Semi-symmetric metric gravity: From the Friedmann–Schouten geometry with torsion to dynamical dark energy models

In this paper, we develop a geometric generalization of General Relativity based on the semi-symmetric metric connection introduced by Friedmann and Schouten in 1924. Although the mathematical properties of this connection, which allows for torsion, have been extensively studied, its physical implications remain underexplored. We provide a detailed exposition of the differential geometric aspects of semi-symmetric connections and formulate the corresponding field equations induced by the specific form of torsion we are investigating. We consider the cosmological applications of the theory by deriving the generalized Friedmann equations in a flat, homogeneous and isotropic geometry. The Friedmann equations also include some supplementary terms as compared to their general relativistic counterparts, which can be interpreted as a geometric type dark energy. To evaluate the proposed theory, we consider three cosmological models — the first with constant effective density and pressure, the second with the dark energy satisfying a linear equation of state, and a third one with a polytropic equation of state. We also compare the predictions of the semi-symmetric metric gravitational theory with the observational data for the Hubble function, and with the predictions of the $\Lambda$CDM model. Our findings indicate that the semi-symmetric metric cosmological models give a good description of the observational data, and for certain values of the model parameters, they can reproduce almost exactly the predictions of the $\Lambda$CDM paradigm. Consequently, Friedmann’s initially proposed geometry emerges as a credible alternative to standard general relativity, in which dark energy has a purely geometric origin.