Astrophysics

We consider the effect that dynamical selection principles could have on the string landscape and for determining the value of the cosmological constant. The underlying symmetries of string theory, along with the dynamics of moduli in the low energy effective field theory, seem to suggest that not all vacua are created equal. However, in some simple models many vacua are alike and this degeneracy may suggest a *non-anthropic* approach to understanding the observed value of the cosmological constant. The approach may also lead to a viable model of inflation, without the need of fine-tuned potentials.

Brane worlds may provide insight into the cosmological constant problem because a large vacuum energy on the brane can curve the extra dimensions rather than the local 4D spacetime. Moreover, such models with supersymmetric large extra dimensions reveal a tantalizing numerology, in which the size of the two extra dimensions can lead not only to the electroweak hierarchy but also to the observed dark energy scale. I will review this proposal, its promises and problems, and then describe some of the novel physics that can arise in 6D brane worlds. The dynamical stability of models in 6D supergravity constrains the matter content of the theory, but surprisingly this can be relaxed with negative tension branes. Meanwhile, the Kaluza-Klein mass gap can remain finite even in the infinite volume limit.

One of the possible explanations for the current acceleration of the universe comes from a coupling between the Dark Energy and the Neutrino sectors. This coupling causes the neutrino mass to vary with cosmic time, what opens a new window to constrain this dark energy candidate. In this work, we analyze the mass-varying neutrino scenario in a model independent way, focusing on its effects for the Cosmic Microwave Background and Large Scale Structure.

A modification of Gravity in the low-curvature regime may account for the late time acceleration of our universe, and is therefore an interesting alternative to Dark Energy.In such models, the modified Einstein equations admit self-accelerated solutions in the presence of negligible matter. At the level of perturbation theory,the modified equations give rise to new dynamics for the perturbations of the metric and matter. I will consider scalar perturbations, presenting in some details the dynamics of linear perturbations for two specific models, f(R) Gravity and Modified Source Gravity. I will conclude by demonstrating how some characteristic features of these models are likely to be common to general models of Modified Gravity and how Large Scale Structure formation and the Integrated Sachs Wolfe effect might be useful probes to distinguish between Dark Energy and Modified Gravity.

I will present the embedding of runaway quintessence models in supergravity coupled to observable matter and hidden supersymmetry breaking. Serious obstructions appear either in the gravitational sector of the theory or cosmologically. Alternatives will be discussed.

We explore the hypothesis that a dynamical dark energy is related to a time-variation of the fundamental mass scale. A dilatation anomaly induced by quantum fluctuations could explain the small value of the present dark energy. Reformulated as a scalar field theory this would predict a quintessence potential which asymptotically relaxes to zero rather than to a nonvanishing constant. An observable consequence of such a scenario results in "early dark energy " contributing a few percent to the energy density of the Universe even at high redshift. Quintessence would be related to a new "fundamental" macroscopic force and induce a small time variation of fundamental constants.

Among the possible explanations for the observed acceleration of the universe, perhaps the boldest is the idea that new gravitational physics might be the culprit. In this colloquium I will discuss some of the challenges of constructing a sensible phenomenological extension of General Relativity, give examples of some candidate models of modified gravity and survey existing observational constraints on this approach. I will conclude by discussing how we might hope to distinguish between modifications of General Relativity and dark energy as competing hypotheses to explain cosmic acceleration.

Dark matter and dark energy can be explained without resorting to exotic fields if one accepts that the geometry of spacetime is governed by suitable generalized gravitational theories based on Lagrangians that are non-linear in the curvature of a metric and/or a torsionless linear connection, i.e. in second order and first order formalisms. A convenient choice of nonquadratic Lagrangians can fit well most of the astrophysical, cosmological and solar system requirements imposed by experimental results, without drastic modifications of Einstein field equations and with FRW Cosmologies preserved as a good approximation of Nature at a global scale.

We show that the current accelerated expansion of the Universe can be explained without resorting to dark energy. Models of generalized modified gravity, with inverse powers of the curvature can have late time accelerating attractors without conflicting with solar system experiments. We have solved the Friedman equations for the full dynamical range of the evolution of the Universe. This allows us to perform a detailed analysis of Supernovae data in the context of such models that results in an excellent fit. Hence, inverse curvature gravity models represent an example of phenomenologically viable models in which the current acceleration of the Universe is driven by curvature instead of dark energy. If we further include constraints on the current expansion rate of the Universe from the Hubble Space Telescope and on the age of the Universe from globular clusters, we obtain that the matter content of the Universe is 0.07 <= omega_m <= 0.21 (95% Confidence). Hence the inverse curvature gravity models considered can not explain the dynamics of the Universe just with a baryonic matter component.