No Arabic abstract
We provide a systematic and updated discussion of a research line carried out by our group over the last few years, in which gravity is modified at cosmological distances by the introduction of nonlocal terms, assumed to emerge at an effective level from the infrared behavior of the quantum theory. The requirement of producing a viable cosmology turns out to be very stringent and basically selects a unique model, in which the nonlocal term describes an effective mass for the conformal mode. We discuss how such a specific structure could emerge from a fundamental local theory of gravity, and we perform a detailed comparison of this model with the most recent cosmological datasets, confirming that it fits current data at the same level as $Lambda$CDM. Most notably, the model has striking predictions in the sector of tensor perturbations, leading to a very large effect in the propagation of gravitational wave (GWs) over cosmological distances. At the redshifts relevant for the next generation of GW detectors such as Einstein Telescope, Cosmic Explorer and LISA, this leads to deviations from GR that could be as large as $80%$, and could be verified with the detection of just a single coalescing binary with electromagnetic counterpart. This would also have potentially important consequences for the search of the counterpart since, for a given luminosity distance to the source, as inferred through the GW signal, the actual source redshift could be significantly different from that predicted by $Lambda$CDM. At the redshifts relevant for advanced LIGO/Virgo/Kagra the effect is smaller, but still potentially observable over a few years of runs at target sensitivity.
Nonlocal models of cosmology might derive from graviton loop corrections to the effective field equations from the epoch of primordial inflation. Although the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism would automatically produce causal and conserved effective field equations, the models so far proposed have been purely phenomenological. Two techniques have been employed to generate causal and conserved field equations: either varying an invariant nonlocal effective action and then enforcing causality by the ad hoc replacement of any advanced Greens function with its retarded counterpart, or else introducing causal nonlocality into a general ansatz for the field equations and then enforcing conservation. We point out here that the two techniques access very different classes of models, and that neither one of them may represent what would actually arise from fundamental theory.
We develop an approach to compute observables beyond the linear regime of dark matter perturbations for general dark energy and modified gravity models. We do so by combining the Effective Field Theory of Dark Energy and Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure approaches. In particular, we parametrize the linear and nonlinear effects of dark energy on dark matter clustering in terms of the Lagrangian terms introduced in a companion paper, focusing on Horndeski theories and assuming the quasi-static approximation. The Euler equation for dark matter is sourced, via the Newtonian potential, by new nonlinear vertices due to modified gravity and, as in the pure dark matter case, by the effects of short-scale physics in the form of the divergence of an effective stress tensor. The effective fluid introduces a counterterm in the solution to the matter continuity and Euler equations, which allows a controlled expansion of clustering statistics on mildly nonlinear scales. We use this setup to compute the one-loop dark-matter power spectrum.
Cosmological tensions can arise within $Lambda$CDM scenario amongst different observational windows, which may indicate new physics beyond the standard paradigm if confirmed by measurements. In this article, we report how to alleviate both the $H_0$ and $sigma_8$ tensions simultaneously within torsional gravity from the perspective of effective field theory (EFT). Following these observations, we construct concrete models of Lagrangians of torsional gravity. Specifically, we consider the parametrization $f(T)=-T-2Lambda/M_P^2+alpha T^beta$, where two out of the three parameters are independent. This model can efficiently fit observations solving the two tensions. To our knowledge, this is the first time where a modified gravity theory can alleviate both $H_0$ and $sigma_8$ tensions simultaneously, hence, offering an additional argument in favor of gravitational modification.
It is shown that a disformally coupled theory in which the gravitational sector has the Einstein-Hilbert form is equivalent to a quartic DBI Galileon Lagrangian, possessing non-linear higher derivative interactions, and hence allowing for the Vainshtein effect. This Einstein Frame description considerably simplifies the dynamical equations and highlights the role of the different terms. The study of highly dense, non-relativistic environments within this description unravels the existence of a disformal screening mechanism, while the study of static vacuum configurations reveals the existence of a Vainshtein radius, at which the asymptotic solution breaks down. Disformal couplings to matter also allow the construction of Dark Energy models, which behave differently than conformally coupled ones and introduce new effects on the growth of Large Scale Structure over cosmological scales, on which the scalar force is not screened. We consider a simple Disformally Coupled Dark Matter model in detail, in which standard model particles follow geodesics of the gravitational metric and only Dark Matter is affected by the disformal scalar field. This particular model is not compatible with observations in the linearly perturbed regime. Nonetheless, disformally coupled theories offer enough freedom to construct realistic cosmological scenarios, which can be distinguished from the standard model through characteristic signatures.
Modified gravity has garnered interest as a backstop against dark matter and dark energy (DE). As one possible modification, the graviton can become massive, which introduces a new scalar field - here with a Galileon-type symmetry. The field can lead to a nontrivial equation of state (EOS) of DE which is density-and-scale-dependent. Tension between Type Ia supernovae and Planck could be reduced. In voids the scalar field dramatically alters the EOS of DE, induces a soon-observable gravitational slip between the two metric potentials, and develops a topological defect (domain wall) due to a nontrivial vacuum structure for the field.