In general, to avoid a singularity in cosmological models involves the introduction of exotic kind of matter fields, for example, a scalar field with negative energy density. In order to have a bouncing solution in classical General Relativity, violation of the energy conditions is required. In this work, we discuss a case of the bouncing solution in the Brans-Dicke theory with radiative fluid that obeys the energy conditions, and with no ghosts.

In this paper, we discuss classical and quantum aspects of cosmological models in the Brans–Dicke theory. First, we review cosmological bounce solutions in the Brans–Dicke theory that obeys energy conditions (without ghost) for a universe filled with radiative fluid. Then, we quantize this classical model in a canonical way, establishing the corresponding Wheeler–DeWitt equation in the minisuperspace, and analyze the quantum solutions. When the energy conditions are violated, corresponding to the case ω<−32, the energy is bounded from below and singularity-free solutions are found. However, in the case ω>−32, we cannot compute the evolution of the scale factor by evaluating the expectation values because the wave function is not finite (energy spectrum is not bounded from below). However, we can analyze this case using Bohmian mechanics and the de Broglie–Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics. Using this approach, the classical and quantum results can be compared for any value of ω.

Generally the Brans-Dicke theory reduces to General Relativity in the limit ω → ∞ if the scalar field goes as φ ∝ 1/ω. However, it is also known that there are examples with φ ∝ 1/ √ ω that does not tend to GR. We discuss another case: a homogeneous and isotropic universe filled with stiff matter. The power of time dependence of these solutions do not depend on ω, and there is no General Relativity limit even though we have φ ∝ 1/ω. A perturbative and a dynamical system analysis of this exotic case are carried out. *

We consider different scenarios of the evolution of the Universe, where the singularities or some nonanalyticities in the geometry of the spacetime are present, trying to answer the following question: is it possible to conserve some kind of notion of particle corresponding to a chosen quantum field present in the universe when the latter approaches the singularity? We study scalar fields with different types of Lagrangians, writing down the second-order differential equations for the linear perturbations of these fields in the vicinity of a singularity. If both independent solutions are regular, we construct the vacuum state for quantum particles as a Gaussian function of the corresponding variable. If at least one of two independent solutions has a singular asymptotic behavior, then we cannot define the creation and the annihilation operators and construct the vacuum. This means that the very notion of particle loses sense. We show that at the approaching to the big rip singularity, particles corresponding to the phantom scalar field driving the evolution of the universe must vanish, while particles of other fields still can be defined. In the case of the model of the universe described by the tachyon field with a special trigonometric potential, where the big brake singularity occurs, we see that the (pseudo) tachyon particles do not pass through this singularity. Adding to this model some quantity of dust, we slightly change the characteristics of this singularity and tachyon particles survive. Finally, we consider a model with the scalar field with the cusped potential, where the phantom divide line crossing occurs. Here the particles are well defined in the vicinity of this crossing point.