Related papers: Chameleon scalar fields in relativistic gravitatio…
We investigate a chameleon scalar field dynamically interacting with a Kiselev-type metric, where the static anisotropic fluid part of the metric is replaced by a density-dependent scalar field non-minimally coupled to curvature. This…
We study the cosmological evolution of a tachyon scalar field T with a Dirac-Born-Infeld type lagrangian and potential V(T) coupled to a canonically normalized scalar field \phi with an arbitrary interaction term B(T,\phi) in the presence…
A nearly-massless, slowly-rolling scalar field $\phi$ may provide most of the energy density of the current universe. One potential difficulty with this idea is that couplings to ordinary matter, even if suppressed by the Planck scale,…
In a previous work \cite{mbeleka}, we have modelled the rotation curves (RC) of spiral galaxies by including in the equation of motion dynamical terms from an external real self-interacting scalar field, $\phi$, minimally coupled to gravity…
The chameleon mechanism enables a long range fifth force to be screened in dense environments when non-trivial self interactions of the field cause its mass to increase with the local density. To date, chameleon fifth forces have mainly…
We propose a novel method to test the gravitational interactions in the outskirts of galaxy clusters. When gravity is modified, this is typically accompanied by the introduction of an additional scalar degree of freedom, which mediates an…
In the context of a cubic Galileon model in which the Vainshtein mechanism suppresses the scalar field interactions with matter, we study low-density stars with slow rotation and static relativistic stars. We develop an expansion scheme to…
Scalar fields with inverse power-law effective potentials may provide a negative pressure component to the energy density of the universe today, as required by cosmological observations. In order to be cosmologically relevant today, the…
We consider thin spherical shells of matter in both Newtonian gravity and general relativity, and examine their equilibrium configurations and dynamical stability. Thin-shell models are admittedly a poor substitute for realistic stellar…
Scalar-tensor theories are studied in the context of cosmological evolution, where the expansion history of the Universe is reconstructed. It is considered quintessence/phantom models, where inflation and cosmic acceleration are reproduced.…
We point out that chameleon field theories might reveal themselves as an 'afterglow' effect in axion-like particle search experiments due to chameleon-photon conversion in a magnetic field. We estimate the parameter space which is…
Chameleon dark energy is a matter-coupled scalar field which hides its fifth forces locally by becoming massive. We estimate torsion pendulum constraints on the residual fifth forces due to models with gravitation-strength couplings.…
We investigate scalar-tensor theories, motivated by dark energy models, in the strong gravity regime around the black hole at the centre of our galaxy. In such theories general relativity is modified since the scalar field couples to…
The physical origin of the dark energy that causes the accelerated expansion rate of the universe is one of the major open questions of cosmology. One set of theories postulates the existence of a self-interacting scalar field for dark…
We investigate the Universe at the late stage of its evolution and inside the cell of uniformity 150-370 Mpc. We consider the Universe to be filled at these scales with dust like matter, a minimally coupled Galileon field and radiation. We…
A criterion to seek for compatibility of any given matter coupling with a fundamental theory of physics - assumed here to be the string theory - is developed. We call this criterion as"`compatibility check", and apply it to test different…
We study {\it analytically} the characteristic resonance spectrum of charged massive scalar fields linearly coupled to a spherically symmetric charged reflecting shell. In particular, we use analytical techniques in order to solve the…
The presence of a scalar field that couples nonminimally and universally to matter can enhance gravitational forces on cosmological scales while restoring general relativity in the Solar neighborhood. In the intermediate regime,…
We investigate quintessence and phantom dark energy scenarios, in which the scalar fields evolve in nearly flat potentials and are non-minimally coupled to gravity. We show that all such models converge to a common behavior and we provide…
This paper explores cosmological scenarios in a scalar-tensor theory of gravity, including both a non-minimal coupling with scalar curvature of the form $R\phi^2$ and a non-minimal derivative coupling of the form…