Unification of inflation and cosmic acceleration in the Palatini formalism

TL;DR

This paper proposes a modified gravity model within the Palatini formalism that unifies the explanation of early universe inflation and late-time cosmic acceleration without dark energy.

Contribution

It introduces a gravity model with scalar curvature powers in the Palatini approach, unifying inflation and acceleration explanations.

Findings

Model can explain inflation and acceleration without dark energy

Uses Palatini variational principle for modified gravity

Potentially simplifies cosmological models

Abstract

A modified model of gravity with additional positive and negative powers of the scalar curvature, $R$, in the gravitational action is studied. This is done using the Palatini variational principle. It is demonstrated that using such a model might prove useful to explain both the early time inflation and the late time cosmic acceleration without the need for any form of dark energy.