In this paper we investigate the cosmological effects of modified gravity with string curvature corrections added to the Einstein-Hilbert action in the presence of a dynamically evolving scalar field coupled to Riemann invariants. The scenario exhibits several features of cosmological interest for the late universe. We show that higher-order stringy corrections can lead to a class of dark energy models consistent with recent observations. The models can give rise to quintessence without recourse to a scalar field potential. The detailed treatment of the reconstruction program for general scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity is presented for any given cosmology. The explicit examples of reconstructed scalar potentials are given for an accelerated (quintessence, cosmological constant, or phantom) universe. Finally, the relation with modified $F(G)$ gravity is established at the classical level and is extended to include third order terms on the curvature.

• Received 3 May 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.74.046004