We study a simple extension of the decoupling limit of boundary effctive actions for the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati model, by covariantizing the π lagrangian and coupling to gravity in the usual way. This extension agrees with DGP to leading order in Mpl^−1 , and simplifies the cosmological analysis. It is also shown to softly break the shift symmetry, while still being consistent with solar system observations. The generally covariant equations of motion for π and the metric are derived, then the cosmology is developed under the Cosmological Principle. Three analytic solutions are found and their stability is studied. Interesting DGP phenomenology is reproduced, and we consider one of the stable solutions. The cosmological analogue of the Vainshtein effect is reproduced and the effective equation of state, w_π, is shown to be bounded by −1 from above. This solution is additionally shown to be an attractor solution in an expanding universe. We evolve π numerically and reproduce these properties, and show that the universe will go through a contraction phase, due to this π field. We then place a constraint on r_c ≥ 10^29 cm, given recent WMAP5 data. This lower bound on r_c gives an upper bound on the anomalous perihelion precession of the moon ∼ 1 × 10^−13, 2 orders of magnitude below current experimental precision.

This thesis investigates the dynamics of a set of 8-600 Schwarzschild masses, randomly distributed inside cells which tessellate a 3-sphere. Furthermore the contents of each cell are mirror images of its neighbor. This symmetry give rise to a locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) curve, along which the Einstein field equations governing dynamics can be exactly integrated. The result is an irregular model consisting of discrete matter content, but where the dynamics is easy to calculate. We see that these local inhomogeneities will cause behavior deviating from the spherical dust-filled FLRW model. For instance, there are cases where configurations exhibit acceleration along the LRS curve, even though the content consists solely of ordinary matter with a vacuum filled exterior and no cosmological constant. / Denna avhandling undersöker konfigurationer av 8-600 Schwarzschild-massor, som är slumpmässigt utplacerade inom celler som tessellerar en 3-sfär. Utöver det är även innehållet i varje cell en spegelbild av granncellen. Denna symmetri ger upphov till en lokalt rotationssymmetrisk (LRS) kurva där Einsteins fältekvationer som beskriver dynamiken längs med är exakt integrerbara. Resultatet är en oregelbunden modell som består av diskreta massor, men vars dynamik är enkel att beräkna. Vi ser att dessa lokala inhomogeniteter ger upphov till beteenden som avviker från den sfäriska partikel-fyllda FLRW-modellen. Till exempel uppstår konfigurationer som uppvisar acceleration längs med LRS-kurvan, trots att innehållet består endast av ordinära massor med vakuum utanför och ingen kosmologisk konstant.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-163).

In this work we have examined different methods of averaging in general relativity and cosmology. We developed the method based on Cartan scalars. We computed the backreaction term for a flat LTB model with a special ansatz for the radial function. We found out that it behaves as a positive cosmological constant. In the next part of this thesis we were interested in averaging inside LRS class II dust model. For this family we averaged all the Einstein equations and the resulting system generalizes the Buchert equations. We numerically worked out two concrete examples where deceleration parameter changes its sign from positive to negative. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

The astrophysical data of the last two decades have allowed cosmologists to conclude that the present Universe is accelerating. The research carried out to find the origin of this phenomenon has led to the creation of a vast number of dark energy and modified gravity theories, of which the simplest is the ˄CDM model. The latter is, however, plagued with very difficult problems awaiting a solution. The work here presented seeks to contribute to the discussion of the possible explanation for the Cosmos' acceleration and other important questions in modern cosmology using the newest astrophysical observations available. This thesis starts by exploring a dark energy model dubbed thawing quintessence which is characterised by allowing a non constant ratio of pressure to density for dark energy that is however still close to -1 for most of the cosmological evolution, shifting away from this value when the domination of the radiation and matter components fades away. The findings are the most up-to-date constraints for which this model gives a viable theory for dark energy, including a bound on the equation of state at present of w < -0:88. This exact approach was contrasted with the use of an approximate equation-of-state parametrisation for thawing theories. The analysis also includes different parametrisation choices, and comments on the accuracy of the constraints imposed by CMB anisotropies alone. Next, the cosmology of hybrid metric-Palatini gravity is presented. This is a type of