This article gives a comprehensive review on thick brane solutions and related topics. Such models have attracted much attention from many aspects since the birth of the brane world scenario. In many works, it has been usually assumed that a brane is an infinitely thin object; however in more general situations, one can no longer assume this. It is also widely considered that more fundamental theories such as string theory would have a minimal length scale. Many multidimensional field theories coupled to gravitation have exact solutions of gravitating topological defects, which can represent our brane world. The inclusion of brane thickness can realize a variety of possible brane world models. Given our understanding, the known solutions can be classified into topologically non-trivial solutions and trivial ones. The former class contains solutions of a single scalar (domain walls), multi-scalar, gauge-Higgs (vortices), Weyl gravity and so on. As an example of the latter class, we consider solutions of two interacting scalar fields. Approaches to obtain cosmological equations in the thick brane world are reviewed. Solutions with spatially extended branes (S-branes) and those with an extra time-like direction are also discussed.

It is shown that the 4D Einstein-Klein-Gordon equations with a phantom scalar field (a scalar field with a negative sign in front of the kinetic energy term of its Lagrange density) has non-singular, spherically symmetry solutions. These solutions have a combination of features found in other spherically symmetric gravity plus field solutions. A stability analysis on these solutions indicates they are unstable.

It is shown that if a metric in quantum gravity can be decomposed as a sum of classical and quantum parts, then Einstein quantum gravity looks approximately like modified gravity with a nonminimal interaction between gravity and matter.

We consider static neutron stars within the framework of $R^2$ gravity. The neutron fluid is described by three different types of realistic equations of state (soft, moderately stiff, and stiff). Using the observational data on the neutron star mass-radius relation, it is demonstrated that the characteristics of the objects supported by the isotropic fluid agree with the observations only if one uses the soft equation of state. We show that the inclusion of the fluid anisotropy enables one also to employ more stiff equations of state to model configurations that will satisfy the observational constraints sufficiently. Also, using the standard thin accretion disk model, we demonstrate potentially observable differences, which allow us to distinguish the neutron stars constructed within the modified gravity framework from those described in Einstein’s general relativity.

A thick brane in six dimensions is constructed using two scalar fields. The field equations for 6D gravity plus the scalar fields are solved numerically. This thick brane solution shares some features with previously studied analytic solutions, but has the advantage that the energy-momentum tensor which forms the thick brane comes from the scalar fields rather than being put in by hand. Additionally the scalar fields which form the brane also provide a universal, nongravitational trapping mechanism for test fields of various spins.