Papers

We explore the quasinormal modes of a massless test scalar field in the gravitational background of a non-extremal dilatonic dyonic black hole. The dyon-like black hole solution is considered within a four-dimensional gravitational model that includes two scalar fields and two 2-forms. It is governed by two dilatonic coupling vectors $\vec{\lambda}_s$ (with $s=1,2$) that satisfy $\vec{\lambda}_1 = \vec{\lambda}_2 = \vec{\lambda}$ and $\vec{\lambda}^2 = 1/2$. We derive and examine the quasinormal modes of a massless scalar test field in the eikonal limit. These modes are governed by the solution parameters $\mu > 0$, $P_1 > 0$, and $P_2 > 0$. In the two limiting scenarios – namely $P_1 = P_2 = 0$ and $P_1 = P_2 = P > 0$ – our results reduce exactly to the known (eikonal) quasinormal spectra for the Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordström black holes, respectively. Numerical higher-order WKB analysis of quasinormal frequencies for two lower levels (for various values of parameters) is also presented.

We investigate an inflationary scenario within a modified gravity theory that extends the Einstein-Hilbert action through a non-minimal coupling between the inflaton $\phi$ and the trace of the energy-momentum tensor $T$. This $f(\phi)T$ framework is designed to naturally recover the standard general relativity in the post-inflationary universe. Within this theory, we apply the Woods-Saxon potential. The slow-roll dynamics yields a luminal sound speed $c_s^2=1$ for our specific choice of the coupling function. For the model parameters $a \lesssim 1$ and the modest coupling $\beta=0.1$, we obtain a scalar spectral index $n_s\approx0.959$–$0.966$ and a tensor-to-scalar ratio $r<0.01$, which reveal a good agreement with the latest Planck and BICEP/Keck data on the $(n_s, r)$ constraints. Crucially, we shall demonstrate that the $f(\phi)T$ coupling is essential for the observational viability of the model with respect to the CMB two-point statistics. This work establishes a viable inflationary scenario within the scope of the inflationary observables which are considered here.

The problem of time in quantum gravity is often presented as a consequence of applying quantum theory to general relativity. These notes adopt a broader perspective. We first examine how time enters classical mechanics, relativity, quantum theory, and quantum field theory, distinguishing three principal aspects: causal order, temporal duration, and the present. This analysis shows that the conceptual difficulties associated with time do not arise only when gravity is quantised. Tensions between causal structure, clocks, observables, and measurement are already present in the theories from which quantum gravity is constructed. We then survey responses to the problem of time across the principal approaches to quantum gravity. These include canonical and Wheeler-DeWitt quantisation, path-integral and histories formulations, perturbative and background-dependent approaches, causal sets, and twistor theory. The programmes are compared according to whether they retain an external time, render time problematic through quantisation, or incorporate causal or temporal structure into their foundations. Particular emphasis is placed on questions arising from quantum foundations and relativistic quantum information. We conclude by examining linearised gravity and weak-gravity quantum systems. This regime shows that the problem of time is not confined to Planck-scale physics, but arises already in attempts to provide a predictive and operationally meaningful quantum description of spacetime near flat geometry.

We study a static, spherically symmetric black hole solution surrounded by a dust field within quantum fluctuation modified gravity, in which the quantum-fluctuation parameter $\alpha$ and the dust-field strength parameter $K$. The horizon structure reveals the two parameters acting in opposite directions: strengthening $K$ draws the inner and outer horizons together until they merge into a single extremal horizon, while a larger $\alpha$ restores the Schwarzschild limit; the same opposing trend extends to the effective potential and the characteristic circular-orbit radii – the innermost stable circular orbit, the marginally bound orbit, and the marginal circular orbit – which shift inward with $K$ and outward with $\alpha$, and to the Keplerian and radial epicyclic frequencies of massive test particles. From these frequencies we build three twin-peak quasi-periodic oscillation models – relativistic precession, warped-disk, and epicyclic-resonance – along with their $3{:}2$, $4{:}3$, and $5{:}4$ resonance radii, all following the same $K$-$\alpha$ trend. Testing all three models against twin-peak QPO data from two stellar-mass (GRO~J1655$-$40, XTE~J1550$-$564) and two intermediate-mass (M82~X$-$1, NGC~1313~X$-$1) sources through a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis places best-fit constraints, at the $2\sigma$ level, of $K\in(0,0.5)$ and $\alpha\in(0.3,0.6)$ across all sources and models.

