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The formalism of the horizon quantum mechanics is applied to electrically neutral and spherically symmetric black hole geometries emerging from coherent quantum states of gravity to compute the probability that the matter source is inside the horizon. We find that quantum corrections to the classical horizon radius become significant if the matter core has a size comparable to the Compton length of the constituents and the system is indeed a black hole with probability very close to one unless the core radius is close to the (classical) gravitational radius., Comment: LaTeXT, 16 pages, 3 figures

We explore alternative formulations of the analogy between viable Horndeski gravity and Eckart's first-order thermodynamics. We single out a class of identifications for the effective stress-energy tensor of the scalar field fluid that, upon performing the imperfect fluid decomposition, yields constitutive relations that can be mapped onto Eckart's theory. We then investigate how different couplings to Einstein's gravity, at the level of the field equations, can affect the thermodynamic formalism overall. Lastly, we specialise the discussion to the case of ``traditional'' scalar-tensor theories and identify a specific choice of the coupling function that leads to a significant simplification of the formalism., Comment: 11 pages

Recently, a non-linear model of viscoelasticity based on Rational Extended Thermodynamics was proposed in [arXiv:2312.05116]. This theory extends the evolution of the viscous stress beyond the linear framework of the Maxwell model to the non-linear realm, provided that the viscous energy function is given. This work aims at establishing a possible constitutive law for the viscous energy such that the relaxation modulus of the fractional Maxwell model of order $\alpha \in (1/2, 1]$ is contained within the solutions of the (non-linear) relaxation experiment. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of this coincident solution are discussed, together with a numerical evaluation of the viscous energy associated with the non-linear model., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures

We delve into the first-order thermodynamics of Horndeski gravity, focusing on spatially flat, homogeneous, and isotropic cosmologies. Our exploration begins with a comprehensive review of the effective fluid representation within viable Horndeski gravity. Notably, we uncover a surprising alignment between the constitutive relations governing the "Horndeski fluid" and those of Eckart's thermodynamics. Narrowing our focus, we specialize our discussion to spatially flat Friedmann-Lema{\^i}tre-Robertson-Walker spacetimes. Within this specific cosmological framework, we systematically analyze two classes of theories: shift-symmetric and asymptotically shift-symmetric. These theories are characterized by a non-vanishing braiding parameter, adding a nuanced dimension to our investigation. On the one hand, unlike the case of the "traditional" scalar-tensor gravity, these peculiar subclasses of viable Horndeski gravity never relax to General Relativity (seen within this formalism as an equilibrium state at zero temperature), but give rise to additional equilibrium states with non-vanishing viscosity. On the other hand, this analysis further confirms previous findings according to which curvature singularities are "hot" and exhibit a diverging temperature, which suggests that deviations of scalar-tensor theories from General Relativity become extreme at spacetime singularities. Furthermore, we provide a novel exact cosmological solution for an asymptotically shift-symmetric theory as a toy model for our thermodynamic analysis., Comment: 16 pages. Matches published version in Phys. Rev. D

The ``ugly duckling'' of the Segr\'e-Pleba\'nski-Hawking-Ellis classification of stress-energy tensors is believed to be either impossible or extremely difficult to realise in Einstein gravity. Effective stress-energy tensors in alternative gravity offer a wider range of possibilities. We report a class of type III realisations in ``first-generation'' scalar-tensor and in Horndeski gravity, and their physical interpretation. The ugly duckling may be a freak of nature of limited importance but it is not physically impossible., Comment: Added explanation and an appendix, bibliography expanded. Matches version to appear in Phys. Rev. D

The first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor theory is a novel approach that exploits the intriguing relationship between gravity and thermodynamics to better understand the space of gravity theories. It is based on using Eckart's first-order irreversible thermodynamics on the effective imperfect fluid describing scalar-tensor gravity and characterises General Relativity as an equilibrium state, and scalar-tensor theories as non-equilibrium states, naturally describing the approach to equilibrium. Applications of this framework to cosmology, extensions to different classes of modified theories, and the formulation of two complementary descriptions based on the notions of temperature and chemical potential all contribute to a new and unifying picture of the landscape of gravity theories., Comment: 20 pages. The results contained in this paper have been partially presented at WASCOM 2021

