Existence of Vacuum Wormholes in Einsteinian Cubic Gravity

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the existence of matter-free, traversable wormhole solutions within Einsteinian Cubic Gravity, a modified theory of gravity, which are asymptotically AdS and involve a geometric deficit interpreted as a global monopole.

Contribution

It provides the first known matter-free wormhole solutions in Einsteinian Cubic Gravity, expanding the understanding of exotic geometries in modified gravity theories.

Findings

Wormhole solutions are asymptotically AdS with a geometric deficit.

Solutions satisfy traversability criteria.

Multiple solutions exist for different parameters.

Abstract

Wormhole solutions in gravitational theories typically require exotic matter. Here we present a wormhole solution to the field equations of Einsteinian Cubic Gravity -- a phenomenological competitor to general relativity that includes terms cubic in the curvature -- that has no matter, exotic or otherwise. These purely gravitational wormhole geometries are asymptotically AdS but contain a geometric deficit at infinity. The deficit, interpreted as a global monopole, plays an essential role in our construction. We find that our wormhole solution satisfies traversablility criteria. We also find, for different parameters, a range of possible wormhole solutions.