We study charged Klein-Gordon modes on a $(2+1)$-dimensional Ellis traversable wormhole in an external magnetic field defined as uniform in an auxiliary Euclidean embedding space. The spatial geometry is intrinsically catenoidal, while the embedding is used only to construct the external gauge connection. Pullback of the ambient potential yields a regular azimuthal gauge field whose associated intrinsic magnetic scalar reverses sign across the throat. Separation of the Klein-Gordon equation leads to a radial problem that is unitarily equivalent to a one-dimensional Schrödinger operator with a regular effective potential. For nonzero magnetic coupling, the quadratic asymptotic term produces radial confinement on the complete wormhole. The radial equation can be reduced to the confluent-Heun class. Polynomial truncation is possible only on constrained parameter submanifolds determined by simultaneous termination conditions and therefore does not represent the generic confined spectrum. We derive the corresponding relativistic energies and analyze the lowest polynomial sector, while distinguishing the formal continuous-$\ell$ solvability correlations from the integer values of the azimuthal separation constant required by the standard angular periodicity condition.

This paper develops the covariant Boltzmann equation governing the coupled evolution of photons and massive particles in general curved spacetimes. We construct the collision integrals for photon emission-absorption, Compton scattering, and scattering between massive particles, and show the conservation laws. Requiring the H-theorem to hold determines the relation between the absorption and emission transition rates, which reduces to the Einstein relation in the non-relativistic limit. At equilibrium the entropy production vanishes, yielding the detailed balance condition, from which we obtain the covariant thermodynamic relations of the photon gas. We illustrate these results with the thermal radiation from an accretion disk in Kerr spacetime, first in global equilibrium and then in a Keplerian disk in local thermodynamic equilibrium. We further extend the collision integrals to arbitrary multi-species processes involving both null and massive particles. The formulation treats non-equilibrium radiative processes in strong gravitational fields from first principles.

We construct an exact Kerr-like rotating extension of the zero-redshift Morris–Thorne wormhole in a Teo-type stationary, axisymmetric ansatz. The Einstein equations for an anisotropic source comoving with zero angular momentum observers fix $\mathcal{K}(r)=r^2+a^2$ and reduce frame dragging to a radial quadrature. For $b(r)=r_0^2/r$, this is evaluated using incomplete elliptic integrals and normalised by the ADM angular momentum. The spacetime is asymptotically flat with zero ADM mass, so $a=J_{\rm ADM}/M_{\rm ADM}$ does not apply. The oblateness length $a$ and angular momentum $J_{\rm ADM}$ remain independent, yielding a family $(r_0,a,J_{\rm ADM})$. The choice $J_{\rm ADM}=ar_0$ selects only a one-parameter slice for numerical ergoregion and equatorial-capture illustrations; it is not a field-equation constraint. We find $r_{\rm th}=\sqrt{r_0^2-a^2}$, with reality bound $|a|\leq r_0$ and regular range $0\leq |a|<r_0$. In the canonical stationary foliation, the throat is defined quasi-locally as the unique closed surface $S_0$ in the family $S_\ell$ with zero mean curvature and positive area second variation. Moreover, $r=r_{\rm th}$ and $\ell=0$ are coordinate representations. A signed throat-adapted coordinate reveals two asymptotically flat ends, excludes closed timelike curves, and establishes that the throat is timelike, not a horizon. These conclusions hold independently of $J_{\rm ADM}=ar_0$. The supporting stress tensor, reconstructed from the Einstein tensor, is an effective phenomenological source. We do not claim any microscopic matter Lagrangian or realistic equation of state. We also determine the ergoregion onset. Since the full Hamilton–Jacobi equation is nonseparable, we limit ourselves to derive the optical result for a one-dimensional equatorial capture interval.

