Professor Pedro Ferreira

Abstract:

There is a distinct possibility that current and future cosmological data can be used to constrain Einstein's theory of gravity on the very largest scales. To be able to do this in a model-independent way, it makes sense to work with a general parameterization of modified gravity. Such an approach would be analogous to the Parameterized Post-Newtonian (PPN) approach which is used on the scale of the Solar System. A few such parameterizations have been proposed and preliminary constraints have been obtained. We show that the majority of such parameterizations are only exactly applicable in the quasistatic regime. On larger scales they fail to encapsulate the full behaviour of typical models currently under consideration. We suggest that it may be possible to capture the additions to the `Parameterized Post-Friedmann' (PPF) formalism by treating them akin to fluid perturbations.

Abstract:

In this review we present a thoroughly comprehensive survey of recent work on modified theories of gravity and their cosmological consequences. Amongst other things, we cover General Relativity, Scalar-Tensor, Einstein-Aether, and Bimetric theories, as well as TeVeS, f(R), general higher-order theories, Horava-Lifschitz gravity, Galileons, Ghost Condensates, and models of extra dimensions including Kaluza-Klein, Randall-Sundrum, DGP, and higher co-dimension braneworlds. We also review attempts to construct a Parameterised Post-Friedmannian formalism, that can be used to constrain deviations from General Relativity in cosmology, and that is suitable for comparison with data on the largest scales. These subjects have been intensively studied over the past decade, largely motivated by rapid progress in the field of observational cosmology that now allows, for the first time, precision tests of fundamental physics on the scale of the observable Universe. The purpose of this review is to provide a reference tool for researchers and students in cosmology and gravitational physics, as well as a self-contained, comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the subject as a whole.

Abstract:

Ultralight scalar fields, with masses of between m=10⊃-33eV and m=10⊃-22eV, can affect the growth of structure in the Universe. We identify the different regimes in the evolution of ultralight scalar fields, how they affect the expansion rate of the Universe, and how they affect the growth rate of cosmological perturbations. We find a number of interesting effects, discuss how they might arise in realistic scenarios of the early universe, and comment on how they might be observed. © 2010 The American Physical Society.