Related papers: Kinetic screening in nonlinear stellar oscillation…
We study the vacuum Cauchy problem for K-essence, i.e. cosmologically relevant scalar-tensor theories that involve first-order derivative self-interactions, and which pass all existing gravitational wave bounds. We restrict to spherical…
Scalar-tensor theories with first-derivative self interactions, known as $k$-essence, may provide interesting phenomenology on cosmological scales. On smaller scales, however, initial value evolutions (which are crucial for predicting the…
We investigate the small-scale static configurations of K-mouflage models defined by a general function $K(\chi)$ of the kinetic terms. The fifth force is screened by the nonlinear K-mouflage mechanism if $K'(\chi)$ grows sufficiently fast…
We investigate neutron star solutions in scalar-tensor theories of gravity with first-order derivative self-interactions in the action and in the matter coupling. We assess the robustness of the kinetic screening mechanism present in these…
We study static, spherically symmetric neutron stars in a class of scalar-tensor theories with non-canonical kinetic terms (K-essence) obeying all causality and hyperbolicity conditions. These models have non-trivial dynamics that lead to a…
Gravitational theories differing from General Relativity may explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe without a cosmological constant. However, to pass local gravitational tests, a "screening mechanism" is needed to suppress, on…
New fifth forces have not yet been detected in the laboratory or in the solar system, hence it is typically difficult to introduce new light scalar fields that would mediate such forces. In recent years it has been shown that a number of…
Scalar field theories that possess a Vainshtein mechanism are able to dynamically suppress the associated fifth forces in the presence of massive sources through derivative non-linearities. The resulting equations of motion for the scalar…
We conduct numerical simulations in Painlev\'{e}-Gullstrand coordinates of a variety of K-essence-type scalar fields under spherically symmetric gravitational collapse. We write down generic conditions on the K-essence lagrangian that can…
Scalar-tensor theories whose phenomenology differs significantly from general relativity on large (e.g. cosmological) scales do not typically pass local experimental tests (e.g. in the solar system) unless they present a suitable "screening…
We recently introduced the concept of "k-essence" as a dynamical solution for explaining naturally why the universe has entered an epoch of accelerated expansion at a late stage of its evolution. The solution avoids fine-tuning of…
K-essence models, relying on scalar fields with non-canonical kinetic terms, have been proposed as an alternative to quintessence in explaining the observed acceleration of the Universe. We consider the use of field redefinitions to cast…
Modified theories of gravity that offer viable models for dark energy often rely on mechanisms that screen their effects in high density environments. From this perspective, it would appear that, once solar system constraints are satisfied,…
We consider scalar dark matter models where the theory has a shift symmetry only broken by the scalar mass term. We restrict ourselves to K-essence kinetic terms where the shift symmetric part of the Lagrangian is a function of the first…
In the present work, we construct black-bounce configurations in the context of $k$-essence theory. The solutions have a regular metric function at the origin. The area metric function is linked to the black-bounce area initially considered…
We investigate the scalar emission from binary neutron stars in shift-symmetric scalar-tensor theories with kinetic screening ($K$-essence), using 3+1 numerical simulations in the decoupling limit. To construct static binary initial data in…
Cosmological scenarios with k-essence are invoked in order to explain the observed late-time acceleration of the universe. These scenarios avoid the need for fine-tuned initial conditions (the "coincidence problem") because of the…
Scalar forces "screened" by the Vainshtein mechanism may hold the key to understanding the cosmological expansion of our universe, while predicting new and exciting features in the interaction between massive bodies. Here we explore the…
This thesis describes the application of numerical techniques to solve Einstein's field equations in three distinct cases. First we present the first long-term stable second order convergent Cauchy characteristic matching code in…
We explore scalar radiation from neutron star-black hole binaries in scalar-tensor theories with kinetic screening ($K$-essence). Using 3+1 numerical relativity simulations in the decoupling limit, we investigate scalar dipole and…