Related papers: Decaying $\Lambda$ cosmologies and statistical pro…
Gravitational lensing distorts the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization fields and encodes valuable information on distances and growth rates at intermediate redshifts into the lensed power spectra. The…
Current cosmological tensions show that it is crucial to test the predictions from the canonical $\Lambda$CDM paradigm at different cosmic times. One very appealing test of structure formation in the universe is the growth rate of structure…
Stringent observational constraints on the sub-galactic matter power spectrum would allow one to distinguish between the concordance $\Lambda$CDM and the various alternative dark-matter models that predict significantly different properties…
After a brief introduction to gravitational lensing theory, a rough overview of the types of gravitational lensing statistics that have been performed so far will be given. I shall then concentrate on recent results of galaxy-galaxy…
We analyze strong gravitational lensing by a spherically symmetric mass distribution within the Einstein-Straus-de Sitter framework in a spatially open Universe with negative curvature ($k = -1$). Applying the theory to the lensed quasar…
Cosmologies with running cosmological term (Lambda) and gravitational Newton's coupling (G) may naturally be expected if the evolution of the universe can ultimately be derived from the first principles of Quantum Field Theory or String…
New corrections to General Relativity are considered in the context of modified $f(R)$ gravity, that satisfy cosmological and local gravity constraints. The proposed models behave asymptotically as $R-2\Lambda$ at large curvature and show…
The possibility of determining cosmological parameters on the basis of a wide set of observational data including the Abell-ACO cluster power spectrum and mass function, peculiar velocities of galaxies, the distribution of Ly-$\alpha$…
We study gravitational lensing when plasma surrounds the lens. An extra deflection angle is induced by the plasma in addition to the deflection generated by gravity. An inhomogeneous plasma distribution generates a greater effect than a…
f(R) gravity is thought to be an alternative to dark energy which can explain the acceleration of the universe. It has been tested by different observations including type Ia supernovae (SNIa), the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the…
Measurements of the Hubble constant, and more generally measurements of the expansion rate and distances over the interval $0 < z < 1$, appear to be inconsistent with the predictions of the standard cosmological model ($\Lambda$CDM) given…
We estimate the sensitivity of lensing observables to the parameters in the lens model (isothermal sphere/Navarro-Frenk-White profile) parameters and to cosmological parameters. We find that the observables are primarily dependent on the…
We investigate the weak gravitational lensing effect due to the large-scale structure of the universe on two-point correlations of local maxima ({\em hotspots}) in the 2D sky map of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy.…
Gravitational lensing can provide pure geometric tests of the structure of space-time, for instance by determining empirically the angular diameter distance-redshift relation. This geometric test has been demonstrated several times using…
We revisit the evolution of the scale factor in a flat FRW spacetime with a new generalized decay rule for the dynamic $\Lambda$-term under modified theories of gravity. It analyses certain cosmological parameters and examines their…
Weak gravitational lensing has several important effects on the cosmic microwave background (CMB): it changes the CMB power spectra, induces non-Gaussianities, and generates a B-mode polarization signal that is an important source of…
The precision reached by current and forthcoming strong-lensing observations requires to accurately model various perturbations to the main deflector. Hitherto, theoretical models have been developed to account for either cosmological…
We were asked to debate the value of the cosmological mass-density parameter Omega. Is Omega_m=1 in accordance with the simplest model? Is Omega_m much smaller as indicated by some observations? There is conflicting evidence. We lay out the…
Weak gravitational lensing is responsible for the shearing and magnification of the images of high-redshift sources due to the presence of intervening matter. The distortions are due to fluctuations in the gravitational potential, and are…
Future weak lensing surveys will map the evolution of matter perturbations and gravitational potentials, yielding a new test of general relativity on cosmic scales. They will probe the relations between matter overdensities, local…