Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Recent elaborated by Harko et al., the f(R, T) theories of gravity allow one to contemplate an optimistic alternative to dark energy, for which R and T stand for the Ricci scalar and the trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. Although the literature has shown that the T dependence on the gravitational part of the action – which is due to the consideration of quantum effects – may induce some novel features in the scope of late-time cosmological dynamics, in the radiation-dominated universe, when $$T=0$$ , no contributions seem to arise from such theories. Apparently, f(R, T) contributions to a radiation-dominated universe may arise only from the $$f(R,T^{\phi })$$ approach, which is nothing but the f(R, T) gravity in the case of a self-interacting scalar field whose trace of the energy-momentum tensor is $$T^{\phi }$$ . We intend, in this article, to show how $$f(R,T^{\phi })$$ theories of gravity can contribute to the study of the primordial stages of the universe. Our results predict a graceful exit from an inflationary stage to a radiation-dominated era. They also predict a late-time cosmic acceleration after a matter-dominated phase, enabling the $$f(R,T^{\phi })$$ theories to describe, in a self-consistent way, all the different stages of the dynamics of the universe.
Source: The European Physical Journal C
Authors: P. H. R. S. Moraes, J. R. L. Santos
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Awards: G1953187035, G4402799499
OpenAlex ID: W2234626847