Gravity and Cosmology: Exploring the Mysteries of f(T) Gravity

Dear Colleagues,

The search for a consistent and complete theory of gravity is one of the great ambitions of this century. General Relativity (GR), despite its overwhelming success, has been confronted with the latest data from cosmological discoveries, for example, the supernovae observations, which indicate an accelerated expansion of the universe. In this sense, it appears to be inevitable to consider some modifications in GR. Dark energy is a possible factor to be included in GR in order to explain such an accelerated expansion, although its origin or composition is not known. In this search for the most suitable theory of gravity, it is natural to consider not only direct extensions of GR itself but also take into account different formulations, which, besides the scalar curvature R, involve other geometric invariants, such as the models with scalar torsion T.

The Teleparallel equivalent of General Relativity (TEGR) is a theory where gravitation is due to torsion and not due to curvature but it is dynamically equivalent to GR, i.e., cannot be distinguished through classical experiments. It is possible to build extended theories of gravity by modifying both GR and Teleparallel theories. Modifications in TEGR by considering the Lagrangian density as a more general function of the torsion scalar, namely, f(T), lead to second order field equations, simpler than those from alternative models, f(R), generated by extensions of curvature-based formulations. Recent works on f(T) have presented interesting cosmological and astrophysical solutions, providing alternative interpretations for the acceleration phases of the universe, for example.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore different aspects of f(T) Gravity and related issues. Thus, it is expected to have contributions on cosmology and compact stars, as well as relevant topics related to the theory itself, i.e., what are well established issues and putative ambiguities.

Dr. Jose Carlos Neves De Araujo
Dr. Hemily Gomes Marciano Fortes
Dr. Emmanuel N. Saridakis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Universe is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• gravity
• general relativity
• teleparallel theory
• torsion
• extended teleparallel theory
• cosmology
• compact stars