The effects of curvature correction terms on brane cosmology

TL;DR

This paper investigates how curvature correction terms in brane-world cosmology can eliminate the big bang singularity and induce accelerated expansion through geometric effects, without requiring an inflaton.

Contribution

It introduces a combined curvature correction framework in brane cosmology that removes the initial singularity and explains late-time acceleration without additional fields.

Findings

Elimination of the big bang singularity due to curvature corrections

Radiation brane exhibits accelerated expansion near minimal scale factor

Late-time cosmology aligns with conventional models

Abstract

We study the cosmology of the Randall-Sundrum brane-world where the Einstein-Hilbert action is modified by curvature correction terms: a four-dimensional scalar curvature from induced gravity on the brane, and a five-dimensional Gauss-Bonnet curvature term. The combined effect of these curvature corrections to the action removes the infinite-density big bang singularity, although the curvature can still diverge for some parameter values. A radiation brane undergoes accelerated expansion near the minimal scale factor, for a range of parameters. This acceleration is driven by the geometric effects, without an inflaton field or negative pressures. At late times, conventional cosmology is recovered.