Ghost Condensation and a Consistent Infrared Modification of Gravity

Ghost Condensation and a Consistent Infrared Modification of Gravity

10 Dec 2003 | Nima Arkani-Hamed, Hsin-Chia Cheng, Markus A. Luty, Shinji Mukohyama
The paper proposes a theoretically consistent and experimentally viable modification of gravity in the infrared (IR) regime, inspired by ghost condensation. This modification is analogous to the Higgs mechanism in general relativity and can be understood as a background where a scalar field $\phi$ has a constant velocity, $\langle \dot{\phi} \rangle = M^2$. The ghost condensate is a new type of fluid that can fill the universe, with an equation of state $\rho = -p$, similar to a cosmological constant, but with the unique property of being a physical fluid with a physical scalar excitation $\pi$. This excitation has a low-energy dispersion relation $\omega^2 \sim \vec{k}^4 / M^2$, leading to small Lorentz-violating effects and a new long-range $1/r^2$ spin-dependent force. The energy that gravitates in the ghost condensate is not the same as the particle physics energy, allowing for sources that can both gravitate and anti-gravitate. The Newtonian potential is modified with an oscillatory behavior starting at a distance scale $M_{\text{Pl}} / M^2$ and a time scale $M_{\text{Pl}}^2 / M^3$. This theory opens new avenues for addressing cosmological problems, including inflation, dark matter, and dark energy. The authors discuss the stability of the theory, the low-energy effective action, and the possibility of direct couplings to standard model fields, highlighting the potential for Lorentz-violating effects and new long-range forces.The paper proposes a theoretically consistent and experimentally viable modification of gravity in the infrared (IR) regime, inspired by ghost condensation. This modification is analogous to the Higgs mechanism in general relativity and can be understood as a background where a scalar field $\phi$ has a constant velocity, $\langle \dot{\phi} \rangle = M^2$. The ghost condensate is a new type of fluid that can fill the universe, with an equation of state $\rho = -p$, similar to a cosmological constant, but with the unique property of being a physical fluid with a physical scalar excitation $\pi$. This excitation has a low-energy dispersion relation $\omega^2 \sim \vec{k}^4 / M^2$, leading to small Lorentz-violating effects and a new long-range $1/r^2$ spin-dependent force. The energy that gravitates in the ghost condensate is not the same as the particle physics energy, allowing for sources that can both gravitate and anti-gravitate. The Newtonian potential is modified with an oscillatory behavior starting at a distance scale $M_{\text{Pl}} / M^2$ and a time scale $M_{\text{Pl}}^2 / M^3$. This theory opens new avenues for addressing cosmological problems, including inflation, dark matter, and dark energy. The authors discuss the stability of the theory, the low-energy effective action, and the possibility of direct couplings to standard model fields, highlighting the potential for Lorentz-violating effects and new long-range forces.
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