ترغب بنشر مسار تعليمي؟ اضغط هنا

Astrophysical Tests of Modified Gravity: the Morphology and Kinematics of Dwarf Galaxies

195   0   0.0 ( 0 )
 نشر من قبل Bhuvnesh Jain
 تاريخ النشر 2013
  مجال البحث فيزياء
والبحث باللغة English




اسأل ChatGPT حول البحث

This paper is the third in a series on tests of gravity using observations of stars and nearby dwarf galaxies. We carry out four distinct tests using published data on the kinematics and morphology of dwarf galaxies, motivated by the theoretical work of Hui et al. (2009) and Jain and Vanderplas (2011). In a wide class of gravity theories a scalar field couples to matter and provides an attractive fifth force. Due to their different self-gravity, stars and gas may respond differently to the scalar force leading to several observable deviations from standard gravity. HI gas, red giant stars and main sequence stars can be displaced relative to each other, and the stellar disk can display warps or asymmetric rotation curves aligned with external potential gradients. To distinguish the effects of modified gravity from standard astrophysical phenomena, we use a control sample of galaxies that are expected to be screened from the fifth force. In all cases we find no significant deviation from the null hypothesis of general relativity. The limits obtained from dwarf galaxies are not yet competitive with the limits from cepheids obtained in our first paper, but can be improved to probe regions of parameter space that are inaccessible using other tests. We discuss how our methodology can be applied to new radio and optical observations of nearby galaxies.



قيم البحث

اقرأ أيضاً

Chameleon theories of gravity predict that the gaseous component of isolated dwarf galaxies rotates with a faster velocity than the stellar component. In this paper, we exploit this effect to obtain new constraints on the model parameters using the m easured rotation curves of six low surface brightness galaxies. For $f(R)$ theories, we rule out values of $f_{R0}>10^{-6}$. For more general theories, we find that the constraints from Cepheid variable stars are currently more competitive than the bounds we obtain here but we are able to rule out self-screening parameters $chi_c>10^{-6}$ for fifth-force strengths (coupling of the scalar to matter) as low as $0.05$ the Newtonian force. This region of parameter space has hitherto been inaccessible to astrophysical probes. We discuss the future prospects for improving these bounds.
In modified gravity theories that seek to explain cosmic acceleration, dwarf galaxies in low density environments can be subject to enhanced forces. The class of scalar-tensor theories, which includes f(R) gravity, predict such a force enhancement (m assive galaxies like the Milky Way can evade it through a screening mechanism that protects the interior of the galaxy from this fifth force). We study observable deviations from GR in the disks of late-type dwarf galaxies moving under gravity. The fifth-force acts on the dark matter and HI gas disk, but not on the stellar disk owing to the self-screening of main sequence stars. We find four distinct observable effects in such disk galaxies: 1. A displacement of the stellar disk from the HI disk. 2. Warping of the stellar disk along the direction of the external force. 3. Enhancement of the rotation curve measured from the HI gas compared to that of the stellar disk. 4. Asymmetry in the rotation curve of the stellar disk. We estimate that the spatial effects can be up to 1 kpc and the rotation velocity effects about 10 km/s in infalling dwarf galaxies. Such deviations are measurable: we expect that with a careful analysis of a sample of nearby dwarf galaxies one can improve astrophysical constraints on gravity theories by over three orders of magnitude, and even solar system constraints by one order of magnitude. Thus effective tests of gravity along the lines suggested by Hui et al (2009) and Jain (2011) can be carried out with low-redshift galaxies, though care must be exercised in understanding possible complications from astrophysical effects.
Astrophysical tests of modified modified gravity theories in the nearby universe have been emphasized recently by Hui, Nicolis and Stubbs (2009) and Jain and VanderPlas (2011). A key element of such tests is the screening mechanism whereby general re lativity is restored in massive halos or high density environments like the Milky Way. In chameleon theories of gravity, including all f(R) models, field dwarf galaxies may be unscreened and therefore feel an extra force, as opposed to screened galaxies. The first step to study differences between screened and unscreened galaxies is to create a 3D screening map. We use N-body simulations to test and calibrate simple approximations to determine the level of screening in galaxy catalogs. Sources of systematic errors in the screening map due to observational inaccuracies are modeled and their contamination is estimated. We then apply our methods to create a map out to 200 Mpc in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint using data from the Sloan survey and other sources. In two companion papers this map will be used to carry out new tests of gravity using distance indicators and the disks of dwarf galaxies. We also make our screening map publicly available.
We introduce The Novel Probes Project, an initiative to advance the field of astrophysical tests of the dark sector by creating a forum that connects observers and theorists. This review focuses on tests of gravity and is intended to be of use primar ily to observers, but also to theorists with interest in the development of experimental tests. It is twinned with a separate review on tests of dark matter self-interactions (Adhikari et al., in prep.). Our focus is on astrophysical probes of gravity in the weak-field regime, ranging from stars to quasilinear cosmological scales. These are complementary to both strong-field tests and background and linear probes in cosmology. In particular, the nonlinear screening mechanisms that are an integral part of viable modified gravity models lead to characteristic signals specifically on astrophysical scales. The constraining power of these signals is not limited by cosmic variance, but comes with the challenge of building robust theoretical models of the nonlinear dynamics of stars, galaxies, clusters and large scale structure. In this review we lay the groundwork for a thorough exploration of the astrophysical regime with an eye to using the current and next generation of observations for tests of gravity. We begin by setting the scene for how theories beyond General Relativity are expected to behave, focusing primarily on screened fifth forces. We describe the analytic and numerical techniques for exploring the pertinent astrophysical systems, as well as the signatures of modified gravity. With these in hand we present a range of observational tests, and discuss prospects for future measurements and theoretical developments.
Using a perturbative approach we solve stellar structure equations for low-density (solar-type) stars whose interior is described with a polytropic equation of state in scenarios involving a subset of modified gravity theories. Rather than focusing o n particular theories, we consider a model-independent approach in which deviations from General Relativity are effectively described by a single parameter $xi$. We find that for length scales below those set by stellar General Relativistic radii the modifications introduced by modified gravity can affect the computed values of masses and radii. As a consequence, the stellar luminosity is also affected. We discuss possible further implications for higher density stars and observability of the effects before described.
التعليقات
جاري جلب التعليقات جاري جلب التعليقات
سجل دخول لتتمكن من متابعة معايير البحث التي قمت باختيارها
mircosoft-partner

هل ترغب بارسال اشعارات عن اخر التحديثات في شمرا-اكاديميا