Recent work has shown that, if a large fraction of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA compact binary coalescences (CBCs) occur in accretion disks around active galactic nuclei (AGNs), many such AGN-CBC systems will likely experience lensing and produce multiple gravitational-wave (GW) "images" of the CBCs that will become detectable with current or future GW detectors. However, the waveforms produced by such lensed "images" will differ from those produced by other lensing systems because the binary source is orbiting the AGN's central supermassive black hole at a close distance. Here, we show that these systems produce 2 snapshots of the same binary source from 2 different viewing angles. These differences in the effective viewing angle between the images are encoded in the GWs they emit, such that GW detectors can effectively analyse the waveforms from 2 viewpoints. Beyond such "multi-view lensing", the GW images may also differ by their Doppler shift due to the expected relativistic orbital motion of the source around the AGN, an effect which is further amplified by the proximity to the lens. If the AGN's own angular momentum can be related to the binary's orbital angular momentum, we can describe the entire AGN-CBC system using only one additional free parameter compared with a typical point-mass lens system, or with 3 additional parameters when we do not make such an assumption. In this work, we establish a framework of transformation rules that describe both the angles in the 2 points of view, and the Doppler effect that comes from the source's motion around the lens. We also provide the framework to produce consistent AGN-lensed waveforms from any currently available GW waveform. These AGN-CBC systems give 2 unique points of view on a binary merger thus opening up a new window into the merger's properties unlike any other lens system.

Black holes ring when perturbed, whereas their response to a stationary gravitational-wave background is a real-frequency scattering problem, not a source of additional quasi-normal-mode lines. We make this standard distinction quantitative by treating a black hole as a frequency-, angle-, and polarization-dependent filter. For an isotropic stationary background around Schwarzschild holes, elastic scattering produces no net monopole signal, so horizon absorption is the only population-level spectral distortion. We calculate this transfer function for Schwarzschild holes in detail, identify its absorptive and phase-delay signatures, and connect the stationary response to the causal ringdown excited by a finite wave packet. We then promote the single-hole result to an angular and polarization transport kernel for a cosmological population. The resulting optical depth is negligible for realistic black-hole populations, including asteroid-mass primordial black holes comprising all dark matter. We then extend the analysis to Kerr holes, for which superradiance allows genuine amplification in selected co-rotating modes, but isotropic incidence and random spin orientations strongly dilute the diffuse signal. Observable effects are therefore more likely in rare, nearby, aligned, rapidly spinning, or transiently illuminated systems than through cumulative cosmological propagation.

Recent work has used the method of characteristic gluing to construct spacetimes violating the third law of black hole mechanics. This paper uses numerical methods to investigate two aspects of the gluing construction of solutions describing the gravitational collapse of a charged scalar field to form an extremal Reissner-Nordström black hole. First, for a massless scalar field, we improve significantly the lower bounds on the size of the final black hole for which gluing is possible. Second, for a massive scalar field, it is known that the formation of an extremal Reissner–Nordström black hole is impossible if the mass-to-charge ratio of the scalar field exceeds unity. We present strong evidence that this bound is sharp by constructing gluing solutions with a scalar field mass-to-charge ratio just below unity.

We investigate gravitationally generated entanglement in two quantum harmonic oscillators induced by quadratic (Stelle) gravity, including corrections up to $1.5$ post-Newtonian order. Starting from the quadratic action, we derive the effective two-body Hamiltonian for two harmonically trapped masses, incorporating the contributions of the massive spin-$2$ ghost ($m_2$) and massive spin-$0$ ($m_0$) degrees of freedom of the gravitational field. For two quantised oscillators prepared in their ground state, we compute the von Neumann and Rényi entropies of the reduced state and identify a frequency at which the gravitationally-induced entanglement vanishes due to cancellation between relativistic momentum squeezing and quantum-delocalisation-induced position squeezing. We further analyze the cancellation frequency and derive the approximate constraint $m_0 < \sqrt[3]{4}\, m_2$ for the spin-$2$ and spin-$0$ modes. This relation follows from demanding a stable harmonic oscillator description. Finally, we study gravitationally-induced concurrence in a non-Gaussian setup and show how quadratic gravity modifies the entanglement generated between two spatial superpositions. The concurrence can approach $\mathcal{O}(1)$ for certain choices of mass, spatial superposition, particle distance, and spin-$2$ and spin-$0$ modes. The concurrence will deviate from Newtonian gravity at certain particle separations, depending on the energy of the spin-$2$ and spin-$0$ modes. For example, spin modes as low as $0.0197$ eV become distinguishable from Newtonian gravity at a distance $d \sim 40 \mu$m. This allows us to constrain the spin-$2$ and spin-$0$ masses in experiments.