Static and stationary regular black holes are examined under a minimal set of requirements consisting of (i) the existence of a well defined event horizon and (ii) the weak energy condition for matter sourcing the geometry. We perform our analysis by means of the gravitational decoupling approach and find hairy solutions free of curvature singularities. We identify the matter source producing a deformation of the Minkowski vacuum such that the maximum deformation is the Schwarzschild solution for the static case, and the Kerr metric for the stationary case., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, final version to appear in Phys.Lett.B

Geometric pattern formation is an important emergent behavior in many applications involving large-scale multi-agent systems, such as sensor networks deployment and collective transportation. Attraction/repulsion virtual forces are the most common control approach to achieve such behavior in a distributed and scalable manner. Nevertheless, for most existing solutions only numerical and/or experimental evidence of their convergence is available. Here, we revisit the problem of achieving pattern formation giving sufficient conditions to prove analytically that under the influence of appropriate virtual forces, a large-scale multi-agent swarming system locally converges towards a stable and robust triangular lattice configuration. Specifically, the proof is carried out using LaSalle's invariance principle and geometry-based arguments. Our theoretical results are complemented by exhaustive numerical simulations confirming their effectiveness and estimating the region of asymptotic stability of the triangular configuration.

We investigate the properties of some recently developed variable-order differential operators involving order transition functions of exponential type. Since the characterisation of such operators is performed in the Laplace domain it is necessary to resort to accurate numerical methods to derive the corresponding behaviours in the time domain. In this regard, we develop a computational procedure to solve variable-order fractional differential equations of this novel class. Furthermore, we provide some numerical experiments to show the effectiveness of the proposed techniques., Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures

We consider black holes generically sourced by quantum matter described by regular wavefunctions. This allows for integrable effective energy densities and the removal of Cauchy horizons in spherically symmetric configurations. Moreover, we identify the ultrarigid rotation of the Kerr spacetime as causing the existence of an inner horizon in rotating systems, and describe general properties for quantum matter cores at the centre of rotating black holes with integrable singularities and no Cauchy horizon., Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, 1 figure, final version to appear in JHEP

Stealth solutions of scalar-tensor gravity and less-known de Sitter spaces that generalize them are analyzed regarding their possible role as thermal equilibria at non-zero temperature in the new first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity. No stable equilibria are found, further validating the special role of general relativity as an equilibrium state in the landscape of gravity theories, seen through the lens of first-order thermodynamics., Comment: 10 pages, no figures

Indirect noise is a significant contributor to aircraft engine noise, which needs to be minimized in the design of aircraft engines. Indirect noise is caused by the acceleration of flow inhomogeneities through a nozzle. High-fidelity simulations showed that some flow inhomogeneities can be chemically reacting when they leave the combustor and enter the nozzle (Giusti et al., 2019). The state-of-art models, however, are limited to chemically non-reacting (frozen) flows. In this work, first, we propose a low-order model to predict indirect noise in nozzle flows with reacting inhomogeneities. Second, we identify the physical sources of sound, which generate indirect noise via two physical mechanisms: (i) chemical reaction generates compositional perturbations, thereby adding to compositional noise; and (ii) exothermic reaction generates entropy perturbations. Third, we numerically compute the nozzle transfer functions for different frequency ranges (Helmholtz numbers) and reaction rates (Damk\"{o}hler numbers) in subsonic flows with hydrogen and methane inhomogeneities. Fourth, we extend the model to supersonic flows. We find that hydrogen inhomogeneities have a larger impact to indirect noise than methane inhomogeneities. Both the Damk\"{o}hler number and the Helmholtz number markedly influence the phase and magnitude of the transmitted and reflected waves, which affect the sound generation and thermoacoustic stability. This work provides a physics-based low-order model, which can open new opportunities for predicting noise emissions and instabilities in aeronautical gas turbines with multi-physics flows.

