Particle creation and decay in nonminimally coupled models of gravity

Abstract

In extended models of gravity a nonminimal coupling to matter has been assumed to lead to irreversible particle creation. In this paper we challenge this assumption. We argue that a non-minimal coupling of the matter and gravitational sectors results in a change in particle-momentum on a cosmological timescale, irrespective of particle creation or decay. We further argue that particle creation or decay associated with a non-minimal coupling to gravity could only happen as a result of significant deviations from a homogeneous Friedmann-Robertson-Walker geometry on microscopic scales, and provide a phenomenological description of the impact of particle creation or decay on the cosmological evolution of the density of the matter fields.

5 pages, resubmited to more closely resemble published version

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• To conserve, or not to conserve: A review of nonconservative theories of gravity
• Emergent Universe from Energy-Momentum Squared Gravity
• Lagrangian description of cosmic fluids: mapping dark energy into unified dark energy
• On Scalar Cosmological Perturbations in Non-Minimally Coupled Weyl Connection Gravity
• Lagrangian Identity and Mass Evolution of Particle-like Objects in Nonminimally Coupled Gravity