We investigate the dynamics of charged particles and fields in the background of a charged black hole in bumblebee gravity, aiming to better understand the role played by the Lorentz-violating parameter $l$. We first review the derivation of the charged bumblebee black hole and investigate its main physical and geometrical properties. We then obtain the circular and bound trajectories of charged particles and find that the innermost stable circular orbit increases with $l$. By using a numerical approach, we compute the total absorption cross section for arbitrary values of the scalar wave frequency $\omega$. Since the spacetime is not asymptotically flat, we construct the total absorption cross section by taking into account the modified asymptotic momentum and flux. Analytical approximations are derived in the low- and high-frequency regimes. The low-frequency expression displays a transition velocity that separates two distinct asymptotic branches and generalizes the corresponding Reissner-Nordström result. Our numerical results for the cross section agree with the analytical approximations in their corresponding limits, and the absorption parameter space can be divided into three regions: Unbounded absorption, bounded absorption, and bounded superradiance. In particular, superradiance occurs whenever $\omega<\omega_{c}$, where $\omega_{c}$ is the threshold for superradiance. Moreover, the superradiance amplification decreases as we increase $l$, and charged bumblebee black holes with $l < 0$ lead to greater superradiant scattering than in the Reissner-Nordström case. We also note that although increasing $l$ lowers the potential barrier, it reduces the total absorption cross section because of the geometrical factor $1/(1+l)$ present in the cross section formula.

We present a nonparametric determination of spatial curvature using only late-time geometrical probes. Under a Gaussian Process smoothness prior, we jointly constrain the dimensionless expansion history and $\Omega_K$, combining three Type Ia Supernovae (SNeIa) samples with either DESI DR2 line-of-sight baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) or cosmic chronometers (CC) data. From our baseline SNeIa+BAO analyses we find $\Omega_K=0.219^{+0.110}_{-0.111}$, $\Omega_K=0.330^{+0.098}_{-0.150}$ and $\Omega_K=0.260^{+0.124}_{-0.127}$ for the PantheonPlus, DES Dovekie and Union3 SNeIa samples respectively. These nonparametric results mildly favour an open Universe, supporting recent hints in this direction, and improve on the sensitivity of a previous application of the method by up to a factor of $\sim 2.5$. We find consistent constraints combining SNeIa and CC, whereas restricting SNeIa data to the redshift range covered by BAO somewhat weakens the constraints and shifts the PantheonPlus central value to $\Omega_K<0$. Our results depend only on late-time relative distances and expansion rates, making them insensitive to the absolute distance scale calibration, while relying neither on Cosmic Microwave Background data nor on a parametric dark energy model.

We explore the time evolution of the magnetized main-sequence stars (MSs) to magnetized non-rotating white dwarfs (WDs) with a series of models, capturing modified Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. We use the Cambridge Stellar evolution code, STARS, with modifications by introducing magnetic effects and cooling. We investigate the possible existence of stable, magnetized, massive, super-Chandrasekhar, approximately spherical WDs, away from Chandrasekhar's mass-radius curve. These we refer to as B-WDs. They are inferred from the observations of peculiar over-luminous type Ia supernovae, e.g. SN2003fg. We show that the classical effects of magnetic fields significantly impact MSs and their time evolution to WDs. Moreover, the magnetic field could be decisive in explaining the unusually large radius observed in some sub-Chandrasekhar WDs, e.g. SDSS J123204.19+522548.2, along with the finite temperature effect. We further investigate the stability of magnetized WDs, both below and above the Chandrasekhar limit and confirm the possibility of super-Chandrasekhar B-WDs with new mass limits that depend on the magnetic field geometry, mass accretion from a companion and cooling rates. Therefore, while the "Chandrasekhar limit" may be sacrosanct, its value severely depends on the underlying physics, here the magnetic field.

