2026/08/03 by Jacopo Mazza
Physics and Astronomy · #gr-qc
21 pages, no figures. Comments are welcome!
arxiv created 2026/08/03 · arxiv updated 2026/08/05
This article derives static and spherically symmetric wormhole and black bounce spacetimes as vacuum solutions of metric gravitational theories in four and higher dimensions. To this end, I extend previous results on quasi-topological gravities to encompass cases in which the metric depends on two arbitrary functions of one variable --- instead of the usual single function. I then explain how, given (almost) any spherically symmetric metric, one can reverse engineer a well-defined higher-dimensional theory having such a metric as solution. I apply these results to three paradigmatic examples, including the Simpson--Visser black bounce, to showcase the versatility of this method, as well as its limitations. Moreover, I consider the coupling to a Vaidya-like matter source, so as to generate time-varying solutions and investigate what kind of dynamical evolution these theories can account for.