Cosmological implications of massive gravitons

TL;DR

This paper explores the possibility that gravitons have a tiny but nonzero mass, which could align with cosmological observations and challenge the traditional view that gravitons are massless.

Contribution

It provides a phenomenological analysis suggesting that a small graviton mass is compatible with supernova, CMB, and large-scale structure data, questioning the vDVZ discontinuity.

Findings

Graviton mass around 10^{-30} eV/c^2 fits cosmological data.

Nonzero graviton mass can reconcile observations with modified gravity theories.

Challenges the assumption that graviton mass must be zero based on classical tests.

Abstract

The van Dam-Veltman-Zakharov (vDVZ) discontinuity requires that the mass $m$ of the graviton is exactly zero, otherwise measurements of the deflection of starlight by the Sun and the precession of Mercury's perihelion would conflict with their theoretical values. This theoretical discontinuity is open to question for numerous reasons. In this paper we show from a phenomenological viewpoint that the $m>0$ hypothesis is in accord with Supernova Ia and CMB observations, and that the large scale structure of the universe suggests that $m \sim 10^{-30} $eV$/c^2$.