Delving into the realm of scalar–tensor theory of gravity, this paper uncovers the intricate details of the conformal factor and its correspondence to quantum mechanical mass fluctuations. Shedding light on the theory’s key findings, we explore the quantum mechanical nature of the wave equation associated with mass fluctuations, predicting the creation of scalar gravitational waves. The association of conformal fluctuations with the quantum potential presents a remarkable feature of this theory, which predicts a scalar component of gravitational waves. With the potential to generate such waves in a laboratory set-up, this theory invites exciting possibilities for empirical testing, highlighting the quantum mechanical origin of scalar gravitational waves.

In quantum gravity phenomenology, the effect of the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) on white dwarf structure has been given much attention in recent literature. However, these studies assume a zero temperature equation of state (EoS), excluding young white dwarfs whose initial temperatures are substantially high. To that cause, this paper calculates the Chandrasekhar EoS and resulting mass-radius relations of finite temperature white dwarfs modified by the quadratic GUP, an approach that extends Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle by a quadratic term in momenta. The EoS was first approximated by treating the quadratic GUP parameter as perturbative, causing the EoS to exhibit expected thermal deviations at low pressures, and conflicting behaviors at high pressures, depending on the order of approximation. We then proceeded with a full numerical simulation of the modified EoS, and showed that in general, finite temperatures cause the EoS at low pressures to soften, while the quadratic GUP stiffens the EoS at high pressures. This modified EoS was then applied to the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equations and its classical approximation to obtain the modified mass-radius relations for general relativistic and Newtonian white dwarfs. The relations for both cases were found to exhibit the expected thermal deviations at small masses, where low-mass white dwarfs are shifted to the high-mass regime at large radii, while high-mass white dwarfs acquire larger masses, beyond the Chandrasekhar limit. Additionally, we find that for sufficiently large values of the GUP parameter and temperature, we obtain mass-radius relations that are completely removed from the ideal case, as high-mass deviations due to GUP and low-mass deviations due to temperature are no longer mutually exclusive.

Here, we discuss a topic that comes up more often than expected: A same theory or theoretical model arises in two different presentations which are assumed to be actually different theories so that these are independently developed. Sometimes this leads to an unwanted doubling of the results. In this paper, we illustrate this issue with the example of two apparently different gravitational theories: (i) the (minimally coupled) Einstein-massless-scalar (EMS) system and (ii) the Sáez–Ballester theory (SBT). We demonstrate that the latter is not a scalar–tensor theory of gravity, as widely acknowledged. Moreover, SBT is identified with the EMS theory. As illustrations of this identification we show that several known solutions of SBT are also solutions of the EMS system and vice versa. Cosmological arguments are also considered. In particular, a dynamical systems-based demonstration of the dynamical equivalence between these theories is given. The study of the asymptotic dynamics of the Sáez–Ballester-based cosmological model shows that there are no equilibrium points which could be associated with accelerated expansion, unless one includes a cosmological constant term or a self-interacting scalar field. This is a well-known result for cosmological models which are based on the Einstein-self-interacting-scalar theory, also known as quintessence.

The observable inflation is a final step in a slow evolution of our space. The latter occurs starting from the Planck scale, so that eventually a huge number of causally disconnected regions of space (pocket universes) will appear. The Multiverse thus formed consists of similar universes and, therefore, does not fulfill its mission. Here, we discuss the way to improve the situation. We study the effect of the quantum fluctuations at high energies on the shape of compact extra dimensions which turn out to be specific to each pocket universe. Low-energy physical parameters depend on extra dimensional metric. Therefore, the low-energy physics is different in different pocket universes. The numerical estimation of the probability of finding a particular metric is based on the model of compact two-dimensional extra space.

In this paper, we study spin effects in the neutrino gravitational scattering by a supermassive black hole with a magnetized accretion disk having a finite thickness. We exactly describe the propagation of ultrarelativistic neutrinos on null geodesics and solve the spin precession equation along each neutrino trajectory. The interaction of neutrinos with the magnetic field is due to the nonzero diagonal magnetic moment. Additionally, neutrinos interact with plasma of the accretion disk electroweakly within the Fermi approximation. These interactions are obtained to change the polarization of incoming neutrinos, which are left particles. The fluxes of scattered neutrinos, proportional to the survival probability of spin oscillations, are derived for various parameters of the system. In particular, we are focused on the matter influence on the outgoing neutrinos flux. The possibility to observe the predicted effects for astrophysical neutrinos is briefly discussed.

The Newman–Janis (NJ) algorithm is the standard approach to rotation in general relativity which, in vacuum, builds the Kerr metric from the Schwarzschild spacetime. Recently, we have shown that the same algorithm applied to the Papapetrou antiscalar spacetime produces a rotational metric devoid of horizons and ergospheres. Though exact in the scalar sector, this metric, however, satisfies the Einstein equations only asymptotically. We argue that this discrepancy between geometric and matter parts (essential only inside gravitational radius scale) is caused by the violation of the Hawking–Ellis energy conditions for the scalar energy–momentum tensor. The axial potential functions entering the metrics appear to be of the same form both in vacuum and scalar background, and they also coincide with the linearized Yang–Mills field, which might hint at their common nongravitational origin. As an alternative to the Kerr-type spacetimes produced by NJ algorithm we suggest the exact solution obtained by local rotational coordinate transformation from the Schwarzschild spacetime. Then, comparison with the Kerr-type metrics shows that the Lense–Thirring phenomenon might be treated as a coordinate effect, similar to the Coriolis force.

In this paper, we investigate spherically symmetric gravitational collapse of thick matter shell without radiation in the Einstein gravity with cosmological constant. The orbit of the infalling thick matter is determined by imposing an equation of state for the matter near interface, where pressure constituted of the transverse component and the longitudinal one is proportional to energy density. We present analytic solutions for the equation of state and discuss parameter region to satisfy physical conditions such as the absence of the shell crossing singularity, the monotonic increase of the emergent infinite redshift surface and energy conditions. We finally show that adopting the definition presented in arXiv:2005.13233 the total energy in this time-dependent system is invariant under the given time evolution.

The important role of magnetic fields in the phenomena in and evolution of the Universe is well appreciated. A salient example of this is to make (often episodic) large magnetic fields in AGN accretion disks and their emanation of well-collimated and longitudinally extended astrophysical jets. Such typical cases or related astrophysical processes, we find, provide a fertile ground for exciting large-amplitude oscillations in the magnetic fields that constitute the spine of the jets. The energy sources of these oscillations can be traced originally to the gravitational energy of the central object. During their long propagation along the jet, because of the gradual changes of the density and magnetic fields, these large magnetic pulsations turn into relativistic amplitude electromagnetic (EM) pulses, which in turn induce intense wakefields that are capable of acceleration of electrons, positrons, and ions to high energies. In this review, we survey a variety of astrophysical objects ranging from as large as the cosmic AGN accretion disks and their jets to as small as microquasars, to find or predict that there exist common astrophysical processes of emission of high-energy particles and gamma (and other EM) emissions. A variety of these objects will be ideally observed and studied in the multimessenger astrophysical observations. One example that already stuck out was the case of the simultaneous observations of gravitational wave emission and gamma-ray pulse from the collision of the two neutron stars and their subsequent structure formation (such as a disk) around them.