Geodesically complete BTZ-type solutions of $2+1$ Born-Infeld gravity

Abstract

We study Born-Infeld gravity coupled to a static, nonrotating electric field in $2+1$ dimensions and find exact analytical solutions. Two families of such solutions represent geodesically complete, and hence nonsingular, spacetimes. Another family represents a point-like charge with a singularity at the center. Despite the absence of rotation, these solutions resemble the charged, rotating BTZ solution of General Relativity but with a richer structure in terms of horizons. The nonsingular character of the first two families turn out to be attached to the emergence of a wormhole structure on their innermost region. This seems to be a generic prediction of extensions of General Relativity formulated in metric-affine (or Palatini) spaces, where metric and connection are regarded as independent degrees of freedom.