Generalized scalar–tensor theory of gravity reconstruction from physical potentials of a scalar field

Abstract

© 2020, The Author(s). We describe how to reconstruct generalized scalar–tensor gravity (GSTG) theory, which admits exact solutions for a physical type of potentials. Our consideration deals with cosmological inflationary models based on GSTG with non-minimal coupling of a (non-canonical) scalar field to the Ricci scalar. The basis of proposed approach to the analysis of these models is an a priori specified relation between the Hubble parameter H and a function of a non-minimal coupling F= 1 + δF, H∝F. Deviations from Einstein gravity δF induce corresponding deviations of the potential δV from a constant value and modify the dynamics from a pure de Sitter exponential expansion. We analyze the models with exponential power-law evolution of the scale factor and we find the equations of influence of non-minimal coupling, choosing it in the special form, on the potential and kinetic energies. Such a consideration allows us to substitute the physical potential into the obtained equations and then to calculate the non-minimal coupling function and kinetic term that define the GSTG parameters. With this method, we reconstruct GSTG for the polynomial, exponential, Higgs, Higgs–Starobinsky and Coleman–Weinberg potentials. Special attention we pay to parameters of cosmological perturbations and prove the correspondence of the obtained solutions to observational data from Planck.