Das, S., de Putter, R., Linder, E. V., & Nakajima, R. (2012). Weak lensing cosmology beyond Lambda CDM. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 11(11), 23pp.
Abstract: Weak gravitational lensing is one of the key probes of the cosmological model, dark energy, and dark matter, providing insight into both the cosmic expansion history and large scale structure growth history. Taking into account a broad spectrum of physics affecting growth – dynamical dark energy, extended gravity, neutrino masses, and spatial curvature – we analyze the cosmological constraints. Similarly we consider the effects of a range of systematic uncertainties, in shear measurement, photometric redshifts, intrinsic alignments, and the nonlinear power spectrum, on cosmological parameter extraction. We also investigate, and provide fitting formulas tor, the influence of survey parameters such as redshift depth, galaxy number densities, and sky area on the cosmological constraints in the beyond-ACDM parameter space. Finally, we examine the robustness of results for different fiducial cosmologies.
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de Putter, R., Verde, L., & Jimenez, R. (2013). Testing LTB void models without the cosmic microwave background or large scale structure: new constraints from galaxy ages. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 02(2), 047–22pp.
Abstract: We present new observational constraints on inhomogenous models based on observables independent of the CMB and large-scale structure. Using Bayesian evidence we find very strong evidence for homogeneous LCDM model, thus disfavouring inhomogeneous models. Our new constraints are based on quantities independent of the growth of perturbations and rely on cosmic clocks based on atomic physics and on the local density of matter.
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Capozziello, S., Harko, T., Koivisto, T. S., Lobo, F. S. N., & Olmo, G. J. (2013). Cosmology of hybrid metric-Palatini f(X)-gravity. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 011–25pp.
Abstract: A new class of modified theories of gravity, consisting of the superposition of the metric Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian with an f(R) term constructed a la Palatini was proposed recently. The dynamically equivalent scalar-tensor representation of the model was also formulated, and it was shown that even if the scalar field is very light, the theory passes the Solar System observational constraints. Therefore the model predicts the existence of a long-range scalar field, modifying the cosmological and galactic dynamics. An explicit model that passes the local tests and leads to cosmic acceleration was also obtained. In the present work, it is shown that the theory can be also formulated in terms of the quantity X equivalent to kappa T-2 + R, where T and R are the traces of the stress-energy and Ricci tensors, respectively. The variable X represents the deviation with respect to the field equation trace of general relativity. The cosmological applications of this hybrid metric-Palatini gravitational theory are also explored, and cosmological solutions coming from the scalar-tensor representation of f(X)-gravity are presented. Criteria to obtain cosmic acceleration are discussed and the field equations are analyzed as a dynamical system. Several classes of dynamical cosmological solutions, depending on the functional form of the effective scalar field potential, describing both accelerating and decelerating Universes are explicitly obtained. Furthermore, the cosmological perturbation equations are derived and applied to uncover the nature of the propagating scalar degree of freedom and the signatures these models predict in the large-scale structure.
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Di Valentino, E., Melchiorri, A., & Mena, O. (2013). Dark radiation sterile neutrino candidates after Planck data. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 11(11), 018–13pp.
Abstract: Recent Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) results from the Planck satellite, combined with previous CMB data and Hubble constant measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope, provide a constraint on the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom 3.62(-0.48)(+0.50) at 95% CL. New Planck data provide a unique opportunity to place limits on models containing relativistic species at the decoupling epoch. We present here the bounds on sterile neutrino models combining Planck data with galaxy clustering information. Assuming N-eff active plus sterile massive neutrino species, in the case of a Planck+WP+HighL+HST analysis we find m(nu,sterile)(eff) < 0.36 eV and 3.14 < N-eff < 4.15 at 95% CL, while using Planck+WP+HighL data in combination with the full shape of the galaxy power spectrum from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey BOSS Data Relase 9 measurements, we find that 3.30 < N-eff < 4.43 and m(nu,sterile)(eff) < 0.33 eV both at 95% CL with the three active neutrinos having the minimum mass allowed in the normal hierarchy scheme, i.e. Sigma m(nu) similar to 0.06 eV. These values compromise the viability of the (3 + 2) massive sterile neutrino models for the parameter region indicated by global fits of neutrino oscillation data. Within the (3 + 1) massive sterile neutrino scenario, we find m(nu,sterile)(eff) < 0.34 eV at 95% CL. While the existence of one extra sterile massive neutrino state is compatible with current oscillation data, the values for the sterile neutrino mass preferred by oscillation analyses are significantly higher than the current cosmological bound. We review as well the bounds on extended dark sectors with additional light species based on the latest Planck CMB observations.
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Beltran Jimenez, J., Heisenberg, L., & Olmo, G. J. (2015). Tensor perturbations in a general class of Palatini theories. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 06(6), 026–16pp.
Abstract: We study a general class of gravitational theories formulated in the Palatini approach and derive the equations governing the evolution of tensor perturbations. In the absence of torsion, the connection can be solved as the Christoffel symbols of an auxiliary metric which is non-trivially related to the space-time metric. We then consider background solutions corresponding to a perfect fluid and show that the tensor perturbations equations (including anisotropic stresses) for the auxiliary metric around such a background take an Einstein-like form. This facilitates the study in a homogeneous and isotropic cosmological scenario where we explicitly establish the relation between the auxiliary metric and the spacetime metric tensor perturbations. As a general result, we show that both tensor perturbations coincide in the absence of anisotropic stresses.
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