Conformal coupling's outrageous legacy
2002
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Abstract: (WSP)
In Einstein's gravity, non-minimal coupling of a scalar field to the scalar curvature leads to a paradoxical situation. On the one hand, it opens the way to qualitatively new cosmological dynamics. On the other hand, there are sectors of non-minimally coupled scalar-gravity theories for which the Einstein–Hilbert action reverses its sign, which seems to indicate that the whole system is unstable. We show how conformal coupling bypasses this problem. Due to a subtle interplay between gravity and the scalar field, classical and quantum stability are guaranteed globally. This liberates conformal coupling from a serious obstacle. Inflationary solutions in the new sector are also presented, which are validated by current observations.- coupling: conformal
- gravitation
- field theory: scalar
- stability
- inflation
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