Investigations of f(R)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$f(R)$$\end{document}-gravity counterparts of the general relativistic shear-free conjecture by illustrative examples

By adopting a metric based approach and making use of f(R)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$f(R)$$\end{document}-gravity extended tetrad equations, we have considered three spatially homogeneous metrics in order to investigate the existence of simultaneously rotating and expanding solutions of the f(R)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$f(R)$$\end{document}-gravity field equations with shear-free perfect fluids as sources. We have shown that the Gödel type expanding universe, as well as a rotating Bianchi-type II spacetime allow no such solutions of the field equations of this modified gravity. On the other hand, we have found that there exist two types of f(R)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$f(R)$$\end{document} models in which a shear-free Bianchi-type IX universe can expand and rotate at the same time. The matter content of this universe is described by a perfect fluid having positive or negative pressure, depending on the type of f(R)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$f(R)$$\end{document} model and on the cosmological constant; in the particular case of a vanishing cosmological constant we have found that the universe is filled with a pure radiation. Whatsoever the cases, the universe exhibits always coasting anisotropic expansions along three spatial directions evolving like a flat Milne universe, and has a vorticity inversely proportional to cosmic time. A further result is that, due to the nonvanishing of the gravito-magnetic part of the Weyl tensor, this model allows for gravitational waves. Our solution constitutes one more example giving support to that in f(R)\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$f(R)$$\end{document}-gravity there is no counterpart of the general relativistic shear-free conjecture.