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Thermal Origin of the Attractor-to-General-Relativity in Scalar-Tensor Gravity

Valerio Faraoni1,* and Andrea Giusti1,2,†

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bishop’s University, 2600 College Street, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1M 1Z7
  • 2Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QH, United Kingdom

  • *Contact author: vfaraoni@ubishops.ca
  • †Contact author: agiusti@ubishops.ca
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 211406 – Published 30 May, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/22w4-v2xn

Abstract

The convergence of scalar-tensor gravity to general relativity, or the departure from it, is described in a new analogy with heat dissipation in a viscous fluid. This new thermal picture is applied to cosmology, shedding light on whether gravity deviates from general relativity early on and approaches it later in the cosmic history.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 211406– Published 30 May, 2025
  • Received 3 March 2025
  • Revised 6 April 2025
  • Accepted 12 May 2025
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