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MacDowell-Mansouri σ-model

Egor Pluzhnikov*

Stanislav Alexeyev†

  • *Contact author: ea.pluzhnikov@outlook.com
  • †Contact author: alexeyevso@my.msu.ru
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 104037 – Published 10 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/h735-611y

Abstract

Standard pregeometric mechanisms reproduce the ΛCDM model but lack a natural source for inflation. We propose a mechanism for the emergence of scalar-coupled topological terms by extending the Lie algebra of a MacDowell-Mansouri model to a Lie algebroid. These terms are commonly regarded as a source for cosmological inflation in effective string actions. With an additional constraint on torsion imposed, the theory reduces to a scalar-tensor theory belonging to the Horndeski class, and reproduces inflationary dynamics that meet existing constraints (Planck/BICEP/Keck and GW170817).

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 104037– Published 10 November, 2026
  • Received 13 July 2026
  • Accepted 16 October 2026
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