Search Results (8)

An approach is presented to address singularities in general relativity using a complex Riemannian spacetime extension. We demonstrate how this method can be applied to both black hole and cosmological singularities, specifically focusing on the Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes and the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) Big Bang cosmology. By extending the relevant coordinates into the complex plane and carefully choosing integration contours, we show that it is possible to regularize these singularities, resulting in physically meaningful, singularity-free solutions when projected back onto real spacetime. The removal of the singularity at the Big Bang allows for a bounce cosmology. The approach offers a potential bridge between classical general relativity and quantum gravity effects, suggesting a way to resolve longstanding issues in gravitational physics without requiring a full theory of quantum gravity. Full article

An approach is presented to resolve key paradoxes in black hole physics through the application of complex Riemannian spacetime. We extend the Schwarzschild metric into the complex domain, employing contour integration techniques to remove singularities while preserving the essential features of the original solution. A new regularized radial coordinate is introduced, leading to a singularity-free description of black hole interiors. Crucially, we demonstrate how this complex extension resolves the long-standing paradox of event horizon formation occurring only in the infinite future of distant observers. By analyzing trajectories in complex spacetime, we show that the horizon can form in finite complex time, reconciling the apparent contradiction between proper and coordinate time descriptions. This approach also provides a framework for the analytic continuation of information across event horizons, resolving the Hawking information paradox. We explore the physical interpretation of the complex extension versus its projection onto real spacetime. The gravitational collapse of a dust sphere with negligible dust is explored in the complex spacetime extension. The approach offers a mathematically rigorous framework for exploring quantum gravity effects within the context of classical general relativity. Full article

This paper explores the quantum and classical descriptions of gravitational wave detection in interferometers like LIGO. We demonstrate that a graviton scattering and quantum optics model succeeds in explaining the observed arm displacements, while the classical gravitational wave approach and a quantum graviton energy method also successfully predict the correct results. We provide a detailed analysis of why the quantum graviton energy approach succeeds, highlighting the importance of collective behavior and the quantum–classical correspondence in gravitational wave physics. Our findings contribute to the ongoing discussion about the quantum nature of gravity and its observable effects in macroscopic physics. Full article

The recent data release by the Planck satellite collaboration presents a renewed challenge for modified theories of gravitation. Such theories must be capable of reproducing the observed angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation. For modified theories of gravity, an added challenge lies in the fact that standard computational tools do not readily accommodate the features of a theory with a variable gravitational coupling coefficient. An alternative is to use less accurate but more easily modifiable semianalytical approximations to reproduce at least the qualitative features of the angular power spectrum. We extend a calculation that was used previously to demonstrate compatibility between the Scalar–Tensor–Vector–Gravity (STVG) theory, also known by the acronym MOG, and data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) to show the consistency between the theory and the newly released Planck 2018 data. We find that within the limits of this approximation, the theory accurately reproduces the features of the angular power spectrum. Full article

We investigate gravitational lensing in the context of the MOG modified theory of gravity. Using a formulation of the theory with no adjustable or fitted parameters, we present the MOG equations of motion for slow, nonrelativistic test particles and for ultrarelativistic test particles, such as rays of light. We demonstrate how the MOG prediction for the bending of light can be applied to astronomical observations. Our investigation first focuses on a small set of strong lensing observations where the properties of the lensing objects are found to be consistent with the predictions of the theory. We also present an analysis of the colliding clusters 1E0657-558 (known also as the Bullet Cluster) and Abell 520; in both cases, the predictions of the MOG theory are in good agreement with observation. Full article

The spontaneous violation of Lorentz and diffeomorphism invariance in a phase near the big bang lowers the entropy, allowing for an arrow of time and the second law of thermodynamics. The spontaneous symmetry breaking leads to O(3,1) → O(3) × R , where O(3) is the rotational symmetry of the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker spacetime. The Weyl curvature tensor C_μνρσ vanishes in the FLRW spacetime satisfying the Penrose zero Weyl curvature conjecture. The requirement of a measure of gravitational entropy is discussed. The vacuum expectation value 〈0|ψ_μ|0〉 ≠ 0 for a vector field ψ_μ acts as an order parameter and at the critical temperature T_c a phase transition occurs breaking the Lorentz symmetry spontaneously. During the ordered O(3) symmetry phase the entropy is vanishingly small and for T < T_c as the universe expands the anti-restored O(3,1) Lorentz symmetry leads to a disordered phase and a large increase in entropy creating the arrow of time. Full article

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) provides data on several hundred thousand galaxies. The precise location of these galaxies in the sky, along with information about their luminosities and line-of-sight (Doppler) velocities, allows one to construct a three-dimensional map of their location and estimate their line-of-sight velocity dispersion. This information, in principle, allows one to test dynamical gravity models, specifically models of satellite galaxy velocity dispersions near massive hosts. A key difficulty is the separation of true satellites from interlopers. We sidestep this problem by not attempting to derive satellite galaxy velocity dispersions from the data, but instead incorporate an interloper background into the mathematical models and compare the result to the actual data. We find that due to the presence of interlopers, it is not possible to exclude several gravitational theories on the basis of the SDSS data. Full article

Our Modified Gravity Theory (MOG) is a gravitational theory without exotic dark matter, based on an action principle. MOG has been used successfully tomodel astrophysical phenomena, such as galaxy rotation curves, galaxy cluster masses and lensing. MOG may also be able to account for cosmological observations. We assume that the MOG point source solution can be used to describe extended distributions of matter via an appropriately modified Poisson equation. We use this result to model perturbation growth in MOG and find that it agrees well with the observed matter power spectrum at present. As the resolution of the power spectrum improves with increasing survey size, however, significant differences emerge between the predictions of MOG and the standard Λ-cold dark matter (Λ-CDM) model, as in the absence of exotic darkmatter, oscillations of the power spectrum in MOG are not suppressed. We can also use MOG to model the acoustic power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background. A suitably adapted semi-analytical model offers a first indication that MOG may pass this test and correctly model the peak of the acoustic spectrum. Full article