Phantom crossing and quintessence limit in extended nonlinear massive gravity

TL;DR

This paper explores a cosmological model with extended nonlinear massive gravity where the graviton mass varies and can approach zero, providing a natural explanation for dark energy dynamics and avoiding future singularities.

Contribution

It introduces a varying-mass extension of nonlinear massive gravity and analyzes its cosmological implications, including late-time behavior and phantom regime exit.

Findings

Graviton mass naturally approaches zero at late times.

The model can produce a dynamical dark energy sector.

It avoids Big-Rip singularities through natural exit from phantom regime.

Abstract

We investigate the cosmological evolution in a universe governed by the extended, varying-mass, nonlinear massive gravity, in which the graviton mass is promoted to a scalar-field. We find that the dynamics, both in flat and open universe, can lead the varying graviton mass to zero at late times, offering a natural explanation for its hugely-constrained observed value. Despite the limit of the scenario towards standard quintessence, at early and intermediate times it gives rise to an effective dark energy sector of a dynamical nature, which can also lie in the phantom regime, from which it always exits naturally, escaping a Big-Rip. Interestingly enough, although the motivation of massive gravity is to obtain an IR modification, its varying-mass extension in cosmological frameworks leads to early and intermediate times modification instead.