This article investigates the stability of a generic Kasner spacetime to linear perturbations, both at late and early times. It demonstrates that the perturbation of the Weyl tensor diverges at late time in all cases but in the particular one in which the Kasner spacetime is the product of a two-dimensional Milne spacetime and a two-dimensional Euclidean space. At early times, the perturbation of the Weyl tensor also diverges unless one imposes a condition on the perturbations so as to avoid the most divergent modes to be excited.
We study (covariant) scalar-vector-tensor (SVT) perturbations of infinite derivative gravity (IDG), at the quadratic level of the action, around conformally-flat, covariantly constant curvature backgrounds which are not maximally symmetric spacetimes (MSS). This extends a previous analysis of perturbations done around MSS, which were shown to be ghost-free. We motivate our choice of backgrounds which arise as solutions of IDG in the UV, avoiding big bang and black hole singularities. Contrary to MSS, in this paper we show that, generically, all SVT modes are coupled to each other at the quadratic level of the action. We consider simple examples of the full IDG action, and illustrate this mixing and also a case where the action can be diagonalized and ghost-free solutions constructed. Our study is widely applicable for both non-singular cosmology and black hole physics where backgrounds depart from MSS. In appendices, we provide SVT perturbations around conformally-flat and arbitrary backgrounds which can serve as a compendium of useful results when studying SVT perturbations of various higher derivative gravity models.
Perturbation theory of vacuum spherically-symmetric spacetimes is a crucial tool to understand the dynamics of black hole perturbations. Spherical symmetry allows for an expansion of the perturbations in scalar, vector, and tensor harmonics. The resulting perturbative equations are decoupled for modes with different parity and different harmonic numbers. Moreover, for each harmonic and parity, the equations for the perturbations can be decoupled in terms of (gauge-invariant) master functions that satisfy 1+1 wave equations. By working in a completely general perturbative gauge, in this paper we study what is the most general master function that is linear in the metric perturbations and their first-order derivatives and satisfies a wave equation with a potential. The outcome of the study is that for each parity we have two branches of solutions with similar features. One of the branches includes the known results: In the odd-parity case, the most general master function is an arbitrary linear combination of the Regge-Wheeler and the Cunningham-Price-Moncrief master functions whereas in the even-parity case it is an arbitrary linear combination of the Zerilli master function and another master function that is new to our knowledge. The other branch is very different since it includes an infinite collection of potentials which in turn lead to an independent collection master of functions which depend on the potential. The allowed potentials satisfy a non-linear ordinary differential equation. Finally, all the allowed master functions are gauge invariant and can be written in a fully covariant form.
We analyse cosmological perturbations around a homogeneous and isotropic background for scalar-tensor, vector-tensor and bimetric theories of gravity. Building on previous results, we propose a unified view of the effective parameters of all these theories. Based on this structure, we explore the viable space of parameters for each family of models by imposing the absence of ghosts and gradient instabilities. We then focus on the quasistatic regime and confirm that all these theories can be approximated by the phenomenological two-parameter model described by an effective Newtons constant and the gravitational slip. Within the quasistatic regime we pinpoint signatures which can distinguish between the broad classes of models (scalar-tensor, vector-tensor or bimetric). Finally, we present the equations of motion for our unified approach in such a way that they can be implemented in Einstein-Boltzmann solvers.
We present a critical review about the study of linear perturbations of matched spacetimes including gauge problems. We analyse the freedom introduced in the perturbed matching by the presence of background symmetries and revisit the particular case
of spherically symmetry in n-dimensions. This analysis includes settings with boundary layers such as brane world models and shell cosmologies.
We study linear nonradial perturbations and stability of a marginal stable circular orbit (MSCO) such as the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) of a test particle in stationary axisymmetric spacetimes which possess a reflection symmetry with respect to the equatorial plane. The proposed approach is applied to Kerr solution and Majumdar-Papapetrou solution to Einstein equation. Finally, we reexamine MSCOs for a modified metric of a rapidly spinning black hole that has been recently proposed by Johannsen and Psaltis [PRD, 83, 124015 (2011)]. We show that, for the Johannsen and Psaltiss model, circular orbits that are stable against radial perturbations for some parameter region become unstable against vertical perturbations. This suggests that the last circular orbit for this model may be larger than the ISCO.