Related papers: Do Solar System experiments constrain scalar-tenso…
The dynamical equivalence between modified and scalar-tensor gravity theories is revisited and it is concluded that it breaks down in the limit to general relativity. A gauge-independent analysis of cosmological perturbations in both…
In this communication, the current tests of gravitation available at Solar System scales are recalled. These tests rely mainly on two frameworks: the PPN framework and the search for a fifth force. Some motivations are given to look for…
Contrary to common belief, (electro)vacuum Brans-Dicke gravity does not reduce to general relativity for large Brans-Dicke coupling $\omega$, a problem which has never been fully solved. Two new approaches, independent from each other, shed…
The Brans-Dicke theory of gravity is one of the oldest ideas to extend general relativity by introducing a non-minimal coupling between the scalar field and gravity. The Solar System tests put tight constraints on the theory. In order to…
Brans-Dicke gravity does not always reduce to General Relativity in the limit $\omega\to\infty$ for the coupling constant. This anomalous behavior is examined within the formalism of the first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity.…
The recent discovery of "dark energy" has challenged Einstein's general theory of relativity as a complete model for our macroscopic universe. From a theoretical view, the challenge is even stronger: general relativity clearly does not…
We point out that extended gravity theories, the Lagrangian of which is an arbitrary function of scalar curvature $R$, are equivalent to a class of the scalar tensor theories of gravity. The corresponding gravity theory is $\omega=0$…
Solar-System constraints on a general scalar-tensor theory with generic non-minimal coupling function, non-canonical kinetic function, and scalar potential, are investigated in both the metric and Palatini formalisms. A unified…
Based on the {\it dynamical} equivalence between higher order gravity and scalar-tensor gravity the PPN-limit of fourth order gravity is discussed. We exploit this analogy developing a fourth order gravity version of the Eddington…
We consider a generalized Brans-Dicke model in which the scalar field has a potential function and is also allowed to couple non-minimally with the matter sector. This anomalous gravitational coupling can in principle avoid the model to…
In scalar-tensor theories of gravity, the equation of state of dark energy, w, can become smaller than -1 without violating any energy condition. The value of w today is tied to the level of deviations from general relativity which, in…
The best motivated alternatives to general relativity are scalar-tensor theories, in which the gravitational interaction is mediated by one or several scalar fields together with the usual graviton. The analysis of their various…
The notions of mass and range of a Brans-Dicke-like scalar field in scalar-tensor and f(R) gravity are subject to an ambiguity that hides a potential trap. We spell out this ambiguity and identify a physically meaningful and practical…
It has been proposed that cosmic acceleration or inflation can be driven by replacing the Einstein-Hilbert action of general relativity with a function f(R) of the Ricci scalar R. Such f(R) gravity theories have been shown to be equivalent…
Scalar-tensor theories of gravity modify General Relativity by introducing a scalar field that couples non-minimally to the metric tensor, while satisfying the weak-equivalence principle. These theories are interesting because they have the…
Contrary to common belief, the standard tenet of Brans-Dicke theory reducing to general relativity when omega tends to infinity is false if the trace of the matter energy-momentum tensor vanishes. The issue is clarified in a new approach…
We study the motion of particles in the background of a scalar-tensor theory of gravity in which the scalar field is kinetically coupled to Einstein tensor. We constrain the value of the derivative parameter $z$ through solar system tests.…
Recent theoretical works on alternative metric theories of gravity give greater significance to solar-system tests of General Relativity. In particular, it is suggested that the post-Newtonian parameter $\gamma$ ought to be determined with…
PPN-limit of higher order theories of gravity represents a still controversial matter of debate and no definitive answer has been provided, up to now, about this issue. By exploiting the analogy between scalar-tensor and fourth-order…
We consider higher-dimensional massive Brans-Dicke theory with Ricci-flat internal space. The background model is perturbed by a massive gravitating source which is pressureless in the external (our space) but has an arbitrary…