On the stability of the cosmological solutions in f(R,G) gravity

TL;DR

This paper investigates the stability of key cosmological solutions within f(R,G) modified gravity theories, aiming to constrain models and understand perturbation behavior relevant to the universe's accelerated expansion.

Contribution

It provides a detailed stability analysis of cosmological solutions in f(R,G) gravity, enhancing understanding of perturbations in higher order gravity theories.

Findings

Identification of stable and unstable cosmological solutions

Insights into perturbation behavior in f(R,G) gravity

Constraints on the form of the gravitational action

Abstract

Modified gravity is one of the most promising candidates for explaining the current accelerating expansion of the Universe, and even its unification with the inflationary epoch. Nevertheless, the wide range of models capable to explain the phenomena of dark energy, imposes that current research focuses on a more precise study of the possible effects of modified gravity may have on both cosmological and local levels. In this paper, we focus on the analysis of a type of modified gravity, the so-called f(R,G) gravity and we perform a deep analysis on the stability of important cosmological solutions. This not only can help to constrain the form of the gravitational action, but also facilitate a better understanding of the behavior of the perturbations in this class of higher order theories of gravity, which will lead to a more precise analysis of the full spectrum of cosmological perturbations in future.