Nonlocal Gravity Theories in Cosmological Contexts
Summary
Nonlocal gravity theories extend Einstein’s general relativity by incorporating terms that reflect an extended region of spacetime in the gravitational action, thereby introducing scale-dependent modifications to the field equations. Originally motivated by analogies with nonlocal electrodynamics and attempts to unify gravity with quantum field theory, these frameworks can generate effective dark energy or mimic dark matter through integral kernels that weight spacetime curvature over finite intervals. In cosmology, nonlocal models have been shown to support late-time acceleration without introducing a cosmological constant, to produce dynamical equation-of-state parameters and to yield distinctive signatures in cosmic microwave background anisotropies and large-scale structure. Perturbative analyses reveal that certain nonlocal interactions can alleviate the discrepancy between local and early-universe determinations of the Hubble constant, while nonlocal couplings in a teleparallel formalism lead to alternative expansion histories. Despite challenges in selecting physically motivated kernels and confronting solar-system bounds, nonlocal gravity remains a vibrant area wherein theoretical innovation meets observational tests, offering a potential resolution to long-standing cosmological puzzles.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Nonlocal Gravity Theories in Cosmological Contexts publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in nonlocal gravity theories in cosmological contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Nonlocal gravity: A class of theories in which the gravitational action includes integral operators over extended spacetime regions, producing scale-dependent modifications to general relativity.
Teleparallelism: A reformulation of gravity that uses torsion in a flat connection rather than curvature, often employed to cast nonlocal models into a local framework.
Hubble tension: The persistent discrepancy between measurements of the present-day expansion rate of the universe derived from local distance indicators and early-universe observations.
FLRW metric: The Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker solution describing a homogeneous and isotropic universe, serving as the backbone of modern cosmological modelling.
Cosmological perturbations: Small deviations from the homogeneous background universe used to study the growth of structure and anisotropies in cosmic observables.
References
- Local Limit of Nonlocal Gravity: Cosmological Perturbations. The Astrophysical Journal (2024).
- Local limit of non-local gravity: a teleparallel extension of general relativity. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2024).
- A cosmic glitch in gravity. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (2024).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.