22,540 research outputs found
Cosmological constant constraints from observation-derived energy condition bounds and their application to bimetric massive gravity
Among the various possibilities to probe the theory behind the recent
accelerated expansion of the universe, the energy conditions (ECs) are of
particular interest, since it is possible to confront and constrain the many
models, including different theories of gravity, with observational data. In
this context, we use the ECs to probe any alternative theory whose extra term
acts as a cosmological constant. For this purpose, we apply a model-independent
approach to reconstruct the recent expansion of the universe. Using Type Ia
supernova, baryon acoustic oscillations and cosmic-chronometer data, we perform
a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to put constraints on the effective
cosmological constant . By imposing that the cosmological
constant is the only component that possibly violates the ECs, we derive lower
and upper bounds for its value. For instance, we obtain that and within,
respectively, and confidence levels. In addition, about
30\% of the posterior distribution is incompatible with a cosmological
constant, showing that this method can potentially rule it out as a mechanism
for the accelerated expansion. We also study the consequence of these
constraints for two particular formulations of the bimetric massive gravity.
Namely, we consider the Visser's theory and the Hassan and Roses's massive
gravity by choosing a background metric such that both theories mimic General
Relativity with a cosmological constant. Using the
observational bounds along with the upper bounds on the graviton mass we obtain
constraints on the parameter spaces of both theories.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Constraints on Cold Dark Matter Accelerating Cosmologies and Cluster Formation
We discuss the properties of homogeneous and isotropic flat cosmologies in
which the present accelerating stage is powered only by the gravitationally
induced creation of cold dark matter (CCDM) particles (). For
some matter creation rates proposed in the literature, we show that the main
cosmological functions such as the scale factor of the universe, the Hubble
expansion rate, the growth factor and the cluster formation rate are
analytically defined. The best CCDM scenario has only one free parameter and
our joint analysis involving BAO + CMB + SNe Ia data yields
() where
is the observed matter density parameter. In particular, this implies that the
model has no dark energy but the part of the matter that is effectively
clustering is in good agreement with the latest determinations from large scale
structure. The growth of perturbation and the formation of galaxy clusters in
such scenarios are also investigated. Despite the fact that both scenarios may
share the same Hubble expansion, we find that matter creation cosmologies
predict stronger small scale dynamics which implies a faster growth rate of
perturbations with respect to the usual CDM cosmology. Such results
point to the possibility of a crucial observational test confronting CCDM with
CDM scenarios trough a more detailed analysis involving CMB, weak
lensing, as well as the large scale structure.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication by Physical Rev.
- …