Vector fields with a chiral, parity-odd coupling to a pseudoscalar field are known to undergo resonant amplification. In this work, we study this phenomenon in the context of cosmological gravitational particle production during early-universe inflation. We consider a massive vector (dark photon) field with a parity-odd coupling to the inflaton. There are two regimes of production, delineated by the relative size of the coupling and the dark photon mass, arising from a tachyonic instability, and a parametric resonance, respectively. As a result of the coupling, the transverse modes, subdominant in both the minimally and nonminimally coupled theories, can dominate the total late-time abundance. The viable parameter space for dark-photon dark matter is thus widened. Furthermore, in the tachyonic case, the production is dominated by a single helicity mode, leading to a population of chiral dark photons that can lead to potential parity-violating observational signatures. We further explore the dependence of the production on the reheating history, and find that information about reheating is encoded in the number density spectrum.

Given a complete, 3-dimensional, asymptotically flat initial data set for the Einstein-Maxwell equations with vanishing magnetic field, we show that there exists a small universal constant $\mathcal{C}$ such that $m\geq\mathcal{C}(\sqrt{\mathcal{A}/(16\pi)}+\mathcal{Q}^2\sqrt{\pi/\mathcal{A}}\,)$. An analogous statement holds for asymptotically hyperboloidal initial data sets with the ADM mass replaced by hyperbolic energy. Under the additional assumption of axisymmetry, the inequality may be further strengthened to include angular momentum. These results extend the Penrose-type inequalities recently obtained by Allen-Bryden-Kazaras-Khuri to the charged setting.

We study linear gravitational modes, sourced far-zone fields, and quadratic energy balance in a four-parameter tetrad theory of gravity. The theory contains three parity-even torsion invariants and a parity-odd coupling $v^\mu a_\mu$, where $v_\mu$ and $a_\mu$ are the vector and axial torsion components. Linearizing around Minkowski spacetime and applying a scalar–vector–tensor decomposition, we find two tensor, two scalar, and four vector degrees of freedom in the generic nondegenerate parity-violating region. The tensor and scalar modes propagate at the speed of light, while the two vector branches have coupling-dependent propagation speeds. We derive their kinetic eigenvalues, characteristic speeds, and flux normalizations. An exact trace identity shows that the vector Hamiltonian is not positive definite in the generic branch, even when the kinetic eigenvalues are positive and the propagation speeds are real. We also derive the response to a general compact canonical source and obtain explicit source-to-amplitude relations for all eight linear polarizations. The field $V_\mu=\partial^\nu B_{\nu\mu}$ is used to illustrate intrinsic-spin multipoles. {We further prove that the quadratic Noether current equals the second-order Møller current for the chosen first-derivative tetrad Lagrangian and derive the corresponding mode-resolved energy and momentum fluxes.} The vector contribution remains a formal signed response because of the unbounded Hamiltonian. The stationary limit reproduces the results of Ref.~\cite{ShirafujiNashed1997}, and a representative parameter scan illustrates vector-mode splitting and kinetic degeneracy.

When simulating dynamically unstable neutron stars, truncation errors can introduce perturbations that drive the stellar configuration either toward gravitational collapse into a black hole or toward migration to a dynamically stable, lower-density configuration. This mechanism has become a standard benchmark for validating general-relativistic hydrodynamics codes in the case of spherically symmetric neutron-star models. In this work, we extend the analysis to the more general case of uniformly rotating neutron stars evolved in three spatial dimensions. We investigate these transitions using two equations of state: a cold polytrope and a hybrid prescription, which allow us to distinguish the barotropic response from the effects of shock-generated thermal pressure. We find that the migrated remnant remains close to uniform rotation after the transition, and we trace its quasi-radial pulsations through complementary diagnostics involving the central density, the rotation profile, and the axisymmetric gravitational-wave channel. We investigate the properties of these transitions and propose a standardized test for validating numerical-relativity codes by requiring the migration behavior to be consistent with the dynamics reported here.

