Related papers: Constraining Extended Theories of Gravity using So…
The gravitational action of the smooth energy-matter components filling in the universe can affect the orbit of a planetary system. Changes are related to the acceleration of the cosmological scale size R. In a universe with significant…
In this thesis the cosmological constant is investigated from two points of view. First, we study the influence of a time-dependent cosmological constant on the late-time expansion of the universe. Thereby, we consider several combinations…
The equations of motion describing all physical systems, except gravity, remain invariant if a constant is added to the Lagrangian. In the conventional approach, gravitational theories break this symmetry exhibited by all other physical…
The Standard Model of particle physics and the theory of General Relativity (GR) currently provide a good description of almost all phenomena of particle physics and gravitation that have received controlled experimental tests. However, the…
A novel, interesting class of scalar-tensor gravity theories is those with a limit on the field motion, where the scalar field either goes to a constant acceleration or stops accelerating and goes to a constant velocity. We combine these…
Modifications to gravity that add additional functions of the Ricci curvature to the Einstein-Hilbert action -- collectively known as $f(R)$ theories -- have been studied in great detail. When considered as complete theories of gravity they…
In the framework of extended gravity theories, we discuss the meaning of a time dependent "cosmological constant" and give a set of conditions to recover asymptotic de Sitter behaviour for a class of cosmological models independently of…
After a short history of the $\Lambda$-term it is explained why the (effective) cosmological constant is expected to obtain contributions from short-distance physics, corresponding to an energy at least as large as the Fermi scale. The…
With the advent of gravitational-wave astronomy marked by the aLIGO GW150914 and GW151226 observations, a measurement of the cosmological speed of gravity will likely soon be realized. We show that a confirmation of equality to the speed of…
We use measurements from the Planck satellite mission and galaxy redshift surveys over the last decade to test three of the basic assumptions of the standard model of cosmology, $\Lambda$CDM: the spatial curvature of the universe, the…
This thesis is devoted to the study of gravitational theories which can be seen as modifications or generalisations of General Relativity. The motivation for considering such theories, stemming from Cosmology, High Energy Physics and…
This thesis focuses on late-time cosmic acceleration within modified theories of gravity, using various observational data sets and statistical analysis. The Universe is assumed to be spatially homogeneous and isotropic and is described by…
In the present article we have investigated a very natural question regarding the dynamics of the universe, namely, the possibility of its decelerating phase immediately after the present accelerating phase. To begin with, we have focused…
Models of quantum gravity imply a fundamental revision of our description of position and momentum that manifests in modifications of the canonical commutation relations. Experimental tests of such modifications remain an outstanding…
We investigate what current cosmological data tells us about the cosmological expansion rate in a model independent way. Specifically, we study if the expansion was decelerating at high redshifts and is accelerating now, without referring…
We construct a phenomenological theory of gravitation based on a second order gauge formulation for the Lorentz group. The model presents a long-range modification for the gravitational field leading to a cosmological model provided with an…
We introduce The Novel Probes Project, an initiative to advance the field of astrophysical tests of the dark sector by creating a forum that connects observers and theorists. This review focuses on tests of gravity and is intended to be of…
The onset of dark energy domination depends on the particular gravitational theory driving the cosmic evolution. Model independent techniques are crucial to test both the present $\Lambda$CDM cosmological paradigm and alternative theories,…
Investigating the accelerated expansion of the universe with cosmography is a best method to constraint cosmological models. In this work, in the $F(G)$ modified gravity framework, we obtain equations of motion in a flat FRW metric. Then we…
Building on previous work, we re-examine the possibility of testing MOdified Newtonian Dynamics near the saddle points of gravitational potentials in the Solar System, through an extension of the forthcoming LISA Pathfinder mission. We…