Modified Gravity theory in which the Lagrangian density for the gravitational action is a function of the Ricci scalars of both the connection and the metric. The background evolution of two models of this kind is examined explicitly showing the recovery of standard General Relativity at late times. The maximum deviation from the gravitational constant G at early times is constrained using a combination of geometrical data, finding it to be around 1%. A designer scenario, also introduced under the hybrid metric-Palatini formulation, is then used to explore to what extent early modifications of gravity, which become significant after recombination but then decay towards the present, can be constrained by current and future cosmological observations. This model is embedded in the effective field theory description of Horndeski scalar-tensor gravity with an early-time decoupling of the gravitational modification. Applying cosmological data, the constraints on the early-time deviations from General Relativity are obtained. These are dependent on the redshift at which the oscillations in the slip between the gravitational potentials are turned on. For zon = 1000, the deviation from Einstein's theory is ≤ 10-2 with 95% confidence. An explanation of the effect that these divergences have on the CMB power spectrum are discussed, as well as the effect that future 21 cm survey data will have on this study. The last part of this work is a move towards inflation, the early epoch of accelerated expansion undergone by the Universe. Here a parametrisation of the acceleration trajectory is investigated with the aim of measuring the rolling of the inflaton corresponding to the value of the tensor-to-scalar ratio r to be compared with future observations. Considering five ln ε amplitudes and 14 e-foldings, it was found that the posterior distribution of (r,∆Φ) is in very good agreement with Lyth's bound. The analysis included a histogram depiction of the latter result, from which later a minimum constraint on ∆ϕ for each of the bins was found. These outcomes constitute the intermediate step of this project which will be made more accurate by extending it to ~ 50 e-folds, a larger set of cosmological parameters and observational bounds that are restrictive on small scales.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-02-21Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:26:58Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 riveraecheverri_jd_me_ift.pdf: 457386 bytes, checksum: 5d639a5ed022bc76e4f1ab784a47e8e7 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Observações atuais do satélite Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) da Radiação Cósmica de Fundo (CMB) e estruturas de grande escala (LSS) têm permitido melhorar os estudos das anisotropias secundárias, especialmente o efeito Sachs-Wolfe Integrado (ISW). Usando a correlação cruzada entre a CMB e mapas da LSS, o sinal do efeito ISW pode ser detectado. Nós podemos usar o efeito ISW junto com o modelo cosmológico padrão (neste caso o Universo esta dominado pela constante cosmológica e a Matéria Escura Fria, ΛCDM) mais algoritmos numéricos para restringir os parâmetros em um modelo cosmológico com energia escura. Para diferentes casos com um único parâmetro livre de um model de Quintessência parametrizado,' w IND. 0' < 0 e 2,0 < 'w IND. a' <−2,0, podemos encontrar bins de largura [−1,926,−0,323] em 'w ind. 0' e [−0,855, 1,190]. Nestes intervalos, obtemos um sigma de nivel tomando o 68% da amostra que melhor se ajusta ao modelo cosmológico padrão / Current observations of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and Large Scale Structure (LSS) have allowed to improve studies of the secondary anisotropies, especially the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect (ISW). Using the cross-correlation between the CMB and LSS maps, the ISW effect signal can be detected. We can use the ISW effect together with standard cosmological model (in this case the Universe is dominated by the cosmological constant and Cold Dark Matter, ΛCDM) plus numerical algorithms to constrain the parameters in a cosmological model with dark energy. For cases different with a single free parameter of a parameterised Quintessence model, 'w ind. 0' < 0 and 2,0 < 'w ind. a' <−2,0, we can find bins of width [−1,926,−0,323] in 'w ind. 0' and [−0,855, 1,190] in wa. In these intervals, we obtain one sigma level by taking the 68% of the sample which best fit the standard cosmological model

