Lorentz-Violating Vector Fields Slow the Universe Down

2004/07/17 by Sean M. Carroll, Eugene A. Lim · 3 voices · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #astro-ph #gr-qc #hep-ph #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.70.123525

published as Phys.Rev.D70:123525,2004 · 15 pages, Revtex4, updated version. Added References. Minor Typos corrected. Older version published in PRD

arxiv published 2004/07/17 · arxiv created 2005/01/01 · arxiv updated 2010/04/06

Abstract

We consider the gravitational effects of a single, fixed-norm, Lorentz-violating timelike vector field. In a cosmological background, such a vector field acts to rescale the effective value of Newton's constant. The energy density of this vector field precisely tracks the energy density of the rest of the universe, but with the opposite sign, so that the universe experiences a slower rate of expansion for a given matter content. This vector field similarly rescales Newton's constant in the Newtonian limit, although by a different factor. We put constraints on the parameters of the theory using the predictions of primordial nucleosynthesis, demonstrating that the norm of the vector field should be less than the Planck scale by an order of magnitude or more.

Cited by

• Gravitational radiations from periodic orbits around Einstein-Æther black holes
• Hodge Dual Gauge Symmetry in Minimal Einstein-Aether Theory

Discussions

• @seanmcarroll.bsky.social has written about the Big Bang cosmology in some particular Einstein-aether theory: arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0... (2/2) [bsky, 2 points, 0 comments]
• Obviously, you were doing it even before it was called Horava gravity: arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0... [bsky, 2 points, 1 comments]
• yes, but only for cosmological reasons arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0... [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]