Marcelo Salgado

Alternative approach to the galactic dark matter problem

We discuss scenarios in which the galactic dark matter in spiral galaxies is described by a long range coherent field which settles in a stationary configuration that might account for the features of the galactic rotation curves. The simplest possibility is to consider scalar fields, so we discuss, in particular, two mechanisms that would account for the settlement of the scalar field in a nontrivial configuration in the absence of a direct coupling of the field with ordinary matter: topological defects and spontaneous scalarization.

Scalar hairy black holes and solitons in asymptotically flat spacetimes

A numerical analysis shows that a class of scalar-tensor theories of gravity with a scalar field minimally and nonminimally coupled to the curvature allows static and spherically symmetric black hole solutions with scalar-field hair in asymptotically flat spacetimes. In the limit when the horizon radius of the black hole tends to zero, regular scalar solitons are found. The asymptotically flat solutions are obtained provided that the scalar potential

The Cauchy problem of scalar–tensor theories of gravity

V(\phi)

Towards standard testbeds for numerical relativity

of the theory is not positive semidefinite and such that its local minimum is also a zero of the potential, the scalar field settling asymptotically at that minimum. The configurations for the minimal coupling case, although unstable under spherically symmetric linear perturbations, are regular and thus can serve as counterexamples to the no-scalar-hair conjecture. For the nonminimal coupling case, the stability will be analyzed in a forthcoming paper.

On spontaneous scalarization

The 3 + 1 formulation of scalar–tensor theories of gravity (STT) is obtained in the physical (Jordan) frame departing from the 4 + 0 covariant field equations. Contrary to common belief (folklore), the new system of ADM-like equations shows that the Cauchy problem of STT is well formulated (in the sense that the whole system of evolution equations is of first order in the time derivative). This is the first step towards a full first-order (in time and space) formulation from which a subsequent hyperbolicity analysis (a well-posedness determination) can be performed. Several gauge (lapse and shift) conditions are considered and implemented for STT. In particular, a generalization of the harmonic gauge for STT allows us to prove the well posedness of the STT using a second-order analysis which is very similar to the one employed in general relativity. Several appendices complement the ideas of the main part of the paper.

Galactic periodicity and the oscillating G model

In recent years, many different numerical evolution schemes for Einsteins equations have been proposed to address stability and accuracy problems that have plagued the numerical relativity community for decades. Some of these approaches have been tested on different spacetimes, and conclusions have been drawn based on these tests. However, differences in results originate from many sources, including not only formulations of the equations, but also gauges, boundary conditions, numerical methods and so on. We propose to build up a suite of standardized testbeds for comparing approaches to the numerical evolution of Einsteins equations that are designed to both probe their strengths and weaknesses and to separate out different effects, and their causes, seen in the results. We discuss general design principles of suitable testbeds, and we present an initial round of simple tests with periodic boundary conditions. This is a pivotal first step towards building a suite of testbeds to serve the numerical relativists and researchers from related fields who wish to assess the capabilities of numerical relativity codes. We present some examples of how these tests can be quite effective in revealing various limitations of different approaches, and illustrating their differences. The tests are presently limited to vacuum spacetimes, can be run on modest computational resources and can be used with many different approaches used in the relativity community.

Spherically symmetric black holes in f (R) gravity: is geometric scalar hair supported?

We study in the physical frame the phenomenon of spontaneous scalarization that occurs in scalar-tensor theories of gravity for compact objects. We discuss the fact that the phenomenon occurs exactly in the regime where the Newtonian analysis indicates it should not. Finally we discuss the way the phenomenon depends on the equation of state used to describe the nuclear matter.

A simple theorem to generate exact black-hole solutions

We consider the model involving the oscillation of the effective gravitational constant that has been put forward in an attempt to reconcile the observed periodicity in the galaxy number distribution with the standard cosmological models. This model involves a highly nonlinear dynamics which we analyze numerically. We carry out a detailed study of the bound that nucleosynthesis imposes on this model. The analysis shows that for any assumed value for

Einstein-Maxwell system in 3+1 form and initial data for multiple charged black holes

\Omega

Dynamic transition to spontaneous scalarization in boson stars

(the total energy density) one can fix the value of