We investigate the weak and strong gravitational lensing of a dyonic black hole in Kalb-Ramond gravity. After fixing the asymptotic normalization, we distinguish the effective charge governing the local null trajectories from the global angular identification associated with Lorentz-symmetry breaking. In the weak-deflection regime, we evaluate the Gaussian curvature explicitly and apply the Gauss-Bonnet theorem with a perturbed ray boundary, recovering the complete second order mass contribution. Independent calculations based on the orbit equation, the turning point integral, and Fermat's principle reproduce the same bending angle. In the strong-deflection regime, Tsukamoto's method yields closed expressions for both strong-deflection coefficients, with exact charge dependence. We derive finite-distance lens equations and the associated image positions, magnifications, flux ratios, and differential arrival times, retaining the physical winding condition. Shadow sizes inferred from observations of Sgr~A$^*$ and M87$^*$ yield conditional charge bounds, complemented by an estimate from S2 precession. We further construct combinations of strong-lensing observables that separate the effective charge from the conical parameter within the model: angular separation and relative brightness remove the explicit winding dependence, while a timing ratio incorporating an independent distance estimate isolates the conical deformation.

We present a formulation of general-relativistic (GR) 19-moment dissipative magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), capable of handling all first-order dissipative terms (viscosity, heat conductivity, resistivity and Hall terms), as well as all ideal electron degrees of freedom (number density, momentum and energy) in a GR astrophysical two-fluid plasma. We derive necessary and sufficient nonlinear causality conditions for the constrained first-order 19-moment system, as well as both necessary and sufficient conditions for strong hyperbolicity. To assess the formulation numerically, we develop a high-resolution shock-capturing scheme that solves these equations in a performance-portable fashion. The scheme expresses all evolution equations, including the dissipative and electron sectors, in flux-divergence form, allowing us to model systems with scales separated by orders of magnitude without resolving kinetic scales everywhere on the grid. In addition, we use implicit integration methods to systematically overstep kinetic scales in MHD regions, such as cyclotron and plasma frequencies. To make the scheme as robust as GRMHD codes, we construct necessary and sufficient conditions for a conserved state to be physically admissible, and based on these construct a new physicality-enforcement scheme. As an exact validation comparison, we formulate and derive a full solution to dissipative two-fluid Bondi accretion in general relativity. We then validate the equations against a series of results from kinetic particle-in-cell models of black hole accretion and magnetospheric dynamics, demonstrating that our formulation and scheme can correctly capture major features relevant for feedback on global scales of these solutions, including dimensionless reconnection rates of order $0.1$ and Braginskii-like anisotropic pressures and heat fluxes.

The presence of a dark energy (DE) core, made of a Chaplygin dark fluid, is capable of influencing the diverse observable properties of neutron stars (NSs). However, there is also the possibility that NSs could contain a mixture of ordinary nuclear matter and DE. In this perspective, we propose an equation of state (EoS) that includes both normal matter and DE, where a free parameter $f$ quantifies the ratio of DE density with respect to the total energy density. As expected, in the limit $f \rightarrow 0$ we recover the already known results corresponding to pure nuclear matter. Remarkably, increasing this fraction $f$ leads to a softer EoS and thus strongly favors the fulfillment of the causality condition. As a consequence of our mass–radius results, the central compact object in HESS J1731-347 can be satisfactorily described as a DE admixed NS. For sufficiently high stellar masses, our calculations further indicate that both the gravitational redshift and the fundamental nonradial oscillation frequency increase significantly with an increasing DE fraction, whereas the opposite trend is observed for the total gravitational mass and tidal deformability. As is typical for compact stars composed purely of ordinary matter, we find that in our DE admixed stellar models the central density corresponding to the maximum-mass configuration coincides with the point at which the squared radial vibration frequency vanishes. Moreover, higher DE concentrations lead to enhanced stability of these configurations.

We investigate a quantum cosmological model within the framework of Einstein-Æther gravity. The model consists of a positively curved FLRW Universe whose matter content is described by pressureless dust, in the presence of a positive cosmological constant $\Lambda$. We first perform a classical Hamiltonian analysis utilizing Schutz's variational formalism, constructing the phase space and deriving the dynamics of the scale factor. Notably, we identify specific initial conditions that lead to an inflationary expansion, which are extracted directly from the underlying quantum dynamics. Subsequently, we quantize the model following Dirac's formalism, obtaining the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for the wave function of the Universe. We solve this equation numerically and investigate our results using the WKB approximation to compute quantum tunneling probabilities $TP_{WKB}$ alongside an integrated tunneling probability $TP_{int}$, the expectation value of the scale factor coming from the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, and the corresponding Bohmian trajectories. Finally, we analyze how these tunneling probabilities are influenced by variations in the fundamental parameters of the theory ($\Lambda, \sigma, \beta$) and the energy of the dust fluid $E$. Our results indicate a higher probability for the quantum birth of the Universe in a parameter regime characterized by larger values of $\Lambda, \sigma$, and fluid energy $E$, together with a smaller value of $\beta$.

