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Register a new userCosmological tests of an axiverse-inspired quintessence field
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Inspired by the string axiverse idea, it has been suggested that the recent transition from decelerated to accelerated cosmic expansion is driven by an axion-like quintessence field with a sub-Planckian decay constant. The scenario requires that the axion field be rather near the maximum of its potential, but is less finely tuned than other explanations of cosmic acceleration. The model is parametrized by an axion decay constant $f$, the axion mass $m$, and an initial misalignment angle $|theta_i|$ which is close to $pi$. In order to determine the $m$ and $theta_{i}$ values consistent with observations, these parameters are mapped onto observables: the Hubble parameter $H(z)$ at and angular diameter distance $d_{A}(z)$ to redshift $z= 0.57$, as well as the angular sound horizon of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Measurements of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) scale at $zsimeq 0.57$ by the BOSS survey and Planck measurements of CMB temperature anisotropies are then used to probe the $left{m,f,theta_iright}$ parameter space. With current data, CMB constraints are the most powerful, allowing a fraction of only $sim 0.2$ of the parameter-space volume. Measurements of the BAO scale made using the SPHEREx or SKA experiments could go further, observationally distinguishing all but $sim 10^{-2}$ or $sim 10^{-5}$ of the parameter-space volume (allowed by simple priors) from the $Lambda$CDM model.
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We investigate the cosmological observational test of the extended quintessence model, i.e. a scalar-tensor gravity model with a scalar field potential serving as dark energy, by using the Planck 2018 cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, together with the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and redshift-space distortion (RSD) data. As an example, we consider the model with a Brans-Dicke kinetic term $frac{omega(phi)}{phi} phi_{;mu} phi^{;mu} $ and a quadratic scalar potential $V (phi) = A + B (phi - phi_0) + frac{C}{2} (phi - phi_0)^2$, which reduces to general relativity (GR) in the limit $omega(phi) to infty$, and the cosmological constant in the limit $B=C=0$. In such a model the scalar field typically rolls down the potential and oscillates around the minimum of $V (phi)$. We find that the model parameter estimate for the CMB+BAO+RSD data set is given by $lg alpha = -3.6 _{-0.54}^{+0.66}~ (68%)$, corresponding to $ 3.8 times 10^5 < omega_0 < 9.5 times 10^7~ (68%)$, and $lg C = 4.9 pm 1.4~ (68%) $. However, the GR $Lambda$CDM model can fit the data almost as good as this extended quintessence model, and is favored by the Akaike information criterion (AIC). The variation of the gravitational constant since the epoch of Recombination is constrained to be $0.97 < G_{rm rec}/G_0 < 1.03~ (1 sigma)$. In light of recent report that the CMB data favors a closed universe, we consider the case with non-flat geometry in our fit, and find that the mean value of $Omega_k$ shifts a little bit from $-0.049$ to $-0.036$, and the parameters in our model are not degenerate with $Omega_k$.
We investigate the observational effects of a quintessence model in an anisotropic spacetime. The anisotropic metric is a non-rotating particular case of a generalized Godels metric and is classified as Bianchi III. This metric is an exact solution of the Einstein-Klein-Gordon field equations with an anisotropic scalar field, which is responsible for the anisotropy of the spacetime geometry. We test the model against observations of type Ia supernovae, analyzing the SDSS dataset calibrated with the MLCS2k2 fitter, and the results are compared to standard quintessence models with Ratra-Peebles potentials. We obtain a good agreement with observations, with best values for the matter and curvature density parameters $Omega_M = 0.29$ and $Omega_k= 0.01$ respectively. We conclude that present SNe Ia observations cannot, alone, distinguish a possible anisotropic axis in the cosmos.
We investigate the impact of general conditions of theoretical stability and cosmological viability on dynamical dark energy models. As a powerful example, we study whether minimally coupled, single field Quintessence models that are safe from ghost instabilities, can source the CPL expansion history recently shown to be mildly favored by a combination of CMB (Planck) and Weak Lensing (KiDS) data. We find that in their most conservative form, the theoretical conditions impact the analysis in such a way that smooth single field Quintessence becomes significantly disfavored with respect to the standard LCDM cosmological model. This is due to the fact that these conditions cut a significant portion of the (w0;wa) parameter space for CPL, in particular eliminating the region that would be favored by weak lensing data. Within the scenario of a smooth dynamical dark energy parametrized with CPL, weak lensing data favors a region that would require multiple fields to ensure gravitational stability.
Modifications of general relativity provide an alternative explanation to dark energy for the observed acceleration of the universe. We review recent developments in modified gravity theories, focusing on higher dimensional approaches and chameleon/f(R) theories. We classify these models in terms of the screening mechanisms that enable such theories to approach general relativity on small scales (and thus satisfy solar system constraints). We describe general features of the modified Friedman equation in such theories. The second half of this review describes experimental tests of gravity in light of the new theoretical approaches. We summarize the high precision tests of gravity on laboratory and solar system scales. We describe in some detail tests on astrophysical scales ranging from ~kpc (galaxy scales) to ~Gpc (large-scale structure). These tests rely on the growth and inter-relationship of perturbations in the metric potentials, density and velocity fields which can be measured using gravitational lensing, galaxy cluster abundances, galaxy clustering and the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect. A robust way to interpret observations is by constraining effective parameters, such as the ratio of the two metric potentials. Currently tests of gravity on astrophysical scales are in the early stages --- we summarize these tests and discuss the interesting prospects for new tests in the coming decade.
Modifications to gravity can provide attractive alternatives to the dark components of the standard model of cosmology. These modifications to general relativity (GR) must be hidden at small scales where theory is well tested, and so one naturally looks to the large scales in order to detect any deviations from GR. One particularly promising avenue in testing gravity at cosmological scales is within the anisotropy of galaxy clustering in redshift space. This thesis presents a framework for consistently constructing large scale structure observables in redshift space for gravitational theories that include an additional scalar degree of freedom, specifically, the Horndeski class of theories with a generalized potential term. The relevance of such a framework in the context of next generation spectroscopic surveys is then investigated using N-body simulations. The thesis concludes with ongoing and recently completed extensions to this framework, including interacting dark energy models and the effective field theory of large scale structure.
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