Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bonnefous, Albert, Brenier, Yann, Mohayaee, Roya
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15035
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866929569023393792
author Bonnefous, Albert
Brenier, Yann
Mohayaee, Roya
author_facet Bonnefous, Albert
Brenier, Yann
Mohayaee, Roya
contents Mathematicians have been proposing for sometimes that Monge-Ampère equation, a nonlinear generalization of the Poisson equation, where trace of the Hessian is replaced by its determinant, provides an alternative non-relativistic description of gravity. Monge-Ampère equation is affine invariant, has rich geometric properties, connects to optimal transport theory, and remains bounded at short distances. Monge-Ampère gravity, that uses a slightly different form of the Monge-Ampère equation, naturally emerges through the application of large-deviation principle to a Brownian system of indistinguishable and independent particles. In this work we provide a physical formulation of this mathematical model, study its theoretical viability and confront it with observations. We show that Monge-Ampère gravity cannot replace the Newtonian gravity as it does not withstand the solar-system test. We then show that Monge-Ampère gravity can describe a scalar field, often evoked in modified theories of gravity such as Galileons. We show that Monge-Ampère gravity, as a nonlinear model of a new scalar field, is screened at short distances, and behaves differently from Newtonian gravity above galactic scales but approaches it asymptotically. Finally, we write a relativistic Lagrangian for Monge-Ampère gravity in flat space time, which is the field equation of a sum of the Lagrangians of all Galileons. We also show how the Monge-Ampère equation can be obtained from the fully covariant Lagrangian of quartic Galileon in the static limit. The connection between optimal transport theory and modified theories of gravity with second-order field equations, unravelled here, remains a promising domain to further explore.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_15035
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Monge-Ampère gravity, optimal transport theory and their link to the Galileons
Bonnefous, Albert
Brenier, Yann
Mohayaee, Roya
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Mathematicians have been proposing for sometimes that Monge-Ampère equation, a nonlinear generalization of the Poisson equation, where trace of the Hessian is replaced by its determinant, provides an alternative non-relativistic description of gravity. Monge-Ampère equation is affine invariant, has rich geometric properties, connects to optimal transport theory, and remains bounded at short distances. Monge-Ampère gravity, that uses a slightly different form of the Monge-Ampère equation, naturally emerges through the application of large-deviation principle to a Brownian system of indistinguishable and independent particles. In this work we provide a physical formulation of this mathematical model, study its theoretical viability and confront it with observations. We show that Monge-Ampère gravity cannot replace the Newtonian gravity as it does not withstand the solar-system test. We then show that Monge-Ampère gravity can describe a scalar field, often evoked in modified theories of gravity such as Galileons. We show that Monge-Ampère gravity, as a nonlinear model of a new scalar field, is screened at short distances, and behaves differently from Newtonian gravity above galactic scales but approaches it asymptotically. Finally, we write a relativistic Lagrangian for Monge-Ampère gravity in flat space time, which is the field equation of a sum of the Lagrangians of all Galileons. We also show how the Monge-Ampère equation can be obtained from the fully covariant Lagrangian of quartic Galileon in the static limit. The connection between optimal transport theory and modified theories of gravity with second-order field equations, unravelled here, remains a promising domain to further explore.
title Monge-Ampère gravity, optimal transport theory and their link to the Galileons
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15035