Realistic compactification in spatially flat vacuum cosmological models in cubic Lovelock gravity. Low-dimensional case

In this paper we begin to perform systematic investigation of all possible regimes in spatially flat vacuum cosmological models in cubic Lovelock gravity. We consider the spatial section to be a product of three- and extra-dimensional isotropic subspaces, with the former considered to be our Universe. As the equations of motion are different for D = 3, 4, 5 and general D ≥ 6 cases, we considered them all separately. Due to the quite large amount different subcases, in the current paper we consider only D = 3, 4 cases. For each D case we found values for α (Gauss-Bonnet coupling) and β (cubic Lovelock coupling) which separate different dynamical cases, all isotropic and anisotropic exponential solutions, and study the dynamics in each region to find all possible regimes for all possible initial conditions and any values of α and β. The results suggest that in both D cases the regimes with realistic compactification originate from so-called ''generalized Taub'' solution. The endpoint of the compactification regimes is either anisotropic exponential (for α > 0, μ ≡ β/α² < μ₁ (including entire β < 0)) or standard low-energy Kasner regime (for α > 0, μ > μ₁); as it is compactification regime, both endpoints have expanding three and contracting extra dimensions. There are two unexpected observations among the results - all realistic compactification regimes exist only for α > 0 and there is no smooth transition between high-energy and low-energy Kasner regimes, the latter with realistic compactification. (orig.)