Eur. Phys. J. C (2012) 72: 1908
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-012-1908-2

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Running coupling in electroweak interactions of leptons from f(R)-gravity with torsion

¹ Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Compl. Univ. di Monte S. Angelo, Edificio G, Via Cinthia, 80126, Napoli, Italy
² INFN Sez. di Napoli, Compl. Univ. di Monte S. Angelo, Edificio G, Via Cinthia, 80126, Napoli, Italy
³ DIPTEM Sez. Metodi e Modelli Matematici, Università di Genova, Piazzale Kennedy, Pad. D, 16129, Genova, Italy
⁴ INFN Sez. di Bologna, Viale B. Pichat 6/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
⁵ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126, Bologna, Italy

^* e-mail: capozziello@na.infn.it

Received: 27 January 2012
Revised: 13 February 2012
Published online: 24 February 2012

Abstract

The f(R)-gravitational theory with torsion is considered for one family of leptons; it is found that the torsion tensor gives rise to interactions having the structure of the weak forces, while the intrinsic non-linearity of the f(R) function provides an energy-dependent coupling: in this way, torsional f(R) gravity naturally generates both structure and strength of the electroweak interactions among leptons. This implies that the weak interactions among the lepton fields could be addressed as a geometric effect due to the interactions among spinors induced by the presence of torsion in the most general f(R) gravity. Phenomenological considerations are given.