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:13:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 989729 bytes, checksum: 3e97939bd59206a6ed90c89ca0467d17 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Cosmological models involving scalar fields allow the description of a phase of accelerated cosmic expansion and thus appear as a promising alternative for the study of the cosmic inflation and dark energy. We are interested here in analyzing these cosmological models. In particular, we will explore cosmological solutions based on the first order formalism. The inclusion of this method favors the search for analytic solutions with scalar fields in cosmology, and this is particularly important when we consider the component of nonrelativistic matter (dust) in the presence of dark energy, in order to construct a cosmological model capable of explaining, in good agreement with observational data, the current phase of cosmic acceleration. Considering a regime of Lorentz violation, the use of this method allowed us to verify that new considerations must be implemented so that the inflationary regime can now solve the problem of initial conditions. Another question of interest, which can be addressed with the aid of the first order formalism, takes into account the possibility of the dark energy equation of state parameter to be a constant other than −1 and in this case we get that a lot of fine-tuning is needed, which should be interpreted as strong evidence in favor of a dynamic model of dark energy. We also introduce the so-called deformation method on the slow-roll inflationary models, and we explore this framework in applications of current interest to this branch of research. / Modelos cosmológicos envolvendo campos escalares permitem a descrição de uma fase de expansão cósmica acelerada e, portanto, se apresentam como uma alternativa promissora no estudo da inflação cósmica e da energia escura. Estamos aqui interessados em analisar esses modelos cosmológicos; em especial, vamos explorar soluções cosmológicas baseadas no formalismo de primeira ordem. A inclusão desse método favorece a busca por soluções analíticas na cosmologia com campos escalares e isso é particularmente interessante no caso em que consideramos o componente de matéria não relativística (poeira) na presença da energia escura, afim de construir um modelo cosmológico capaz de explicar, em bom acordo com os dados observacionais, a atual fase de aceleração cósmica. Considerando um regime de violação de Lorentz, a utilização desse método nos permitiu verificar que novas considerações devem ser implementadas, para que o regime inflacionário possa resolver o problema das condições iniciais. Outra questão de interesse, que pode ser analisada com auxílio do formalismo de primeira ordem, leva em conta a possibilidade da equação de estado da energia escura ser um constante qualquer diferente de −1 e, nesse caso, obtemos que uma grande quantidade de ajuste fino é necessária, o que deve ser interpretado como uma forte evidência em favor de um modelo dinâmico de energia escura. Também introduzimos o chamado método de deformação a modelos inflacionários sob o regime de rolagem lenta e exploramos essa ferramenta em aplicações de corrente interesse na literatura.

Os recentes avanços em cosmologia observacional indicam que o universo esteja passando por uma fase de expansão acelerada. A determinação do mecanismo responsável pela aceleração cósmica constitui um dos problemas mais intrigantes na ciência hoje. Entre os diversos candidatos a mecanismo de aceleração, a explicação mais simples e econômica é assumir a existência de uma constante cosmológica associada à energia do vácuo. Contudo, essa interpretação leva a importantes problemas conceituais associados à natureza dessa componente. Nesta tese, investigamos a dinâmica de diferentes mecanismos de aceleração cósmica, comparando suas previsões com diversos testes observacionais. Em particular, demos ênfase aos cenários baseados na criação de matéria escura fria (CCDM), nos quais a presente aceleração do universo é produzida sem a presença de um fluido exótico, como consequência do processo de produção de partículas de matéria escura gravitacionalmente induzido. Inicialmente, propusemos um modelo no qual o mecanismo de criação de partículas é capaz de gerar uma cosmologia dinamicamente degenerada com o modelo padrão, CDM. Discutimos no chamado modelo de Lima, Jesus & Oliveira (LJO) a dinâmica cosmológica com criação de matéria escura fria e com pressão. Através de um teste estatístico de $\\chi^2$, mostramos que o modelo fornece ótimo ajuste aos dados de supernovas tipo Ia (SNe Ia). Posteriormente, estudamos a evolução de pequenas perturbações de densidade em um fundo homogêneo para modelos tipo CCDM, através do formalismo Neo-Newtoniano. Restringindo-nos ao modelo LJO, comparamos as previsões obtidas nesse contexto com as proveniente do modelo CDM. Mostramos que o modelo é capaz de fornecer excelente ajuste aos dados observacionais de medidas da taxa de crescimento linear, para o caso plano e com velocidade efetiva do som $c^2_=-1$. Ainda dentro do cenário CCDM, investigamos uma segunda proposta original, com capacidade de ajuste às observações similar aos modelos CDM e LJO com mesmo número de parâmetros livres, porém com dinâmica não degenerada com estes. Derivamos a dinâmica cosmológica do modelo e discutimos a sua viabilidade através da análise estatística de medidas de SNe Ia e do parâmetro de Hubble em diferentes redshifts $H(z)$. Finalmente, discutimos a dinâmica de um modelo com decaimento do vácuo ((t)CDM) e sua descrição em campos escalares. Assumindo como forma d o termo de vácuo uma série de potências truncada do parâmetro de Hubble, derivamos as equações dinâmicas básicas e as previsões cosmológicas do modelo. Mostramos que, quando a transferência de energia entre as componentes dos setor escuro se dá através da criação de partículas, modelos CCDM e (t)CDM podem compartilhar a mesma