Pre-Big Bang Scenario on Self-T-Dual Bouncing Branes

TL;DR

This paper explores a T-duality invariant 5D brane cosmology model that connects pre- and post-Big Bang phases through a smooth, non-singular transition, inspired by the Pre-Big Bang scenario.

Contribution

It introduces a T-duality invariant action with boundary terms for branes, revealing how dual phases can be connected via a scattering process, enabling a non-singular cosmological transition.

Findings

T-duality induces scale factor duality on the brane.

The cosmological equations remain unchanged under T-duality.

A model is proposed for a smooth transition between pre- and post-Big Bang phases.

Abstract

We consider a new class of 5-dimensional dilatonic actions which are invariant under T-duality transformations along three compact coordinates, provided that an appropriate potential is chosen. We show that the invariance remains when we add a boundary term corresponding to a moving 3-brane, and we study the effects of the T-duality symmetry on the brane cosmological equations. We find that T-duality transformations in the bulk induce scale factor duality on the brane, together with a change of sign of the pressure of the brane cosmological matter. However, in a remarkable analogy with the Pre-Big Bang scenario, the cosmological equations are unchanged. Finally, we propose a model where the dual phases are connected through a scattering of the brane induced by an effective potential. We show how this model can realise a smooth, non-singular transition between a pre-Big Bang superinflationary Universe and a post-Big Bang accelerating Universe.