Using Noether symmetries to specify f(R) gravity

Abstract

A detailed study of the modified gravity, f(R) models is performed, using that the Noether point symmetries of these models are geometric symmetries of the mini superspace of the theory. It is shown that the requirement that the field equations admit Noether point symmetries selects definite models in a self-consistent way. As an application in Cosmology we consider the Friedman -Robertson-Walker spacetime and show that the only cosmological model which is integrable via Noether point symmetries is the $(R^{b}-2\Lambda) ^{c}$ model, which generalizes the Lambda Cosmology. Furthermore using the corresponding Noether integrals we compute the analytic form of the main cosmological functions.