Related papers: Symmetron Fields: Screening Long-Range Forces Thro…
We investigate how non-linear scalar field theories respond to point sources. Taking the symmetron as a specific example of such a theory, we solve the non-linear equation of motion in one spatial dimension for (i) an isolated point source…
We derive analytic solutions of a chameleon scalar field $\phi$ that couples to a non-relativistic matter in the weak gravitational background of a spherically symmetric body, paying particular attention to a field mass $m_A$ inside of the…
Screening mechanisms are essential features of dark energy models mediating a fifth force on large scales. We study the regime of strong scalar field nonlinearities, known as Vainshtein screening, in the most general scalar-tensor theories…
In the framework of special relativity (SR), I propose that matter conformally couples to a scalar field through the Lagrangian density of matter, whether matter is characterized by classical or by quantum (statistical) mechanics. The…
Bimetric theory describes gravitational interactions in the presence of an extra spin-2 field. Previous work has suggested that its cosmological solutions are generically plagued by instabilities. We show that by taking the Planck mass for…
Modifications to General Relativity typically introduce a scalar degree of freedom. Experimental constraints require that the "fifth" force produced by this field must be screened in high density environments. An important consequence of…
Since last two decades $f(R)$ gravity theory has been extensively used as a serious alternative of general relativity to mimic the effects of dark energy. The theory presents a Yukawa correction to Newtonian gravitational potential, acting…
We construct effective field theories in which gravity is modified via spontaneous breaking of local Lorentz invariance. This is a gravitational analogue of the Higgs mechanism. These theories possess additional graviton modes and modified…
Strong field gravitational lensing in the Brans-Dicke theory has been studied. The deflection angle for photons passing very close to the photon sphere is estimated for the static spherically symmetric space-time of the theory and the…
An ultralight scalar field is one of the dark matter candidates. If it couples with Standard Model particles, it oscillates mirrors in gravitational-wave detectors and generates detectable signals. We study the spectra of the signals taking…
Scalar fields coupled to gravity via $\xi R {\Phi}^2$ in arbitrary Friedmann-Robertson-Walker backgrounds can be represented by an effective flat space field theory. We derive an expression for the scalar energy density where the effective…
We explore the observational prospects for detecting gravitational lensing induced by cosmological matter currents, a relativistic correction to the standard density lensing effect arising from the motion of matter. We propose to isolate…
This paper is concerned with theories of gravity that contain a scalar coupled both conformally and disformally to matter through the metric. By systematically deriving the non-relativistic limit, it is shown that no new non-linear…
We consider the theory of a light conformally coupled scalar field, i.e., one that is coupled directly to the Ricci scalar of the gravitational sector. This theory can be written equivalently as one of a light scalar that is coupled to the…
Scalar field theories with a shift symmetry come equipped with the $K$-mouflage (or kinetic screening) mechanism that suppresses the scalar interaction between massive objects below a certain distance, the screening radius. In this work, we…
The idea of gauging (i.e. making local) symmetries of a physical system is a central feature of many modern field theories. Usually, one starts with a Lagrangian for some scalar or spinor matter fields, with the Lagrangian being invariant…
From the nature of dark matter to the rate of expansion of our Universe, observations of distant galaxies distorted through strong gravitational lensing have the potential to answer some of the major open questions in astrophysics. Modeling…
We look for cosmologies with a scalar field (dark energy without cosmological constant), which mimic the standard $\Lambda CDM$ cosmological model yielding exactly the same large-scale geometry described by the evolution of the Hubble…
The accelerated expansion of the universe motivates a wide class of scalar field theories that modify gravity on large scales. In regions where the weak field limit of General Relativity has been confirmed by experiment, such theories need…
The existence and detection of scalar fields could provide solutions to long-standing puzzles about the nature of dark matter, the dark compact objects at the centre of most galaxies, and other phenomena. Yet, self-interacting scalar fields…