Generalized Perturbations in Modified Gravity and Dark Energy
Generalized Perturbations in Modified Gravity and Dark Energy

Author: Jonathan Pearson

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-09-20

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 331901210X

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When predictions of Einstein's theory of General Relativity are compared against observations of our Universe, a huge inconsistency is found. The most popular fix for this inconsistency is to "invent" around 94% of the content of the universe: dark matter and dark energy. The dark energy is some exotic substance responsible for the apparent observed acceleration of the Universe. Another fix is to modify the theory of gravity: it is entirely plausible that Einstein's theory of General Relativity breaks down on cosmological scales, just as Newton's theory of gravity breaks down in the extreme gravitational field of the Sun. There are many alternative theories of gravity, each with the aim of describing observations of our Universe where General Relativity fails. Whether it is dark energy or some modified theory of gravity, it is clear that there is some "dark sector" in the Universe. In this thesis the author constructs a unifying framework for understanding the observational impact of general classes of dark sector theories, by formulating equations of state for the dark sector perturbations.

Generalized Perturbations in Modified Gravity and Dark Energy
Generalized Perturbations in Modified Gravity and Dark Energy

Author: Jonathan Andrew Pearson

Publisher:

Published: 2013-10-31

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 9783319012117

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When recent observational data and the GR+FRW+CDM model are combined we obtain the result that the Universe is accelerating, where the acceleration is due to some not-yet-understood "dark sector". There has been a considerable number of theoretical models constructed in an attempt to provide a description of the dark sector: dark energy and modified gravity theories. The proliferation of modified gravity and dark energy models has brought to light the need to construct a "generic" way to parameterize perturbations in the dark sector. In this thesis we discuss our new way of approaching this problem. We write down an effective action for linearized perturbations to the gravitational field equations for a given field content and use it to compute generalized gravitational field equations for linearized perturbations. Our approach is inspired by that taken in particle physics, where the most general modifications to the standard model are written down for a given field content that is compatible with some assumed symmetry (which we take to be isotropy of the background spatial sections). After applying the formalism we obtain equations of state for dark sector perturbations, where the number of free parameters for wide classes of theories are identified.

Dark Energy and the Formation of the Large Scale Structure of the Universe
Dark Energy and the Formation of the Large Scale Structure of the Universe

Author: Jérôme Gleyzes

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-06-28

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 3319412108

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This thesis presents several significant new results that shed light on two major puzzles of modern cosmology: the nature of inflation, the very early phase of the universe that is thought to have given rise to the large-scale structures that we observe today; and that of the current accelerated expansion. In particular, it develops a clean method for characterizing linear cosmological perturbations for general theories where gravity is modified and/or affected by a new component, called dark energy, responsible for the accelerated expansion. It proposes a new extension to what were long thought to be the most general scalar field theories devoid of instabilities, and demonstrates the robustness of the relation between the energy scale of inflation and the predicted amplitude of gravitational waves. Finally, it consolidates a set of consistency relations between correlation functions of the cosmological density field and investigates the phenomenological consequences of their potential violation. Presented in a clear, succinct and rigorous style, each of these original results is both profound and important and will leave a deep mark on the field.

Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Dark Matter and Dark Energy

Author: Sabino Matarrese

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-02-10

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 9048186854

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This book brings together reviews from leading international authorities on the developments in the study of dark matter and dark energy, as seen from both their cosmological and particle physics side. Studying the physical and astrophysical properties of the dark components of our Universe is a crucial step towards the ultimate goal of unveiling their nature. The work developed from a doctoral school sponsored by the Italian Society of General Relativity and Gravitation. The book starts with a concise introduction to the standard cosmological model, as well as with a presentation of the theory of linear perturbations around a homogeneous and isotropic background. It covers the particle physics and cosmological aspects of dark matter and (dynamical) dark energy, including a discussion of how modified theories of gravity could provide a possible candidate for dark energy. A detailed presentation is also given of the possible ways of testing the theory in terms of cosmic microwave background, galaxy redshift surveys and weak gravitational lensing observations. Included is a chapter reviewing extensively the direct and indirect methods of detection of the hypothetical dark matter particles. Also included is a self-contained introduction to the techniques and most important results of numerical (e.g. N-body) simulations in cosmology. " This volume will be useful to researchers, PhD and graduate students in Astrophysics, Cosmology Physics and Mathematics, who are interested in cosmology, dark matter and dark energy.