We investigate the specific attenuation factor for the Bessel models of viscoelasticity. We find that the quality factor for this class can be expressed in terms of Kelvin functions and that its asymptotic behaviours confirm the analytical results found in previous studies for the rheological properties of these models., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

A numerical framework for the 'real-time' estimation of the infection risk from airborne diseases (e.g., SARS-CoV-2) in indoor spaces such as hospitals, restaurants, cinemas or teaching rooms is proposed. The developed model is based on the use of computational fluid dynamics as a pre-processor to obtain the time-averaged ventilation pattern inside a room, and a post-processing tool for the computation of the dispersion of sprays and aerosols emitted by its occupants in 'real time'. The model can predict the dispersion and concentration of droplets carrying viable viral copies in the air, the contamination of surfaces, and the related spatially-resolved infection risk. It may therefore provide useful information for the management of indoor environments in terms of, e.g., maximum occupancy, air changes per hour and cleaning of surfaces. This work describes the fundamentals of the model and its main characteristics. The model was developed using open-source software and is conceived to be simple, user-friendly and highly automated to enable any potential user to perform estimations of the local infection risk., Comment: for associated video, see https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielfredrich_we-have-developed-sprei-an-easy-to-use-computational-activity-6865360164510404608-ORyU?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

We refine and slightly enlarge the recently proposed first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity to include gravitational scalar fields with timelike and past-directed gradients. The implications and subtleties arising in this situation are discussed and an exact cosmological solution of scalar-tensor theory in first-order thermodynamics is revisited in light of these results., Comment: 7 pages, no figures

We revisit the analogy between a minimally coupled scalar field in general relativity and a perfect fluid, correcting previous identifications of effective temperature and chemical potential. This provides a useful complementary picture for the first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity, paving the way for the Einstein frame formulation (which eluded previous attempts) and raises interesting questions to further develop the analogy., Comment: 19 pages, latex

Geometric pattern formation is crucial in many tasks involving large-scale multi-agent systems. Examples include mobile agents performing surveillance, swarm of drones or robots, or smart transportation systems. Currently, most control strategies proposed to achieve pattern formation in network systems either show good performance but require expensive sensors and communication devices, or have lesser sensor requirements but behave more poorly. Also, they often require certain prescribed structural interconnections between the agents (e.g., regular lattices, all-to-all networks etc). In this paper, we provide a distributed displacement-based control law that allows large group of agents to achieve triangular and square lattices, with low sensor requirements and without needing communication between the agents. Also, a simple, yet powerful, adaptation law is proposed to automatically tune the control gains in order to reduce the design effort, while improving robustness and flexibility. We show the validity and robustness of our approach via numerical simulations and experiments, comparing it with other approaches from the existing literature.

We generate new spherical and time-dependent solutions of viable Horndeski gravity by disforming a solution of the Einstein equations with scalar field source and positive cosmological constant. They describe dynamical objects embedded in asymptotically FLRW spacetimes and contain apparent horizons and a finite radius singularity that evolve in time in peculiar ways apparently not encountered before in Einstein and "old" scalar-tensor gravity., Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures

In the context of the recently proposed first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity, we discuss the possibility of zero-temperature states of equilibrium other than Einstein gravity, including pathological Brans-Dicke theory, Palatini $f(R)$ gravity, and cuscuton gravity, all with non-dynamical scalar fields. The formalism is extended to Nordstr\"om gravity, which contains only a scalar degree of freedom and has negative temperature relative to general relativity., Comment: 10 pages, latex

A new thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity is applied to spatially homogeneous and isotropic cosmologies in this class of theories and tested on analytical solutions. A forever-expanding universe approaches the Einstein "state of equilibrium" with zero effective temperature at late times and departs from it near spacetime singularities. "Cooling" by expansion and "heating" by singularities compete near the Big Rip, where it is found that the effective temperature diverges in the case of a conformally coupled scalar field., Comment: 18 pages, no figures

