NEC violation in $f(\bar{R},\bar{T})$ gravity in the context of a non-canonical theory via modified Raychaudhuri equation

Abstract: In this work, we develop the Raychaudhuri equation in $f(\bar{R},\bar{T})$ gravity in the setting of a non-canonical theory, namely K-essence theory. We solve the modified Raychaudhuri equation for the additive form of $f(\bar{R},\bar{T})$, which is $f_{1}(\bar{R})+f_{2}(\bar{T})$. For this solution, we employ two different scale factors to give two types of $f(\bar{R},\bar{T})$ solutions. The ongoing debate between Fisher et. al. and Harko et. al. in 2020 regarding the additive form of $f(\bar{R},\bar{T})$ may provide a resolution within the modified $f(\bar{R},\bar{T})$ gravity theory. By conducting a viability test and analyzing energy conditions, we have determined that in the first scenario, the null energy condition (NEC) is violated between two regions where the NEC is satisfied. Additionally, we have observed that this violation of the NEC exhibits a symmetric property during the phase transition. These observations indicate that bouncing events may occur as a result of the symmetrical violation of the NEC during the expansion of the universe. Moreover, this model indicates that resonant-type quantum tunneling may take place during the period when the NEC is violated. The findings of NEC violation through the power law of scale factor may have empirical relevance in contemporary observations. In the second scenario, our model indicates that the strong energy condition is violated, but the NEC and weak energy conditions are satisfied. The effective energy density decreases and is positive, while the effective pressure and equation of state parameters are negative. This suggests that the universe is expanding with acceleration and is dominated by dark energy.