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Bejarano, C., Olmo, G. J., & Rubiera-Garcia, D. (2017). What is a singular black hole beyond general relativity? Phys. Rev. D, 95(6), 064043–18pp.
Abstract: Exploring the characterization of singular black hole spacetimes, we study the relation between energy density, curvature invariants, and geodesic completeness using a quadratic f(R) gravity theory coupled to an anisotropic fluid. Working in a metric-affine approach, our models and solutions represent minimal extensions of general relativity (GR) in the sense that they rapidly recover the usual Reissner-Nordstrm solution from near the inner horizon outwards. The anisotropic fluid helps modify only the innermost geometry. Depending on the values and signs of two parameters on the gravitational and matter sectors, a breakdown of the correlations between the finiteness/ divergence of the energy density, the behavior of curvature invariants, and the (in) completeness of geodesics is obtained. We find a variety of configurations with and without wormholes, a case with a de Sitter interior, solutions that mimic nonlinear models of electrodynamics coupled to GR, and configurations with up to four horizons. Our results raise questions regarding what infinities, if any, a quantum version of these theories should regularize.
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Bazeia, D., Losano, L., Olmo, G. J., & Rubiera-Garcia, D. (2017). Geodesically complete BTZ-type solutions of 2+1 Born-Infeld gravity. Class. Quantum Gravity, 34(4), 045006–21pp.
Abstract: We study Born-Infeld gravity coupled to a static, non-rotating electric field in 2 + 1 dimensions and find exact analytical solutions. Two families of such solutions represent geodesically complete, and hence nonsingular, spacetimes. Another family represents a point-like charge with a singularity at the center. Despite the absence of rotation, these solutions resemble the charged, rotating BTZ solution of general relativity but with a richer structure in terms of horizons. The nonsingular character of the first two families turn out to be attached to the emergence of a wormhole structure on their innermost region. This seems to be a generic prediction of extensions of general relativity formulated in metric-affine (or Palatini) spaces, where metric and connection are regarded as independent degrees of freedom.
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Bejarano, C., Lobo, F. S. N., Olmo, G. J., & Rubiera-Garcia, D. (2017). Palatini wormholes and energy conditions from the prism of general relativity. Eur. Phys. J. C, 77(11), 776–13pp.
Abstract: Wormholes are hypothetical shortcuts in space-time that in general relativity unavoidably violate all of the pointwise energy conditions. In this paper, we consider several wormhole spacetimes that, as opposed to the standard designer procedure frequently employed in the literature, arise directly from gravitational actions including additional terms resulting from contractions of the Ricci tensor with the metric, and which are formulated assuming independence between metric and connection (Palatini approach). We reinterpret such wormhole solutions under the prism of General Relativity and study the matter sources that thread them. We discuss the size of violation of the energy conditions in different cases and how this is related to the same spacetimes when viewed from the modified gravity side.
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Olmo, G. J., Rubiera-Garcia, D., & Sanchez-Puente, A. (2016). Impact of curvature divergences on physical observers in a wormhole space-time with horizons. Class. Quantum Gravity, 33(11), 115007–12pp.
Abstract: The impact of curvature divergences on physical observers in a black hole space-time, which, nonetheless, is geodesically complete is investigated. This space-time is an exact solution of certain extensions of general relativity coupled to Maxwell's electrodynamics and, roughly speaking, consists of two Reissner-Nordstrom (or Schwarzschild or Minkowski) geometries connected by a spherical wormhole near the center. We find that, despite the existence of infinite tidal forces, causal contact is never lost among the elements making up the observer. This suggests that curvature divergences may not be as pathological as traditionally thought.
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Bambi, C., Cardenas-Avendano, A., Olmo, G. J., & Rubiera-Garcia, D. (2016). Wormholes and nonsingular spacetimes in Palatini f(R) gravity. Phys. Rev. D, 93(6), 064016–8pp.
