Related papers: Effective Description of Higher-Order Scalar-Tenso…
A lagrangian for the $k-$ essence field is set up with canonical kinetic terms and incorporating the scaling relation of [1]. There are two degrees of freedom, {\it viz.},$q(t)= ln\enskip a(t)$ ($a(t)$ is the scale factor) and the scalar…
The Gleyzes-Langlois-Piazza-Vernizzi (GLPV) theories up to quartic order are the general scheme of scalar-tensor theories allowing the possibility for realizing the tensor propagation speed $c_t$ equivalent to 1 on the isotropic…
We discuss mimetic gravity theories with direct couplings between the curvature and higher derivatives of the scalar field, up to the quintic order, which were proposed to solve the instability problem for linear perturbations around the…
Higher-order scalar-tensor theories having an instantaneous mode do not develop the Ostrogradsky instability even if a seemingly dangerous mode is present. Such theories satisfy only partially the degeneracy conditions that are usually…
We revisit the status of scalar-tensor theories with applications to dark energy in the aftermath of the gravitational wave signal GW170817 and its optical counterpart GRB170817A. At the level of the cosmological background, we identify a…
We investigate the radiative stability of Horndeski scalar-tensor theories with luminally propagating gravitational waves (as extensively discussed in the wake of GW170817) and show that in general there is a tension between obtaining…
Within the scheme of modified gravity, an exponential Lagrangian density will be considered, and the corresponding scalar-tensor description will be addressed for both positive and negative values of the cosmological constant. For negative…
We study the inflationary consequences of Degenerate Higher Order Scalar Tensor (DHOST) theories in a de Sitter background. We perturb the de Sitter background by operators breaking either the degeneracy condition, i.e scordatura DHOST, or…
We study cosmic evolution based on the fixed points in the dynamical analysis of the Degenerate Higher-Order Scalar-Tensor (DHOST) theories. We consider the DHOST theory in which the propagation speed of gravitational waves is equal to the…
We study scalar-tensor theory, k-essence and modified gravity with Lagrange multiplier constraint which role is to reduce the number of degrees of freedom. Dark Energy cosmology of different types ($\Lambda$CDM, unified inflation with DE,…
We investigate the cosmological applications of new gravitational scalar-tensor theories and we analyze them in the light of $H_0$ tension. In these theories the Lagrangian contains the Ricci scalar and its first and second derivatives in a…
In quadratic-order degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories compatible with gravitational-wave constraints, we derive the most general Lagrangian allowing for tracker solutions characterized by $\dot{\phi}/H^p={\rm constant}$,…
The discovery of cosmic acceleration has triggered a consistent body of theoretical work aimed at modeling its phenomenology and understanding its fundamental physical nature. In recent years, a powerful formalism that accomplishes both…
Higher order theories of gravity have recently attracted a lot of interest as alternative candidates to explain the observed cosmic acceleration without the need of introducing any scalar field. A critical ingredient is the choice of the…
Extended Theories of Gravity with additional scalar degrees of freedom have recently acquired increasing interest due to the presence of a screening mechanism that allows suppressing at small scales (e.g., the Solar System scale) every…
We solve analytically and numerically the generalized Einstein equations in scalar-tensor cosmologies to obtain the evolution of dark energy and matter linear perturbations. We compare our results with the corresponding results for…
The effective field theory of cosmological perturbations stems from considering a cosmological background solution as a state displaying spontaneous breaking of time translations and (adiabatic) perturbations as the related Nambu-Goldstone…
This talk is based on my work in collaboration with B. Boisseau, D. Polarski, and A.A. Starobinsky. The most natural and best-motivated alternatives to general relativity are the so-called "scalar-tensor" theories, in which the…
We construct gravitational modifications that go beyond Horndeski, namely theories with extended nonminimal derivative couplings, in which the coefficient functions depend not only on the scalar field but also on its kinetic energy. Such…
Degenerate scalar-tensor theories are recently proposed covariant theories of gravity coupled with a scalar field. Despite being characterised by higher order equations of motion, they do not propagate more than three degrees of freedom,…