Abstract: This work explores various manifestations of bumblebee gravity within the metric-affine formalism. We investigate the impact of the Lorentz violation parameter, denoted as X, on the modification of the Hawking temperature. Our calculations reveal that as X increases, the values of the Hawking temperature attenuate. To examine the behavior of massless scalar perturbations, specifically the quasinormal modes, we employ the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin method. The transmission and reflection coefficients are determined through our calculations. The outcomes indicate that a stronger Lorentz-violating parameter results in slower damping oscillations of gravitational waves. To comprehend the influence of the quasinormal spectrum on time-dependent scattering phenomena, we present a detailed analysis of scalar perturbations in the time-domain solution. Additionally, we conduct an investigation on shadows, revealing that larger values of X correspond to larger shadow radii. Furthermore, we constrain the magnitude of the shadow radii using the EHT horizon-scale image of SgrA* . Finally, we calculate both the time delay and the deflection angle.

Abstract: We investigate the production of gravitational waves (GWs) during preheating with monomial/polynomial inflationary potentials, considering a trilinear coupling & phi;x2 between a singlet inflaton & phi; and a daughter scalar field x. For sufficiently large couplings, the trilinear interaction leads to an exponential production of x particles and, as a result, a large stochastic GW background (SGWB) is generated throughout the process. We study the linear and non-linear dynamics of preheating with lattice simulations, following the production of GWs through all relevant stages. We find that large couplings lead to SGWBs with amplitudes today that can reach up to h2 �(0) GW <^> 5 & BULL; 10-9. These backgrounds are however peaked at high frequencies fp > 5 & BULL; 106 Hz, which makes them undetectable by current/planned GW observatories. As the amount of GWs produced is in any case remarkable, we discuss the prospects for probing the SGWB indirectly by using constraints on the effective number of relativistic species in the universe Neff.

Abstract: We explore the origin of Majorana masses within the majoron model and how this can lead to the generation of a distinguishable primordial stochastic background of gravitational waves. We first show how in the simplest majoron model only a contribution from cosmic string can be within the reach of planned experiments. We then consider extensions containing multiple complex scalars, demonstrating how in this case a spectrum comprising contributions from both a strong first order phase transition and cosmic strings can naturally emerge. We show that the interplay between multiple scalar fields can amplify the phase transition signal, potentially leading to double peaks over the wideband sloped spectrum from cosmic strings. We also underscore the possibility of observing such a gravitational wave background to provide insights into the reheating temperature of the universe. We conclude highlighting how the model can be naturally combined with scenarios addressing the origin of matter of the universe, where baryogenesis occurs via leptogenesis and a right-handed neutrino plays the role of dark matter.

Abstract: We study the impact of gas accretion on the orbital evolution of black-hole binaries initially at large separation in the band of the planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We focus on two sources: (i).stellar-origin black-hole binaries.(SOBHBs) that can migrate from the LISA band to the band of ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) observatories within weeks/months; and (ii) intermediate-mass black-hole binaries.(IMBHBs) in the LISA band only. Because of the large number of observable GW cycles, the phase evolution of these systems needs to be modeled to great accuracy to avoid biasing the estimation of the source parameters. Accretion affects the GW phase at negative (-4) post-Newtonian order, being thus dominant for binaries at large separations. Accretion at the Eddington or at super-Eddington rate will leave a detectable imprint on the dynamics of SOBHBs. For super-Eddington rates and a 10 yr mission, a multiwavelength strategy with LISA and a ground-based interferometer can detect about 10 (a few) SOBHB events for which the accretion rate can be measured at 50% (10%) level. In all cases, the sky position can be identified within much less than 0.4 deg(2) uncertainty. Likewise, accretion at greater than or similar to 100% of the Eddington rate can be measured in IMBHBs up to redshift z approximate to 0.1, and the position of these sources can be identified within less than 0.01 deg(2) uncertainty. Altogether, a detection of SOBHBs or IMBHBs would allow for targeted searches of electromagnetic counterparts to black-hole mergers in gas-rich environments with future X-ray detectors (such as Athena) and/or radio observatories (such as SKA).

Abstract: We revisit the case of scalar Dark Matter interacting just gravitationally with the Standard Model (SM) particles in an extra-dimensional Randall-Sundrum scenario. We assume that both, the Dark Matter and the Standard Model, are localized in the TeV brane and only interact via gravitational mediators, namely the graviton Kaluza-Klein modes and the radion. We analyze in detail the dark matter annihilation channel into two on-shell KK-gravitons, and contrary to previous studies which overlooked this process, we find that it is possible to obtain the correct relic abundance for dark matter masses in the range [1, 10] TeV even after taking into account the strong bounds from LHC Run II. We also consider the impact of the radion contribution (virtual exchange leading to SM final states as well as on-shell production), which does not significantly change our results. Quite interestingly, a sizeable part of the currently allowed parameter space could be tested by LHC Run III and by the High-Luminosity LHC.