Unimodular $f(R,T)$ Gravity

TL;DR

This paper explores unimodular modifications of $f(R,T)$ gravity, analyzing cosmological solutions in both Jordan and Einstein frames, and assesses their viability with observational data.

Contribution

It introduces a new class of unimodular $f(R,T)$ gravity models, studying their cosmological implications and observational viability.

Findings

Unimodular constraint leads to a time-dependent Lagrange multiplier in Jordan frame.

In Einstein frame, the Lagrange multiplier acts as a cosmological constant.

Numerical analysis shows compatibility with Planck2015 data.

Abstract

We extend the idea of unimodular gravity to the modified $f(R,T)$ theories. A new class of cosmological solutions, that the unimodular constraint on the metric imposes on the $f(R,T)$ theories, are studied. This extension is done in both Jordan and Einstein frames. We show that while the Lagrange multiplier (that imposes the unimodular constraint on the action) depends on the cosmic time in Jordan frame and therefore, can act as an evolving scalar field in the universe history, in the Einstein frame it acts as a cosmological constant. Then a general reconstruction method is used to realize an explicit form of the unimodular $f(R,T)$ corresponding to a given cosmological solution. By adopting a specific form of $f(R,T)$, the issue of cosmological inflation is studied in this setup. To see the observational viability of this model, a numerical analysis on the model parameter space is done in the background of Planck2015 observational data.