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We consider a scenario where local Lorentz invariance is violated by the existence of a preferred time direction at every space-time point. This scenario can arise in the context of quantum gravity and its description at low energies…
We present current and future constraints on equations of state for dark sector perturbations. The equations of state considered are those corresponding to a generalized scalar field model and time-diffeomorphism invariant $L(g)$ theories…
Focusing on the well motivated aperture mass statistics $\Map$, we study the possibility of constraining cosmological parameters using future space based SNAP class weak lensing missions. Using completely analytical results we construct the…
We derive an observational constraint on a spherical inhomogeneity of the void centered at our position from the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background(CMB) and local measurements of the Hubble parameter. The late time…
The presence of inhomogeneities modifies the cosmic distances through the gravitational lensing effect, and, indirectly, must affect the main cosmological tests. Assuming that the dark energy is a smooth component, the simplest way to…
The (re)introduction of $\Lambda$ into cosmology has spurred debates that touch on central questions in philosophy of science, as well as the foundations of general relativity and particle physics. We provide a systematic assessment of the…
Cosmology is living through fascinating times, where new observations from ground and space telescopes are questioning the established paradigm, the so-called Lambda Cold Dark Matter model. The particle nature of Dark Matter is severely…
We study cosmological perturbations in the context of an interacting dark energy model, in which the cosmological term decays linearly with the Hubble parameter, with concomitant matter production. A previous joint analysis of the…
In this talk we present a model of the universe in which dark energy is modelled explicitely with both a dynamical quintessence field and a cosmological constant. Our results confirm the possibility of a collapsing universe (for a given…
Much of modern cosmology relies on the Cosmological Principle, the assumption that the Universe is isotropic and homogeneous on sufficiently large scales, but it remains worthwhile to examine cosmological models that violate this principle…
The consensus of opinion in cosmology is that the Universe is currently undergoing a period of accelerated expansion. With current and proposed high precision experiments it offers the hope of being able to discriminate between the two…
If the reported measurements of the time variation of the fine structure constant from observations of distant QSOs are correct, combined with the Oklo limit they would strongly constrain the class of the quintessence potential. If these…
Dark energy is now one of the most important and topical problems in cosmology. The first step to reveal its nature is to detect the evolution of dark energy or to prove beyond doubt that the cosmological constant is indeed constant.…
Current observational bounds on dark energy depend on assumptions about the curvature of the universe. We present a simple and efficient method for incorporating constraints from CMB anisotropy data, and use it to derive constraints on…
In these Lectures I review possible constraints on particle physics models, obtained by means of combining the results of collider measurements with astrophysical data. I emphasize the theoretical-model dependence of these results. I…
We construct high-precision models of the Universe that contain radiation, a cosmological constant, and periodically distributed inhomogeneous matter. The density contrasts in these models are allowed to be highly non-linear, and the…
Quintessence has been introduced as an alternative to the cosmological constant scenario to account for the current acceleration of the universe. This new dark energy component allows values of the equation of state parameter…
There has been considerable interest in recent years in cosmological models in which we inhabit a very large, underdense void as an alternative to dark energy. A longstanding objection to this proposal is that observations limit our…
Motivated by the cosmological constant and the coincidence problems, we consider a cosmological model where the cosmological constant $\Lambda_0$ is replaced by a cosmological term $\Lambda(t)$ which is allowed to vary in time. More…
A huge amount of good quality data converges towards the picture of a spatially flat universe undergoing the today observed phase of accelerated expansion. This new observational trend is commonly addressed as Precision Cosmology. Despite…