Related papers: Theoretical Limits on Agegraphic Quintessence from…
In this paper we constrain the sizes of hypothetical new weak forces by making use the data coming from the precession of Planets. We consider the weak field approximation of Scalar-Tensor Fourth Order Gravity (STFOG), which include several…
We use some of the recently released observational data to test the viability of two classes of minimally coupled scalar field models of quintessence with exponential potentials for which exact solutions of the Einstein equations are known.…
We investigate constraints on neutrino mass ordering and degeneracy by considering the first cosmological result based on Planck measurements of the cosmic microwave background. It is shown that the result at 95% CL rejects a neutrino mass…
The claim that at the so-called Planck scale our current physics breaks down and a new theory of quantum gravity is required is ubiquitous, but the evidence is shakier than the confidence of those assertions warrants. In this paper, I…
We present the theory of weak gravitational lensing in cosmologies with generalized gravity, described in the Lagrangian by a generic function depending on the Ricci scalar and a non-minimally coupled scalar field. We work out the…
Recent observations seem to suggest that our Universe is accelerating implying that it is dominated by a fluid whose equation of state is negative. Quintessence is a possible explanation. In particular, the concept of tracking solutions…
Motivated by the indications of time-varying dark energy equation of state reported from DESI, we investigate a quintessence model with an exponential potential $V_0 e^{-\lambda\phi/m_{\mathrm{pl}}}$. We derive an analytical relationship…
We examine a quintessence model with a modified exponential potential given by $V(\phi) = V_0(1+e^{-\lambda \phi})$. Unlike quintessence with a standard exponential potential, our model can yield an acceptable accelerated expansion at late…
The weak field limit of scalar tensor theories of gravity is discussed in view of conformal transformations. Specifically, we consider how physical quantities, like gravitational potentials derived in the Newtonian approximation for the…
Inflationary models with power-law potentials are starting to be severely constrained by the recent measurements of Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies provided by the Planck Satellite and by the BICEP2 telescope. In particular, models…
According to a number of arguments in quantum gravity, both model-dependent and model-independent, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is modified when approaching the Planck scale. This deformation is attributed to the existence of a…
We set constraints on O(E/M) Lorentz Violation in QED in an effective field theory framework. A major consequence of such assumptions is the modification of the dispersion relations for electrons/positrons and photons, which in turn can…
The observations of photons from the BL Lac object Mk501 with energies above 10 TeV and of cosmic rays with energies above the GZK threshold appear to be inconsistent with conventional theories. Remarkably, among the recent new-physics…
The Distance Conjecture holds that any infinite-distance limit in the scalar field moduli space of a consistent theory of quantum gravity must be accompanied by a tower of light particles whose masses scale exponentially with proper field…
We consider here the possibility of quantum gravity induced violation of Lorentz symmetry (LV). Even if suppressed by the inverse Planck mass such LV can be tested by current experiments and astrophysical observations. We review the…
We propose a generalisation of the Weak Gravity Conjecture in the presence of scalar fields. The proposal is guided by properties of extremal black holes in ${\cal N}=2$ supergravity, but can be understood more generally in terms of…
The idea that we live in a Universe undergoing a period of acceleration is a strongly held notion in cosmology. As this can, potentially, be explained with a modification to General Relativity we look at current cosmological data with the…
Light deflection offers an unbiased test of Weyl's gravity since no assumption on the conformal factor needs to be made. In this second paper of our series ``Light deflection in Weyl gravity'', we analyze the constraints imposed by light…
$ $Weak gravitational lensing is a powerful probe which is used to constrain the standard cosmological model and its extensions. With the enhanced statistical precision of current and upcoming surveys, high accuracy predictions for weak…
Lorentz invariance is the fundamental symmetry of Einstein's theory of special relativity, and has been tested to great level of detail. However, theories of quantum gravity at the Planck scale indicate that Lorentz symmetry may be broken…