Wormhole Solutions in Modified Gravity Theories

Traversable wormholes represent hypothetical passages through spacetime, initially conceived within general relativity as requiring unphysical “exotic” matter to satisfy the throat’s flare-out conditions. In recent years, modified gravity frameworks such as curvature-based f(R), matter-coupled f(R,T) or f(R,L,T), and nonmetricity-driven f(Q) theories have been employed to alleviate or entirely avoid the need for energy-condition-violating stress–energy. By introducing higher-order curvature invariants, nonminimal matter couplings or alternative geometric scalars, researchers have derived exact and numerical static spherically symmetric solutions in which ordinary matter can thread the wormhole throat while satisfying weak or null energy conditions in specified regions. Such investigations typically specify a redshift function to control horizon avoidance and a shape function to characterise throat geometry, then analyse equilibrium and stability under linear perturbations. Developments in Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet limits and curvature Yukawa-type corrections further suggest possible observational signatures via gravitational lensing or deviations from Newtonian potentials. This progress broadens the theoretical landscape for wormhole viability and opens avenues for potential astrophysical or cosmological tests.

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Wormhole Solutions in Modified Gravity Theories publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in wormhole solutions in modified gravity theories across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Wormhole: A hypothetical tunnel connecting two distinct regions of spacetime, typically featuring a throat through which matter or information could pass.

Exotic matter: Matter that violates classical energy conditions, possessing negative energy density or pressure sufficient to sustain a wormhole throat.

Energy conditions: Sets of inequalities (null, weak, strong, dominant) imposed on the stress–energy tensor to prohibit unphysical matter distributions in general relativity.

Shape function: A radial function defining the spatial profile of the wormhole throat and controlling its flare-out geometry.

Redshift function: A metric component governing the gravitational redshift; finiteness prevents horizon formation at the wormhole throat.

Nonmetricity scalar (Q): A geometric scalar quantifying deviations from metric compatibility, used in symmetric teleparallel gravity to construct alternative gravitational field equations.

References

1. Wormholes in the f(R,L,T) theory of gravity. Physics Letters B (2024).
2. Static spherically symmetric wormholes in f(R, T) gravity. European Physical Journal C (2016).
3. Wormholes in viable f(R) modified theories of gravity and weak energy condition. European Physical Journal C (2015).
4. Wormhole geometries in f(Q) gravity and the energy conditions. European Physical Journal C (2021).
5. Wormholes in 4D Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity. European Physical Journal C (2020).
6. Reconstructing wormhole solutions in curvature based Extended Theories of Gravity. European Physical Journal C (2021).