Abstract: We reconsider the problem of f(R) theories of gravity coupled to Born-Infeld theory of electrodynamics formulated in a Palatini approach, where metric and connection are independent fields. By studying electrovacuum configurations in a static and spherically symmetric spacetime, we find solutions which reduce to their Reissner-Nordstrom counterparts at large distances but undergo important nonperturbative modifications close to the center. Our new analysis reveals that the pointlike singularity is replaced by a finite-size wormhole structure, which provides a geodesically complete and thus nonsingular spacetime, despite the existence of curvature divergences at the wormhole throat. Implications of these results, in particular for the cosmic censorship conjecture, are discussed.
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Bazeia, D., Losano, L., Menezes, R., Olmo, G. J., & Rubiera-Garcia, D. (2015). Robustness of braneworld scenarios against tensorial perturbations. Class. Quantum Gravity, 32(21), 215011–10pp.
Abstract: Inspired by the peculiarities of the effective geometry of crystalline structures, we reconsider thick brane scenarios from a metric-affine perspective. We show that for a rather general family of theories of gravity, whose Lagrangian is an arbitrary function of the metric and the Ricci tensor, the background and scalar field equations can be written in first-order form, and tensorial perturbations have a non negative definite spectrum, which makes them stable under linear perturbations regardless of the form of the gravity Lagrangian. We find, in particular, that the tensorial zero modes are exactly the same as predicted by Einstein's theory regardless of the scalar field and gravitational Lagrangians.
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Olmo, G. J., Rubiera-Garcia, D., & Sanchez-Puente, A. (2015). Geodesic completeness in a wormhole spacetime with horizons. Phys. Rev. D, 92(4), 044047–16pp.
Abstract: The geometry of a spacetime containing a wormhole generated by a spherically symmetric electric field is investigated in detail. These solutions arise in high-energy extensions of general relativity formulated within the Palatini approach and coupled to Maxwell electrodynamics. Even though curvature divergences generically arise at the wormhole throat, we find that these spacetimes are geodesically complete. This provides an explicit example where curvature divergences do not imply spacetime singularities.
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Olmo, G. J., & Rubiera-Garcia, D. (2015). The quantum, the geon and the crystal. Int. J. Mod. Phys. D, 24(9), 1542013–15pp.
Abstract: Effective geometries arising from a hypothetical discrete structure of spacetime can play an important role in the understanding of the gravitational physics beyond General Relativity (GR). To discuss this question, we make use of lessons from crystalline systems within solid state physics, where the presence of defects in the discrete microstructure of the crystal determine the kind of effective geometry needed to properly describe the system in the macroscopic continuum limit. In this work, we study metric-affine theories with nonmetricity and torsion, which are the gravitational analog of crystalline structures with point defects and dislocations. We consider a crystal-motivated gravitational action and show the presence of topologically nontrivial structures (wormholes) supported by an electromagnetic field. Their existence has important implications for the quantum foam picture and the effective gravitational geometries. We discuss how the dialogue between solid state physics systems and modified gravitational theories can provide useful insights on both sides.
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Bazeia, D., Losano, L., Olmo, G. J., Rubiera-Garcia, D., & Sanchez-Puente, A. (2015). Classical resolution of black hole singularities in arbitrary dimension. Phys. Rev. D, 92(4), 044018–15pp.
Abstract: A metric-affine approach is employed to study higher-dimensional modified gravity theories involving different powers and contractions of the Ricci tensor. It is shown that the field equations are always second-order, as opposed to the standard metric approach, where this is only achieved for Lagrangians of the Lovelock type. We point out that this property might have relevant implications for the AdS/CFT correspondence in black hole scenarios. We illustrate these aspects by considering the case of Born-Infeld gravity in d dimensions, where we work out exact solutions for electrovacuum configurations. Our results put forward that black hole singularities in arbitrary dimensions can be cured in a purely classical geometric scenario governed by second-order field equations.
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Olmo, G. J., Rubiera-Garcia, D., & Sanchez-Puente, A. (2016). Classical resolution of black hole singularities via wormholes. Eur. Phys. J. C, 76(3), 143–6pp.
Abstract: In certain extensions of General Relativity, wormholes generated by spherically symmetric electric fields can resolve black hole singularities without necessarily removing curvature divergences. This is shown by studying geodesic completeness, the behavior of time-like congruences going through the divergent region, and by means of scattering of waves off the wormhole. This provides an example of the logical independence between curvature divergences and space-time singularities, concepts very often identified with each other in the literature.
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