dinâmica e termodinâmica, dentro de certas condições. Adicionalmente, mostramos que o modelo é capaz de prover um bom ajuste às medidas de SNe Ia e da chamada razão CMB/BAO. Obtivemos ainda uma descrição do modelo (t)CDM por um campo escalar, estendendo a validade do modelo para outros espaços-tempos e outras teorias gravitacionais. Nossos resultados mostram que existem diversas alternativas viáveis ao atual modelo padrão em cosmologia, capazes de contornar os problemas as sociados à constante cosmológica. A discussão dessas alternativas é essencial para uma compreensão mais profunda acerca da dinâmica, da composição e do destino do universo. / Recent advances in observational cosmology indicate that the universe is undergoing an accelerating stage of expansion. The determination of the mechanism responsible for the cosmic acceleration is one of the most intriguing problems in science today. Among many candidates for the acceleration mechanism, the simplest and most economical explanation is to assume the existence of a cosmological constant associated with the vacuum energy. However, this interpretation leads to important conceptual problems associated with the nature of this component. In this thesis, we investigate the dynamics of different mechanisms of cosmic acceleration, comparing their predictions through several observational tests. In particular, we emphasize the scenarios based on creation of cold dark matter (CCDM), in which the present acceleration of the universe is produced without the presence of an exotic fluid as a result of the gravitationally induced dark matter production process. Initially, we have proposed a model in which the particle creation mechanism is able to produce a cosmology dynamically degenerated with respect to the standard model, CDM. We discussed the cosmological dynamics for the creation of cold dark matter and dark matter with pressure within the so-called model of Lima, Jesus & Oliveira (LJO). Through a statistical $\\chi^2$ test, we showed that the model provides a good fit to the type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) data. Subsequently, we studied the evolution of small density perturbations in a homogeneous background for CCDM type models through the Neo-Newtonian formalism. Restricting ourselves to the LJO model, the predictions obtained in this context were compared with those from the CDM model. We showed that the model is able to provide a very good fit to the linear growth rate observational data, for a flat universe and effective speed of sound $c^2_=-1$. Also within the CCDM scenario, we discussed a second original proposal with similar goodnes-of-fit and same degree of freedom to the models CDM and LJO, but with a non-degenerated dynamics. We derived the dynamics of the model and discussed its viability through the statistical analysis of measurements of SNe Ia and Hubble parameter in different redshifts $H(z)$, obtaining results in complete agreement. Finally, we discussed the dynamics of a model with vacuum decay ((t)CDM) and its description by scalar fields. Assuming the form of the vacuum term as a power series in the Hubble parameter, we derived the basic dynamic equations and the cosmological predictions of the model. We showed that when the energy exchange between the components of the dark sector is through the creation of particles, CCDM models and (t)CDM can share the same dynamics and thermodynamics under certain conditions. Additionally, we showed that the model is able to provide a good fit to the SNe Ia data and measurements of the CMB/BAO ratio. We also derived a description of CDM model by a scalar field, extending the validity of the model for other space-times and other gravitational theories. Our results show that there are several viable alternatives to the current standard model of cosmology, able to overcome the problems associated with the cosmological constant. The discussion of these alternatives is essential to a deeper understanding of the dynamics,composition and fate of the universe.

In this work we test a cosmological model with an interaction between dark energy and dark matter, where a tachyon scalar field plays the role of dark energy. With that in mind, we developed a numerical code that solves the background equations and extracts the cosmological parameters and we compared the results of the interacting tachyon model with those of other dark energy candidates. Our results show that the model indeed explains the observational data and has interesting cosmological properties, but might face challenges when compared to other dark energy candidates. / Neste trabalho testamos um modelo cosmológico com uma interação entre energia escura e matéria escura, onde um campo escalar taquiônico desempenha o papel da energia escura. Para isso, desenvolvemos um código computacional que resolve as equações numericamente e vincula os parâmetros cosmológicos e, assim, comparamos os resultados do modelo taquiônico interagente com os de outros candidatos à energia escura. Nossas análises mostram que o modelo, de fato, consegue explicar os dados observacionais, além de possuir propriedades cosmológicas interessantes, mas apresenta dificuldades quando comparado a outros modelos de energia escura.

