Related papers: Reducing the parameter space for Unparticle-inspir…
In recent work, we showed that non-perturbative vacuum effects of a very low mass particle could induce, at a redshift of order 1, a transition from a matter-dominated to an accelerating universe. In that work, we used the simplification of…
White dwarfs (WDs), as the remnants of low to intermediate-mass stars, provide a unique opportunity to explore the interplay between quantum mechanical degeneracy pressure and gravitational forces under extreme conditions. In this study, we…
Model-independent mass limits assess the robustness of current cosmological measurements of the neutrino mass scale. Consistency between high-multipole and low-multiple Cosmic Microwave Background observations measuring such scale further…
We study the parameterized post-Newtonian approximation in teleparallel model of gravity with a scalar field. The scalar field is non-minimally coupled to the scalar torsion as well as to the boundary term introduced in [1]. We show that,…
We outline the unique opportunities and challenges in the search for "ultraheavy" dark matter candidates with masses between roughly $10~{\rm TeV}$ and the Planck scale $m_{\rm pl} \approx 10^{16}~{\rm TeV}$. This mass range presents a wide…
Small-eccentricity binary pulsars with white dwarf companions provide excellent test laboratories for various effects predicted by alternative theories of gravity, in particular tests for the emission of gravitational dipole radiation and…
White dwarfs typically have masses in a narrow range centered at about 0.6 solar masses (Msun). Only a few ultra-massive white dwarfs (M>1.2 Msun) are known. Those in binary systems are of particular interest because a small amount of…
The equilibrium configuration of white dwarfs composed of a charged perfect fluid are investigated in the context of the $f(R,\mathcal{T})$ gravity, for which $R$ and $\mathcal{T}$ stand for the Ricci scalar and the trace of the…
A parameter study is underway in Heidelberg that aims to find and constrain possible solutions to the dSph satellite problem under the assumption that some of these systems may not be dark matter dominated. The present state of the…
We discuss the parameter space of the Inert Doublet Model, a two Higgs doublet model with a dark matter candidate. An extensive set of theoretical and experimental constraints on this model is considered, where both collider as well as…
We consider generic models of quintessence and we investigate the influence of massive neutrino matter with field-dependent masses on the matter power spectrum. In case of minimally coupled neutrino matter, we examine the effect in tracker…
We present a systematic exploration of dark energy and modified gravity models containing a single scalar field non-minimally coupled to the metric. Even though the parameter space is large, by exploiting an effective field theory (EFT)…
In their engaging recountals of Chandrasekhar's extraordinary career (Physics Today, vol 63, Issue 12, Dec 2010), neither Dyson nor Wali mention that Chandrasekhar was the third person not the first, to publish a white dwarf mass limit…
We study CMB constraints on a model with a cosmological constant and a fraction of dark matter non-minimally coupled to a massless scalar field. In this scenario, there is an extra gravity-like fifth force which can affect the evolution of…
We study an extension of the Standard Model (SM) which could have two candidates for dark matter (DM) including a Dirac fermion and a vector dark matter (VDM) under a new $U(1)$ gauge group in the hidden sector. The model is classically…
We study the constraint on $f(R)$ gravity that can be obtained by photometric primary probes of the Euclid mission. Our focus is the dependence of the constraint on the theoretical modelling of the nonlinear matter power spectrum. In the…
We explore the observational adequacy of a class of Unified Dark Energy/Matter (UDE/M) models with a fast transition. Our constraints are set using a combination of geometric probes, some low redshift ones, and some high redshift ones (CMB…
We motivate and analyze the weak-field limit of a non-analytical Lagrangian for the gravitational field. After investigating the parameter space of the model, we impose constraints on the parameters characterizing this class of theories…
We propose a new model of cosmology based on an anisotropic background and a specific $f(R)$ theory of gravity. It is shown that field equations of $f(R)$ gravity in a Bianchi type I background give rise to a modified Friedmann equation.…
We study the effects of modified theories of gravity on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies power spectrum, and in particular on its large scales, where the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect is important. Starting with a…