Weyl–Eddington–Einstein affine gravity in the context of modern cosmology

We propose new models of the “affine” theory of gravity in multidimensional space–times with symmetric connections. We use and develop ideas of Weyl, Eddington, and Einstein, in particular, Einstein's proposed method for obtaining the geometry using the Hamilton principle. More specifically, the connection coefficients are determined using a “geometric” Lagrangian that is an arbitrary function of the generalized (nonsymmetric) Ricci curvature tensor (and, possibly, other fundamental tensors) expressed in terms of the connection coefficients regarded as independent variables. Such a theory supplements the standard Einstein theory with dark energy (the cosmological constant, in the first approximation), a neutral massive (or tachyonic) meson, and massive (or tachyonic) scalar fields. These fields couple only to gravity and can generate dark matter and/or inflation. The new field masses (real or imaginary) have a geometric origin and must appear in any concrete model. The concrete choice of the Lagrangian determines further details of the theory, for example, the nature of the fields that can describe massive particles, tachyons, or even “phantoms”. In “natural" geometric theories, dark energy must also arise. The basic parameters of the theory (cosmological constant, mass, possible dimensionless constants) are theoretically indeterminate, but in the framework of modern "multiverse” ideas, this is more a virtue than a defect. We consider further extensions of the affine models and in more detail discuss approximate effective (“physical”) Lagrangians that can be applied to the cosmology of the early Universe.