Static, asymptotically flat, non-Schwarzschild black holes in four-dimensional Einstein–Weyl gravity have previously been constructed by numerical shooting, while the local field equations admit horizon and asymptotic expansions to all orders. We give a computer assisted existence proof for a non-Schwarzschild solution whose dimensionless horizon radius is one in units of the massive spin-two scale, with parameters close to the previously reported numerical branch. The exterior is divided into a convergent horizon series domain, a compact core enclosed by a parameter dependent Taylor model with directed rounding, and an infinite asymptotic domain treated as a centered stable manifold fixed point problem. The resulting five-dimensional matching map between the core and tail is continuous on a rigorously specified box. After exact rational preconditioning, the signs on opposite faces satisfy the hypotheses of the Poincaré–Miranda theorem and therefore certify a matching zero. The solution has a regular nondegenerate horizon, no additional exterior horizon, vanishing Ricci scalar, and nonvanishing Ricci tensor. The proof establishes existence, but not uniqueness of the matching zero.

One revisits the Entangled Relativity theory framework, embedding it in a larger set of theories. From their scalar-tensor reformulation, these theories admit General Relativity spacetime solutions as solutions with the same matter content, if this matter obeys an "intrinsic decoupling" condition. One shows that a set of matter Lagrangians satisfying this condition is completely characterized by the way they depend on the metric tensor. One then shows that it is possible to define a perfect fluid Lagrangian fulfilling the intrinsic decoupling condition up to 1PN order. Specifying to weak field spherical stars suggests that Entangled Relativity and its proposed generalization are worthy alternatives to General Relativity. Indeed, the obtained numerical values of the Eddington parameters abruptly satisfy the known observational constraints. However, the non strict compliance of the theory with conservation laws demands to reconsider the link between observational data and the parameters for a definitive clarification of this point.

We compute the fully renormalized one-graviton-loop contribution to the self-mass of a massive scalar field in de Sitter space. The computation is performed using dimensional regularization and the divergences are absorbed by BPHZ counterterms. This self-mass can be used to study one-loop quantum-gravitational corrections to the dynamics of massive spectator scalars in inflation.

In this paper, we provide a systematic construction of quantum modules associated with coadjoint orbits of asymptotic symmetry groups through the path integral quantization at one-loop order. In particular, for the orbits with Hamiltonians unbounded from below, we show that an appropriate choice of integration contour defines a convergent Euclidean half-line path integral. The reference state associate with the orbit is determined by the path integral of the geometric action on the corresponding coadjoint orbit. The coadjoint module is therefore spanned by the reference state and its descendants. We apply this formalism to the Virasoro and BMS$_3$ groups and derive the coadjoint modules corresponding to all constant orbits. We also compute the characters of all constant Virasoro and BMS$_3$ coadjoint orbits by counting the states within the modules, and the results agree with the corresponding computations from the path integral of the geometric action with a periodic Euclidean direction.

