Abstract: Generally, the dynamics of test particles around galaxies, as well as the corresponding mass deficit, is explained by postulating the existence of a hypothetical dark matter. In fact, the behavior of the rotation curves shows the existence of a constant velocity region, near the baryonic matter distribution, followed by a quick decay at large distances. In this work, we consider the possibility that the behavior of the rotational velocities of test particles gravitating around galaxies can be explained within the framework of the recently proposed hybrid metric-Palatini gravitational theory. The latter is constructed by modifying the metric Einstein-Hilbert action with an f(R) term in the Palatini formalism. It was shown that the theory unifies local constraints and the late-time cosmic acceleration, even if the scalar field is very light. In the intermediate galactic scale, we show explicitly that in the hybrid metric-Palatini model the tangential velocity can be explicitly obtained as a function of the scalar field of the equivalent scalar-tensor description. The model predictions are compared model with a small sample of rotation curves of low surface brightness galaxies, respectively, and a good agreement between the theoretical rotation Curves and the observational data is found. The possibility of constraining the form of the scalar field and the parameters of the model by using the stellar velocity dispersions is also analyzed. Furthermore, the Doppler velocity shifts are also obtained in terms of the scalar field. All the physical and geometrical quantities and the numerical parameters in the hybrid metric-Palatini model can be expressed in terms of observable/measurable parameters, such as the tangential velocity, the baryonic mass of the galaxy, the Doppler frequency shifts, and the stellar dispersion velocity, respectively. Therefore, the obtained results open the possibility of testing the hybrid metric-Palatini gravitational models at the galactic or extra-galactic scale by using direct astronomical and astrophysical observations.

Abstract: The impact of dark matter-neutrino interactions on the measurement of the cosmological parameters has been investigated in the past in the context of massless neutrinos exclusively. Here we revisit the role of a neutrino-dark matter coupling in light of ongoing cosmological tensions by implementing the full Boltzmann hierarchy for three massive neutrinos. Our tightest 95% CL upper limit on the strength of the interactions, parameterized via u(chi) = sigma(0)/sigma(Th) (m(chi)/100GeV)(-1), is u(chi) <= 3.34 . 10(-4), arising from a combination of Planck TTTEEE data, Planck lensing data and SDSS BAO data. This upper bound is, as expected, slightly higher than previous results for interacting massless neutrinos, due to the correction factor associated with neutrino masses. We find that these interactions significantly relax the lower bounds on the value of sigma 8 that is inferred in the context of Lambda CDM from the Planck data, leading to agreement within 1-2 sigma with weak lensing estimates of sigma 8, as those from KiDS1000. However, the presence of these interactions barely affects the value of the Hubble constant H-0.

Abstract: A search for high-energy neutrinos coming from the direction of the Galactic Centre is performed using the data recorded by the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2012. The event selection criteria are chosen to maximise the sensitivity to possible signals produced by the self-annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles accumulated around the centre of the Milky Way with respect to the atmospheric background. After data unblinding, the number of neutrinos observed in the line of sight of the Galactic Centre is found to be compatible with background expectations. The 90% C.L. upper limits in terms of the neutrino+anti-neutrino flux, Phi(nu μ+ (nu) over bar mu), and the velocity averaged annihilation cross-section, <sigma(A) v >, are derived for the WIMP self-annihilation channels into b (b) over bar; W+W-; tau(+)tau(-); mu(+)mu(-); nu(nu) over bar. The ANTARES limits for <sigma(A) v > are shown to be the most stringent for a neutrino telescope over the WIMP masses 25 GeV < M-WIMP < 10TeV.