Modern Cosmology offers us a great understanding of the universe with striking precision, made possible by the modern technologies of the newest generations of telescopes. The standard cosmological model, however, is not absent of theoretical problems and open questions. One possibility that has been put forward is the existence of a coupling between dark sectors. The idea of an interaction between the dark components could help physicists understand why we live in an epoch of the universe where dark matter and dark energy are comparable in terms of energy density, which can be regarded as a strange coincidence given that their time evolutions are completely different. Dark matter and dark energy are generally treated as perfect fluids. Interaction is introduced when we allow for a non-zero term in the right-hand side of their individual energy-momentum tensor conservation equations. We proceed with a phenomenological approach to test models of interaction with observations of redshift-space distortions. In a flat universe composed only of these two fluids, we consider separately two forms of interaction, through terms proportional to the densities of both dark energy and dark matter. An analytic expression for the growth rate approximated as f = Omega^gamma, where Omega is the percentage contribution from the dark matter to the energy content of the universe and gamma is the growth index, is derived in terms of the interaction strength and of other parameters of the model in the first case, while for the second model we show that a non-zero interaction cannot be accommodated by the index growth approximation. The successful expressions obtained are then used to compare the predictions with growth of structure observational data in a Markov Chain Monte Carlo code and we find that the current growth data alone cannot impose constraints on the interaction strength due to their large uncertainties. We also employ observations of galaxy clusters to assess their virial state via the modified Layzer-Irvine equation in order to detect signs of an interaction. We obtain measurements of observed virial ratios, interaction strength, rest virial ratio and departure from equilibrium for a set of clusters. A compounded analysis indicates an interaction strength of 0.29^{+2.25}_{-0.40}, compatible with no interaction, but a compounded rest virial ratio of 0.82^{+0.13}_{-0.14}, which means a 2 sigma confidence level detection. Despite this tension, the method produces encouraging results while still leaves room for improvement, possibly by removing the assumption of small departure from equilibrium. / A cosmologia moderna oferece um ótimo entendimento do universo com uma precisão impressionante, possibilitada pelas tecnologias modernas das gerações mais novas de telescópios. O modelo cosmológico padrão, porém, não é livre de problemas do ponto de vista teórico, deixando perguntas ainda sem respostas. Uma possibilidade que tem sido proposta é a existência de um acoplamento entre setores escuros. A ideia de uma interação entre os componentes escuros poderia ajudar os físicos a entender por que vivemos em uma época do universo na qual a matéria escura e a energia escura são comparáveis em termos de densidades de energia, o que pode ser considerado uma estranha coincidência dado que suas evoluções com o tempo são completamente diferentes. Matéria escura e energia escura são geralmente tratadas como fluidos perfeitos. A interação é introduzida ao permitirmos um tensor não nulo no lado direito das equações de conservação dos tensores de energia-momento. Prosseguimos com uma abordagem fenomenológica para testar modelos de interação com observações de distorções no espaço de redshift. Em um universo plano composto apenas por esses dois fluidos, consideramos, separadamente, duas formas de interação, através de termos proporcionais às densidades de energia escura e de matéria escura. Uma expressão analítica para a taxa de crescimento aproximada por f = Omega^gamma, onde Omega é a contribuição percentual da matéria escura para o conteúdo do universo e gamma é o índice de crescimento, é deduzida em termos da interação e de outros parâmetros do modelo no primeiro caso, enquanto para o segundo caso mostramos que uma interação não nula não pode ser acomodada pela aproximação do índice de crescimento. As expressões obtidas são então utilizadas para comparar as previsões com dados observacionais de crescimento de estruturas em um programa para Monte Carlo via cadeias de Markov. Concluímos que tais dados atuais por si só não são capazes de restringir a interação devido às suas grandes incertezas. Utilizamos também observações de aglomerados de galáxias para analisar seus estados viriais através da equação de Layzer-Irvine modificada a fim de detectar sinais de interação. Obtemos medições de taxas viriais observadas, constante de interação, taxa virial de equilíbrio e desvio do equilíbrio para um conjunto de aglomerados. Uma análise combinada indica uma constante de interação 0.29^{+2.25}_{-0.40}, compatível com zero, mas uma taxa virial de equilíbrio combinada de 0.82^{+0.13}_{-0.14}, o que significa uma detecção em um intervalo de confiança de 2 sigma. Apesar desta tensão, o método produz resultados encorajadores enquanto ainda permite melhorias, possivelmente pela remoção da suposição de pequenos desvios do equilíbrio.