Talks

In this talk I will review the topic of 4D Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, which has been the subject of considerable interest over the past years. I will discuss the mathematical complexities involved in implementing this idea, and review recent attempts at constructing well-defined, self-consistent theories that enact it, and their relation to Horndeski gravity. I then move on to consider the interesting phenomenology that results from these theories.

Finding a complete explanation for cosmological evolution in its very early stages (about 13 billion years ago) can significantly advance our understanding of physics. Over the past few decades, several models have been proposed, with the majority falling into a category called inflationary universes, where the universe experiences rapid exponential expansion. Despite numerous achievements of inflationary models in explaining the origin of the universe, it has been shown that inflationary models generically suffer from being geodesically past incomplete, which is a representation of singularity. Motivated by addressing the singularity problem, we review a recent model of the early universe, called Cuscuton bounce. This model utilizes a theory of modified gravity by the same name, i.e., Cuscuton, which was originally proposed as a dark-energy candidate, to produce a bouncing cosmology. It has been shown that within the Cuscuton model, we can have a regular bounce without violation of the null energy condition in the matter sector, which is a common problem in most bouncing-cosmology models. In addition, the perturbations do not show any instabilities, and with the help of a spectator field, can generate a scale-invariant scalar power spectrum. We will then set out to investigate if this model has a strong coupling problem or any distinguishing and detectable signatures for non-Gaussianities. We expand the action to the third order and obtain all the interaction terms that can generate non-Gaussianities or potentially lead to a strong coupling problem (breakdown of the perturbation theory). While we do not expect the breakdown of the theory, any distinct and detectable sign of non-Gaussianities would provide an exciting opportunity to test the model with upcoming cosmological observations over the next decade.

The Horndeski program is motivated by arguing that scalar-tensor modifications to gravity should have two properties: effective interactions that are at most second-order in time derivatives and only a single scalar. I will argue against both of these criteria. First I argue why the low-energy limit of known well-behaved theories can have more than two-derivative field equations. Second I argue why the scalar-tensor interactions most likely to be found competing with gravity at very low energies typically are those with two derivatives, at least when semiclassical methods are justified, and this suggests exploring multiple-scalar models.

I extend EFT of inflation/dark energy to arbitrary background with timelike scalar profile. In this framework a set of consistency relations among EFT coefficients ensures the spatial diffeo invariance. Some applications to will also be discussed.

We study the weak-gravity regime of higher-order scalar-tensor theories that are degenerate in the unitary gauge. In a certain subset of theories analogous to Lorentz-violating scalar-tensor theories, we show that the Vainshtein mechanism due to nonlinear derivative interactions does not work. For this family of theories we determine all the PPN parameters in terms of the EFT of dark energy parameters and discuss the experimental bounds.

We present key cosmological findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)’s first year baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) measurements. DESI's BAO provide robust measurements of the transverse comoving distance and Hubble rate across seven redshift bins, spanning a redshift range of 0.1 < z < 4.2. DESI BAO data alone align well with the flat ΛCDM model with Ωm=0.295±0.015. Paired with a baryon density prior from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the acoustic angular scale from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, we find H0=68.52±0.62 km/s/Mpc. Combined analyses with CMB anisotropies and lensing from Planck and ACT yield Ωm=0.307±0.005 and H0=67.97±0.38 km/s/Mpc. Extending the baseline model with a constant dark energy equation of state parameter, w, results in w=−0.99+0.15−0.13. In a dark energy model with time-varying equation of state parametrized by w0 and wa, combined with various supernovae data, indicate deviations from ΛCDM at significance levels up to 3.9σ. For flat ΛCDM with the sum of neutrino mass free, DESI and CMB establish an upper limit of ∑ mν <0.072 (0.113) at 95% confidence for a ∑mν>0 (0.059) eV prior. We will also show forecasts for Y3 and Y5 results as well as prospects with DESI II.

We present 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. This gives a single-parameter extension to the standard ΛCDM model, which is equivalent to adding a dark energy component, but where the energy density of this component can have either sign. Fitting to data from the Planck satellite, we find that negative contributions are, in fact, preferred. Additionally, we find that roughly one percent weaker superhorizon gravity can somewhat ease the Hubble and clustering tensions in a range of cosmological observations. Therefore, the extra parametric freedom offered by our model deserves further exploration, and we discuss how future observations may elucidate this potential cosmic glitch in gravity, through a four-fold reduction in statistical uncertainties.

Measurements of the large-scale distribution of matter in the Universe are one of our primary tools for testing the predictions of general relativity on cosmological scales. I will describe how we pursue this using data from galaxy imaging surveys, focusing on Dark Energy Survey galaxy clustering and weak lensing analyses as an example. I will highlight results from the DES Year 3 analysis that are relevant for testing gravity, some practical aspects of extending survey analyses beyond ΛCDM, as well as ongoing work to address these challenges to prepare for future surveys.

I will introduce mochi_class, a refined version of the popular Einstein-Boltzmann solver hi_class optimised for calculations within Horndeski's gravity framework. Thanks to (i) a re-parametrisation of Horndeski functions, (ii) a numerically stable quasi-static approximation, and (iii) support for time-dependent inputs, mochi_class enhances hi_class capabilities and nicely complements other public Einstein-Boltzmann solvers. Additionally, I will present a non-parametric approach that, when integrated with Principal Component Analysis, can effectively reconstruct Horndeski functions from well-studied modified gravity models, extending the exploration of scalar-tensor theories beyond conventional parametrisations. I will conclude by highlighting practical applications where mochi_class can prove instrumental in analysing current and forthcoming large-scale structure data.

We present a comprehensive joint analysis of two distinct methodologies for measuring the masses of galaxy clusters: hydrostatic measurements and caustic techniques. We show that by including cluster-specific assumptions obtained from hydrostatic measurements in the caustic method, the potential mass bias between these approaches can be significantly reduced. While this may appear to diminish the caustic method as a technique independent of the dynamical state of a cluster, it provides a means to refine mass constraints and offers an avenue for scrutinizing modifications to gravity. Applying this approach to two well-observed massive galaxy clusters A2029 and A2142, we find no discernible mass bias, affirming the method's validity. We draw a similar conclusion when applying this approach to modified gravity models. Specifically, our implementation allows us to investigate Chameleon and Vainshtein screening mechanisms, enhancing our understanding of these modified gravity scenarios. Furthermore, we explore the prospect of achieving more precise constraints with fewer systematic errors by exclusively employing the caustic method to constrain screening mechanisms on a larger scale, encompassing several hundred stacked galaxy clusters.