trautman, in standard Newton–Cartan gravity. As a side result, we also show that there exists a unique Galilean boost-invariant connection that can be built from a Galilean structure and a choice of Coriolis field, even when the clock form is not closed. No extra structure is needed, contrasting with the standard approach used to construct boost-invariant connections which introduces a mass gauge field.
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