Modified Gravity: From Black Hole Entropy to Modern Cosmology
A special issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300). This special issue belongs to the section "Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Black Holes".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 867
Special Issue Editor
Interests: particle cosmology; gravity theory; inflation; late-time cosmic acceleration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Recent cosmological observations strongly support the finding that the current expansion of the universe is accelerating. The origin of such a cosmic acceleration mechanism is one of the most significant problems in modern cosmology. There are two representative approaches to explain the current accelerated expansion of the universe. One is to introduce “dark energy” into the framework of general relativity; the other is to modify a gravitational theory, such as f(R) gravity, so that we can obtain so-called geometrical dark energy. It is believed that a modified gravitational theory must pass cosmological bounds and solar system tests because it corresponds to a theory of gravitation that is alternative to general relativity. As another meaningful touchstone of modified gravity, it is important to examine whether the second law of thermodynamics can be satisfied in the models of modified gravity.
The fundamental connection between gravitation and thermodynamics has been suggested by the discovery of black hole thermodynamics with black hole entropy and Hawking temperature. In addition, it has been shown that the Einstein equation can be derived from the proportionality of entropy to the horizon area together with the Clausius relation in thermodynamics. This consequence has been applied to various cosmological settings as well as modified gravitational theories. In particular, the connections between thermodynamics and modified gravity have recently been extensively discussed.
In this Special Issue, we will focus on the application of thermodynamics to testing a successful alternative gravitational theory to general relativity. Through this procedure, we can potentially resolve the dark energy problem “geometrically”. It is considered that any successful modified gravity theory should obey the second law of thermodynamics. If the second law is violated in certain universes in a model, it is more likely to be due to an incorrect generalization of the second law or some inherent inconsistency of the model itself. In the case of the latter, the model should be abandoned. It is strongly expected that the considerations of this Special Issue will produce a new physical understanding of entropy in the context of the relation between thermodynamics and gravitation; it will also shed light on novel compounds, as well as insights into modern cosmology, regarding particular new properties of dark energy.
Prof. Dr. Kazuharu Bamba
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- quantum aspects of black holes, evaporation, thermodynamics
- black hole entropy
- modified theories of gravity
- dark energy
- inflationary cosmology
- observational cosmology
- physics in the early universe
- astrophysics of compact objects
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