Smooth Initial Conditions from Weak Gravity (2009)
Greene, Brian, Hinterbichler, Kurt, Judes, Simon, Parikh, Maulik K.
CMB measurements reveal an unnaturally smooth early universe. We propose a mechanism to make this smoothness natural by weakening the strength of gravity at early times, and therefore altering which...
Boundary Terms and Junction Conditions for the DGP pi-Lagrangian (2009)
Dyer, Ethan, Hinterbichler, Kurt
In the decoupling limit of DGP, pi describes the brane-bending degree of freedom. It obeys second order equations of motion, yet it is governed by a higher derivative Lagrangian. We show that,...
Hinterbichler, Kurt, Nicolis, Alberto, Porrati, Massimo
We reconsider the issue of superluminal propagation in the DGP model of infrared modified gravity. Superluminality was argued to exist in certain otherwise physical backgrounds by using a particular,...
Boundary Terms, Variational Principles and Higher Derivative Modified Gravity (2008)
Dyer, Ethan, Hinterbichler, Kurt
We discuss the criteria that must be satisfied by a well-posed variational principle. We clarify the role of Gibbons-Hawking-York type boundary terms in the actions of higher derivative models of...
Pseudo-redundant vacuum energy (2008)
Batra, Puneet, Hinterbichler, Kurt, Hui, Lam, Kabat, Daniel
We discuss models that can account for today's dark energy. The underlying cosmological constant may be Planck scale but starts as a redundant coupling which can be eliminated by a field...