Related papers: Symmetron Fields: Screening Long-Range Forces Thro…
Extending general relativity by adding extra degrees of freedom is a popular approach for explaining the accelerated expansion of the Universe and to build high energy completions of the theory of gravity. The presence of such new degrees…
We consider a generalized Brans-Dicke model in which the scalar field has a potential function and is also allowed to couple non-minimally with the matter sector. This anomalous gravitational coupling can in principle avoid the model to…
An action in which the Ricci scalar is nonminimally coupled with a scalar field and contains higher order curvature invariant terms carries a conserved current under certain conditions that decouples geometric part from the scalar field.…
We present a unifying treatment for metric and scalar perturbations across different energy regimes in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. To do so, we introduce two connected symmetry-breaking patterns: one due to the acquisition of…
Scalar-tensor theories whose phenomenology differs significantly from general relativity on large (e.g. cosmological) scales do not typically pass local experimental tests (e.g. in the solar system) unless they present a suitable "screening…
The evidence for the accelerated expansion of the universe and the time-dependence of the fine-structure constant suggests the existence of at least one scalar field with a mass of order H_0. If such a field exists, then it is generally…
Screened modified gravity (SMG) and Brans-Dicke (BD) gravity are typical examples of scalar-tensor theories with and without screening mechanisms, which can suppress the scalar field in dense regions. In this paper, we investigate the tests…
Observations of galaxy-scale strong gravitational lensing (SGL) systems have enabled unique tests of nonlinear departures from general relativity (GR) on the galactic and supergalactic scales. One of the most important cases of such tests…
Weak gravitational lensing provides a means of testing the long-range properties of gravity. Current measurements are consistent with standard Newtonian gravity and inconsistent with substantial modifications on Mpc scales. The data allows…
We find the linearized gravitational field of a static spherically symmetric mass distribution in massive conformal gravity and test it with some solar system experiments. The result is that the theory agrees with the general relativistic…
Effective gravitational field theories with background fields break local Lorentz symmetry and diffeomorphism invariance. Examples include Chern-Simons gravity, massive gravity, and the Standard-Model Extension (SME). The physical…
We consider a long range scalar force that mainly couples to dark matter and unstable Standard Model states, like the muon, with tiny strength. Probing this type of force would present a challenge to observations. We point out that the…
Gravitational theories differing from General Relativity may explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe without a cosmological constant. However, to pass local gravitational tests, a "screening mechanism" is needed to suppress, on…
Light scalar fields that couple to matter through the Higgs portal mediate long range fifth forces. We show how the mixing of a light scalar with the Higgs field can lead to this fifth force being screened around macroscopic objects. This…
Constraints to the mass of a scalar field and the strength of its self-interacting coupling constant are obtained. This was done using observations of stellar dynamics at the center of our galaxy and by assuming that the dark compact object…
Modified gravity theories often contain a scalar field of gravitational strength which interacts with matter. We examine constraints on the range and the coupling strength of a scalar gravitational degree of freedom using a subset of…
Lorentz symmetry is one of the pillars of both General Relativity and the Standard Model of particle physics. Motivated by ideas about quantum gravity, unification theories and violations of CPT symmetry, a significant effort has been put…
A cosmic scalar field evolving very slowly in time can account for the observed dark energy of the Universe. Unlike a cosmological constant, an evolving scalar field also has local spatial gradients due to gravity. If the scalar field has a…
Following work by Khoury and Weltman, we introduce a scalar field phi, the chameleon, which is conformally coupled to matter. That is, matter experiences a metric which is a conformal transform (parametrized by phi) of the Einstein metric.…
Two distinct perturbative approaches have been recently formulated within General Relativity, arguing for the screening of gravity in the $\Lambda$CDM Universe. In this paper we compare them and show that the offered screening concepts,…