Collaborative AI systems (CAISs) aim at working together with humans in a shared space to achieve a common goal. This critical setting yields hazardous circumstances that could harm human beings. Thus, building such systems with strong assurances of compliance with requirements, domain-specific standards and regulations is of greatest importance. Only few scale impact has been reported so far for such systems since much work remains to manage possible risks. We identify emerging problems in this context and then we report our vision, as well as the progress of our multidisciplinary research team composed of software/systems, and mechatronics engineers to develop a risk-driven assurance process for CAISs., Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures

Bootstrapped Newtonian gravity is a non-linear version of Newton's law which can be lifted to a fully geometric theory of gravity starting from a modified potential. Here, we study geodesics in the bootstrapped Newtonian effective metric in vacuum and obtain bounds on a free parameter from Solar System data and S-star orbits near our Galaxy centre. These bounds make vacuum bootstrapped Newtonian gravity experimentally indistinguishable from General Relativity., Comment: REVTeX 4, 11 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables. Version to appear in PRD

We discuss and expand a new approach to the thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity and its diffusion toward general relativity (seen as an equilibrium state) proposed in a previous Letter [Phys. Rev. D 103, L121501 (2021)], upon which we build. We describe scalar-tensor gravity as an effective dissipative fluid and apply Eckart's first order thermodynamics to it, obtaining explicitly effective quantities such as heat flux, "temperature of gravity", viscosities, entropy density, plus an equation describing the "diffusion" to Einstein gravity. These quantities, still missing in the usual thermodynamics of spacetime, are obtained with minimal assumptions. Furthermore, we examine certain exact solutions of scalar-tensor gravity to test the proposed formalism and gain some physical insight on the "approach to equilibrium" for this class of theories., Comment: 23 pages, no figures, to appear in Phys.Rev.D

We present a novel definition of variable-order fractional Laplacian on Rn based on a natural generalization of the standard Riesz potential. Our definition holds for values of the fractional parameter spanning the entire open set (0, n/2). We then discuss some properties of the fractional Poisson's equation involving this operator and we compute the corresponding Green function, for which we provide some instructive examples for specific problems.

We extend to the Horndeski realm the irreversible thermodynamics description of gravity previously studied in "first generation" scalar-tensor theories. We identify a subclass of Horndeski theories as an out-of--equilibrium state, while general relativity corresponds to an equilibrium state. In this context, we identify an effective heat current, "temperature of gravity", and shear viscosity in the space of theories. The identification is accomplished by recasting the field equations as effective Einstein equations with an effective dissipative fluid, with Einstein gravity as the equilibrium state, following Eckart's first-order thermodynamics., Comment: 15 pages, no figures

We consider the quantum description of a toy model universe in which the Schwarzschild-de Sitter geometry emerges from the coherent state of a massless scalar field. Although highly idealised, this simple model allows us to find clear hints supporting the conclusion that the reaction of the de Sitter background to the presence of matter sources induces i) a modified Newtonian dynamics at galactic scales and ii) different values measured for the present Hubble parameter. Both effects stem from the conditions required to have a normalisable quantum state., Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, no figures

General Relativity and the $\Lambda$CDM framework are currently the standard lore and constitute the concordance paradigm. Nevertheless, long-standing open theoretical issues, as well as possible new observational ones arising from the explosive development of cosmology the last two decades, offer the motivation and lead a large amount of research to be devoted in constructing various extensions and modifications. All extended theories and scenarios are first examined under the light of theoretical consistency, and then are applied to various geometrical backgrounds, such as the cosmological and the spherical symmetric ones. Their predictions at both the background and perturbation levels, and concerning cosmology at early, intermediate and late times, are then confronted with the huge amount of observational data that astrophysics and cosmology are able to offer recently. Theories, scenarios and models that successfully and efficiently pass the above steps are classified as viable and are candidates for the description of Nature. This work is a Review of the recent developments in the fields of gravity and cosmology, presenting the state of the art, high-lighting the open problems, and outlining the directions of future research. Its realization was performed in the framework of the COST European Action ``Cosmology and Astrophysics Network for Theoretical Advances and Training Actions''., Comment: 543 pages

