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In this lecture I address the issue of possible large distance modification of gravity and its observational consequences. Although, for the illustrative purposes we focus on a particular simple generally-covariant example, our conclusions…
In this paper we study the effects of letting the dark matter and the gas in the Universe couple to the scalar field of the symmetron model, a modified gravity theory, with varying coupling strength. We also search for a way to distinguish…
We provide a detailed analysis of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes in a wide range of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. We apply solution-generating methods to three parametrised classes of scalar-tensor theory which lead naturally to…
A direct correspondence of quantum mechanics as a minisuperspace model for a self-interacting scalar quantum-field theory is established by computing, in several models, the infrared contributions to 1-loop effective potentials of…
Classically, unimodular gravity is known to be equivalent to General Relativity (GR), except for the fact that the effective cosmological constant $\Lambda$ has the status of an integration constant. Here, we explore various formulations of…
The standard cosmological model is inherently relativistic, and yet a wide range of cosmological observations can be predicted accurately from essentially Newtonian theory. This is not the case on `ultra-large' distance scales, around the…
We search for viable f(R) theories of gravity, making use of the equivalence between such theories and scalar-tensor gravity. We find that models can be made consistent with solar system constraints either by giving the scalar a high mass…
We present a comparative analysis of observational low-redshift background constraints on three candidate models for explaining the low-redshift acceleration of the universe. The generalized coupling model by Feng and Carloni and the scale…
Ultra-light scalar fields may explain the nature of the dark matter in our universe. If such scalars couple quadratically to particles of the Standard Model the scalar acquires an effective mass which depends on the local matter energy…
We present a unifying treatment for metric and scalar perturbations across different energy regimes in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. To do so, we introduce two connected symmetry-breaking patterns: one due to the acquisition of…
We investigate graviton radiation in gravitational scattering at small impact parameters $b<R\equiv 2G\sqrt{s}$ and extreme energies $s\gg M_P^2$, a regime in which classical collapse is thought to occur, and thus radiation may be…
We study the infrared divergences arising from gravitational loops in the standard cosmological perturbation theory. We provide a simple solution to the problem at all orders of cosmological perturbation theory by redefining the…
We review selected aspects of unimodular gravity and we discuss its viability as a solution of the old cosmological constant problem. In unimodular gravity the cosmological constant is promoted to a global degree of freedom. We highlight…
We discuss some of the issues which we encounter when we try to invoke the scalar-tensor theories of gravitation as a theoretical basis of quintessence. One of the advantages of appealing to these theories is that they allow us to implement…
We examine general physical parameterisations for viable gravitational models in the $f(R)$ framework. This is related to the mass of an additional scalar field, called the scalaron, that is introduced by the theories. Using a simple…
We examine the squeezed limit of the bispectrum when a light scalar with arbitrary non-derivative self-interactions is coupled to the inflaton. We find that when the hidden sector scalar is sufficiently light ($m\lesssim0.1\,H$), 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…
We investigate a model that modifies general relativity on cosmological scales, specifically by having a `glitch' in the gravitational constant between the cosmological (super-horizon) and Newtonian (sub-horizon) regimes, as motivated e.g.…
We obtain general solutions for some flat Friedmann universes filled with a scalar field in induced gravity models and models including the Hilbert-Einstein curvature term plus a scalar field conformally coupled to gravity. As is well…
Cosmological scalar fields coupled to the Standard Model drive temporal variations in the fundamental constants that grow with redshift, positioning the early Universe as a powerful tool to study such models. We investigate the dynamics and…