The pHz to sub-nHz GW regime remains largely unexplored but is crucial for mapping the early inspiral stage of SMBHBs and probing early-Universe physics. Astrometry and pulsar timing offer orthogonal and deeply complementary secular observables to investigate this frequency band. We aim to present the first joint data analysis combining real astrometric proper motions with binary pulsar timing, to search for and constrain continuous gravitational waves (CWs) sourced by SMBHBs in the ultra-low-frequency regime ($10^{-12} \le f_{GW} \le10^{-9} Hz$). We employ a Bayesian model selection and upper limit estimation framework to combine apparent proper motion displacements of $\sim 1.5 \times 10^6$ quasars from the Gaia CRF3 catalog with the line-of-sight orbital period derivatives ($\dot{P}_b$) of 11 high-precision binary pulsars. To prevent spurious detections, we heavily model instrumental and astrophysical systematics: we propagate the Galactic potential uncertainty for pulsars via Monte Carlo simulations and perform a Vector Spherical Harmonics (VSH) decomposition up to the octupole order (l=3) for quasars. We find no statistically significant evidence for a CWs signal in the joint analysis ($\ln B_{joint} = -0.42 \pm 0.03$). In the absence of detection, we set the tightest constraints to date on CW strain in the pHz band, yielding a 95% upper limit of $h_0\le6.4x10^{-11}$ at a reference frequency of $f_{ref} = 4 \times 10^{-10}$ Hz. The combined dataset achieves full sky coverage and improves single-dataset upper limits by 20%-30%. Combining orthogonal observables successfully breaks spatial degeneracies intrinsic to isolated searches. Furthermore, forecasts from inj.-rec. indicate that with the extended temporal baseline and reduced uncertainties of the upcoming Gaia DR4, this joint framework is poised to break the $h_0 < 10^{-11}$ upper limit barrier for sub-nHz CWs.

The DeWitt boundary condition can be implemented in the Lorentzian path integral of minisuperspace quantum cosmology by summing only over non-singular paths. In this paper, we present a general definition of the resulting DeWitt kernels, along with specific rules for their construction, and evaluate them rigorously. The lapse integral over the positive half-line yields the Dirichlet Green function of the Wheeler–DeWitt operator, whereas the integral over the whole real line yields the Dirichlet group-averaging kernel; both vanish when either endpoint lies at the singularity. Since the minisuperspace actions are at most quadratic, all lapse integrals are performed in closed form without saddle-point approximations. We obtain the kernels for the closed universe without cosmological constant, for the flat de Sitter universe, and, in terms of Airy functions, for the closed and open de Sitter universes. Throughout, the DeWitt condition is imposed as the boundary condition at the singularity, which selects a self-adjoint constraint operator on the half-line and fixes the kernels uniquely, including their normalization.

The dominant lattice approach to post-inflationary preheating and oscillon formation evolves an inhomogeneous inflaton field on a spatially homogeneous Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker background, whose expansion is sourced by a volume-averaged energy density, while metric perturbations are neglected. We examine the consistency of this approximation with General Relativity. Using the linearized Einstein constraints, we show that the suppression of the Bardeen potential, characteristic of slow-roll inflation, disappears during preheating: once the first slow-roll parameter becomes of order unity, the metric and inflaton fluctuations enter at the same perturbative order. We further show that the scalar-field equation evolved in the fixed-FLRW prescription omits leading-order contributions generated by metric fluctuations. We then derive the proper-volume average of the ADM Hamiltonian constraint and show that it does not reduce to the Friedmann equation used in lattice simulations: the exact averaged constraint contains additional contributions from the spatial curvature, the variance of the local expansion, the shear, and metric corrections to the local energy density. Finally, we illustrate numerically, for Starobinsky and $\alpha$-attractor models, that the metric contribution becomes comparable to the scalar-field contribution during the amplification stage. These results directly affect the standard lattice description of oscillon formation and motivate numerical relativity as a consistent framework for the nonlinear preheating problem.

In vacuum anti-de Sitter (AdS) space, the geometry admits a perfect tessellation by a geodesic network. This tessellation characterizes the background exactly, and a partial entanglement entropy (PEE) tensor-network toy model of AdS/CFT can be defined on it. It has so far been unclear whether this construction can be extended beyond vacuum AdS. In this paper we take the first step in this direction. We show that the exterior region of the Schwarzschild black hole and its Einstein–Rosen bridge are perfectly tessellated by a specific geodesic gas emitted from the boundary, so that Crofton reconstruction holds in these regions. We then prove that such a geodesic tessellation and the Crofton reconstruction it defines extend to more generic Riemannian manifolds. This allows us to construct a PEE tensor-network model of holographic duality on more generic geometric backgrounds. In the case of the PEE tensor-network model for the Schwarzschild background, we can concretely realize the Bekenstein–Hawking entropy, the Ryu–Takayanagi formula and the ER=EPR proposal. Our approach opens a new route towards holographic toy models beyond AdS/CFT.