The inflationary universe in F(R) gravity with antisymmetric tensor fields and their suppression during the universe evolution

Understand

The intriguing question, why the present scale of the universe is free from any perceptible footprints of rank-2 antisymmetric tensor fields? (generally known as Kalb-Ramond fields) is addressed.

• A quite natural explanation of this issue is given from the angle of higher-curvature gravity, both in four- and in five-dimensional spacetime.
• The results here obtained reveal that the amplitude of the Kalb-Ramond field may be actually large and play a significant role during the early universe, while the presence of higher-order gravity suppresses this field during the cosmological evolution, so that it eventually becomes negligible in the current universe.
• Besides the suppression of the Kalb-Ramond field, the extra degree of freedom in $F(R)$ gravity, usually known as scalaron, also turns out to be responsible for inflation.