Modifications of Einstein's Theory of Gravity at Large Distances
Modifications of Einstein's Theory of Gravity at Large Distances

Author: Eleftherios Papantonopoulos

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-11-04

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 331910070X

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In the last few years modified gravity theories have been proposed as extensions of Einstein's theory of gravity. Their main motivation is to explain the latest cosmological and astrophysical data on dark energy and dark matter. The study of general relativity at small scales has already produced important results (cf e.g. LNP 863 Quantum Gravity and Quantum Cosmology) while its study at large scales is challenging because recent and upcoming observational results will provide important information on the validity of these modified theories. In this volume, various aspects of modified gravity at large scales will be discussed: high-curvature gravity theories; general scalar-tensor theories; Galileon theories and their cosmological applications; F(R) gravity theories; massive, new massive and topologically massive gravity; Chern-Simons modifications of general relativity (including holographic variants) and higher-spin gravity theories, to name but a few of the most important recent developments. Edited and authored by leading researchers in the field and cast into the form of a multi-author textbook at postgraduate level, this volume will be of benefit to all postgraduate students and newcomers from neighboring disciplines wishing to find a comprehensive guide for their future research.

Gravitational Theories Beyond General Relativity
Gravitational Theories Beyond General Relativity

Author: Iberê Kuntz

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-05-21

Total Pages: 88

ISBN-13: 3030211975

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Despite the success of general relativity in explaining classical gravitational phenomena, several problems at the interface between gravitation and high energy physics still remain open. The purpose of this thesis is to explore quantum gravity and its phenomenological consequences for dark matter, gravitational waves and inflation. A new formalism to classify gravitational theories based on their degrees of freedom is introduced and, in light of this classification, it is argued that dark matter is no different from modified gravity. Gravitational waves are shown to be damped due to quantum degrees of freedom. The consequences for gravitational wave events are also discussed. The non-minimal coupling of the Higgs boson to gravity is studied in connection with Starobinsky inflation and its implications for the vacuum instability problem is analyzed.

Modified Gravity as Dark Energy
Modified Gravity as Dark Energy

Author: Ignacy Sawicki

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 9780549165637

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For DGP, we develop a scaling approximation for the behaviour of perturbations off the brane, for which the predicted integrated Sachs-Wolf ("ISW") effect is much stronger than observed, requiring new physics at around horizon scale to bring it into agreement with data. We develop a test based on cross-correlating galaxies and the ISW effect which is independent of the initial power spectrum for perturbations and is a smoking-gun test for DGP gravity.

Modified Gravity: Progresses And Outlook Of Theories, Numerical Techniques And Observational Tests
Modified Gravity: Progresses And Outlook Of Theories, Numerical Techniques And Observational Tests

Author: Baojiu Li

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2019-10-10

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9813274018

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Modified gravity theories have been a main focus of theoretical cosmology research in the past decade or so, and have been quickly developing into a mature research field that attracts attention, interest and effort from both theoretical and observational cosmologists. To be prepared for fully exploiting the future observational data, and to provide a guidance for people who are new to this field, it is useful to have a comprehensive review to summarise the current state of knowledge and to foresee the future developments.This book presents expert reviews on different topics in the field, which are then coordinated and organised in a self-consistent and self-contained manner. It is suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in the frontier research of gravity theories.

Dark Energy
Dark Energy

Author: Luca Amendola

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-06-10

Total Pages: 507

ISBN-13: 0521516005

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Introducing the theoretical ideas, observational methods and results in dark energy, this textbook is a thorough introduction to dark energy for graduate courses.

Introduction to Modified Gravity
Introduction to Modified Gravity

Author: Albert Petrov

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-07-27

Total Pages: 77

ISBN-13: 3030528626

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This book reviews various modified gravity models, including those with modifications in the pure gravitational sector; those involving extra fields, that is, scalar-tensor and vector-tensor gravity theories; gravity models with Lorentz symmetry breaking; and nonlocal gravity models. The authors discuss both classical and quantum aspects of these theories. The book is unique in bringing together all the current alternatives to Einstein gravity in one source and serves as an excellent starting point for graduate students and other newcomers seeking an overview.