We develop several formal analogies between the logistic equation and the spatially homogeneous and isotropic relativistic cosmology described by the Einstein-Friedmann equations. These analogies produce an effective Lagrangian and Hamiltonian and new symmetries for the logistic equation., Comment: 12 pages, no figures. Invited paper to appear in special issue of Symmetry

Collaborative AI systems aim at working together with humans in a shared space to achieve a common goal. This setting imposes potentially hazardous circumstances due to contacts that could harm human beings. Thus, building such systems with strong assurances of compliance with requirements domain specific standards and regulations is of greatest importance. Challenges associated with the achievement of this goal become even more severe when such systems rely on machine learning components rather than such as top-down rule-based AI. In this paper, we introduce a risk modeling approach tailored to Collaborative AI systems. The risk model includes goals, risk events and domain specific indicators that potentially expose humans to hazards. The risk model is then leveraged to drive assurance methods that feed in turn the risk model through insights extracted from run-time evidence. Our envisioned approach is described by means of a running example in the domain of Industry 4.0, where a robotic arm endowed with a visual perception component, implemented with machine learning, collaborates with a human operator for a production-relevant task., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures

Previously, the Einstein equation has been described as an equation of state, general relativity as the equilibrium state of gravity, and $f({\cal R})$ gravity as a non-equilibrium one. We apply Eckart's first order thermodynamics to the effective dissipative fluid describing scalar-tensor gravity. Surprisingly, we obtain simple expressions for the effective heat flux, "temperature of gravity", shear and bulk viscosity, and entropy density, plus a generalized Fourier law in a consistent Eckart thermodynamical picture. Well-defined notions of temperature and approach to equilibrium, missing in the current thermodynamics of spacetime scenarios, naturally emerge., Comment: 5 pages. Corrected Eq. (26) describing the approach to equilibrium and one typographical error. Matches Letter to appear in Physical Review D

Several approaches to the formulation of a fractional theory of calculus of "variable order" have appeared in the literature over the years. Unfortunately, most of these proposals lack a rigorous mathematical framework. We consider an alternative view on the problem, originally proposed by G. Scarpi in the early seventies, based on a naive modification of the representation in the Laplace domain of standard kernels functions involved in (constant-order) fractional calculus. We frame Scarpi's ideas within recent theory of General Fractional Derivatives and Integrals, that mostly rely on the Sonine condition, and investigate the main properties of the emerging variable-order operators. Then, taking advantage of powerful and easy-to-use numerical methods for the inversion of Laplace transforms of functions defined in the Laplace domain, we discuss some practical applications of the variable-order Scarpi integral and derivative., Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures

We determine the complete space-time metric from the bootstrapped Newtonian potential generated by a static spherically symmetric source in the surrounding vacuum. This metric contains post-Newtonian parameters which can be further used to constrain the complete underlying dynamical theory. For values of the post-Newtonian parameters within experimental bounds, the reconstructed metric appears very close to the Schwarzschild solution of General Relativity in the whole region outside the event horizon. The latter is however larger in size for the same value of the mass compared to the Schwarzschild case., Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures, minor changes to match the accepted version in PRD

We review spherical and inhomogeneous analytic solutions of the field equations of Einstein and of scalar-tensor gravity, including Brans-Dicke theory, non-minimally (possibly conformally) coupled scalar fields, Horndeski, and beyond Horndeski/DHOST gravity. The zoo includes both static and dynamic solutions, asymptotically flat, and asymptotically Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker ones. We minimize overlap with existing books and reviews and we place emphasis on scalar field spacetimes and on geometries that are "general" within certain classes. Relations between various solutions, which have largely emerged during the last decade, are pointed out., Comment: 140 pages, one figure. Explanation text and bibliography expanded, typographical errors corrected. Matches version to appear in Physics Reports

