The Conformal Stealth of any Standard Cosmology

Abstract

It is shown that any homogeneous and isotropic universe, independently of its spatial topology and matter content, allows for the presence of a conformal stealth, i.e. a nontrivial conformally invariant scalar field with vanishing energy-momentum tensor, which evolves along with the universe without causing even the smallest backreaction. Surprisingly, this gravitationally invisible universal witness is inhomogeneous with zero consequences for the underlying cosmology. Additionally, it is shown that these results are not exclusive of a four-dimensional universe by generalizing them to higher dimensions.

6 pages, accepted for publication on Physical Review D

References in corpus (4)

• Gravitational Cheshire effect: Nonminimally coupled scalar fields may not curve spacetime
• Conformally flat FRW metrics
• Creation of the universe with a stealth scalar field
• Non-Gravitating Scalar Field in the FRW Background

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Three-dimensional black holes with conformally coupled scalar and gauge fields
• Conformal renormalization of scalar-tensor theories
• Spacetimes dressed with stealth electromagnetic fields
• Cosmological stealths with nonconformal couplings
• Stealths on $(1+1)$-dimensional dilatonic gravity
• To stealth or not to stealth: Thermodynamics of stealth black holes
• On symmetry inheritance of nonminimally coupled scalar fields
• Mimicking the LCDM model with Stealths
• Gravitational Waves from Thurston Geometries
• Non-Noetherian conformal Cheshire effect
• Massive stealth scalar fields from field redefinition method
• Stealth's cosmologies
• Electromagnetically and gravitationally stealth fields
• A new rotating axionic AdS${}_4$ black hole dressed with a scalar field
• A new approach to the thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity