Thermodynamics of $f(R)$ Theories of Gravity

Abstract

This paper starts from a toy model for inflation in a class of modified theories of gravity in the metric formalism. Instead of the standard procedure -- assuming a non-linear Lagrangian $f(R)$ in the Jordan frame -- we start from a simple $\phi^2$ potential in the Einstein frame and investigate the corresponding $f(R)$ in the former picture. The addition of an ad-hoc Cosmological Constant in the Einstein frame leads to a Thermodynamical interpretation of this physical system, which allows further insight on its (meta)stability and evolution.