Emmy, a child prodigy, writes a letter to Santa Claus asking for a Vaidya solution sourced by a massless scalar field with null gradient for Christmas. Santa writes back explaining why such a toy cannot be built and offers an exact plane wave sourced by a scalar field with lightlike gradient as a replacement., Comment: 5 pages, no figures

We report a new one-parameter family of spherically symmetric, inhomogeneous, and time-dependent solutions of the vacuum Brans-Dicke field equations which are conformal to the Roberts scalar field geometries of Einstein gravity. The new solution is spherical and time-dependent and contains a naked central singularity. We use it as a seed to generate another two-parameter family of solutions using a known symmetry of vacuum Brans-Dicke gravity., Comment: 6 pages, no figures. Title changed. Updated to match the published version

We point out an association between anomalies in the Hawking quasilocal mass (or, in spherical symmetry, in its better known version, the Misner-Sharp-Hernandez mass) and unphysical properties of the spacetime geometry. While anomalous behaviors show up in certain quantum-corrected black holes, they are not unique to this context and signal serious physical pathologies of isolated gravitating systems in general., Comment: 8 pages, no figures

Bootstrapped Newtonian gravity was developed with the purpose of estimating the impact of quantum physics in the nonlinear regime of the gravitational interaction, akin to corpuscular models of black holes and inflation. In this work, we set the ground for extending the bootstrapped Newtonian picture to cosmological spaces. We further discuss how such models of quantum cosmology can lead to a natural solution of the cosmological constant problem., Comment: 11 pages, no figures, to appear in Symmetry

Fractional Newtonian gravity, based on the fractional generalization of Poisson's equation for Newtonian gravity, is a novel approach to Galactic dynamics aimed at providing an alternative to the dark matter paradigm through a non-local modification of Newton's theory. We provide an in-depth discussion of the gravitational potential for the Kuzmin disk within this new approach. Specifically, we derive an integral and a series representation for the potential, we verify its asymptotic behavior at large scales, and we provide illuminating plots of the resulting equipotential surfaces., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, published in EPJ Plus

In recent years, many papers discuss the theory and applications of new fractional-order derivatives that are constructed by replacing the singular kernel of the Caputo or Riemann-Liouville derivative by a non-singular (i.e., bounded) kernel. It will be shown here, through rigorous mathematical reasoning, that these non-singular kernel derivatives suffer from several drawbacks which should forbid their use. They fail to satisfy the fundamental theorem of fractional calculus since they do not admit the existence of a corresponding convolution integral of which the derivative is the left-inverse; and the value of the derivative at the initial time $t=0$ is always zero, which imposes an unnatural restriction on the differential equations and models where these derivatives can be used. For the particular cases of the so-called Caputo-Fabrizio and Atangana-Baleanu derivatives, it is shown that when this restriction holds the derivative can be simply expressed in terms of integer derivatives and standard Caputo fractional derivatives, thus demonstrating that these derivatives contain nothing new., Comment: 19 pages, no figures, Editorial Survey in FCAA

We study a quantum-corrected Schwarzschild black hole proposed recently in Loop Quantum Gravity. Prompted by the fact that corrections to the innermost stable circular orbit of Schwarzschild diverge, we investigate timelike and null radial geodesics. Massive particles moving radially outwards are confined, while photons make it to infinity with infinite redshift. This unsettling physics, which deviates radically from both Schwarzschild (near the horizon) and Minkowski (at infinity) is due to repulsion by the negative quantum energy density that makes the quasilocal mass vanish as one approaches spatial infinity., Comment: 12 pages, no figures, Invited paper to appear in Symmetry

A recent generalization of the Hawking-Hayward quasilocal energy to scalar-tensor gravity is adapted to general spherically symmetric geometries. It is then applied to several black hole and other spherical solutions of scalar-tensor and $f({\cal R}) $ gravity. The relations of this quasilocal energy with the Abreu-Nielsen-Visser gauge and the Kodama vector are discussed., Comment: 11 pages, no figures, to appear in Class.Quant.Grav