Thick DGP braneworlds

Abstract

We study Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati braneworlds with finite thickness. In respect to standard (thin) DGP Friedmann equation, finite thickness of the brane causes a subtle modification of the cosmological equations that can lead to significant physical consequences. The resulting cosmology is governed by two length scales which are associated with the brane thickness and with the crossover length respectively. In this setup both early inflation and late-time acceleration of the expansion are a consequence of the 5D geometry. At early times, as well as at late times, 5D effects become dominant (gravity leaks into the extra dimension), while, at intermediate times, gravity is effectively 4D due to non-trivial physics occuring in standard (thin) DGP scenarios.