Gravitationally Induced Particle Production through a Nonminimal Torsion-Matter Coupling

Understand

We investigate the possibility of gravitationally generated particle production via the mechanism of nonminimal torsion--matter coupling.

• An intriguing feature of this theory is that the divergence of the matter energy--momentum tensor does not vanish identically.
• We explore the physical and cosmological implications of the nonconservation of the energy--momentum tensor by using the formalism of irreversible thermodynamics of open systems in the presence of matter creation/annihilation.
• The particle creation rates, pressure, and the expression of the comoving entropy are obtained in a covariant formulation and discussed in detail.