Study of a Restricted Modified Gravity  on astrophysical and cosmological scales

ABSTRACT The discovery of 19 dwarf galaxies without dark matter (DM) provides, counterintuitively, strong support for the ΛCDM standard model of cosmology. Their presence is well accommodated in a scenario where the DM is in the form of cold dark particles. However, it is interesting to explore quantitatively what is needed from modified gravity models to accommodate the presence of these galaxies and what extra degree of freedom is needed in these models. To this end, we derive the dynamics at galaxy scales (Virial theorem) for a general class of modified gravity models. We distinguish between theories that satisfy the Jebsen–Birkhoff theorem, and those that do not. Our aim is to develop tests that can distinguish whether DM is part of the theory of gravity or a particle. The 19 dwarf galaxies discovered provide us with a stringent test for models of modified gravity. Our main finding is that there will always be an extra contribution to the Virial theorem coming from the modification of gravity, even if a certain galaxy shows very small, if not negligible, trace of DM, as has been reported recently. Thus, if these and more galaxies are confirmed as devoid (or negligible) of DM, while other similar galaxies have abundant DM, it seems interesting to find modifications of gravity to describe DM. Our result can be used by future astronomical surveys to put constraints on the parameters of modified gravity models at astrophysical scales where DM is described as such.

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Does the Cosmological Expansion Change Local Dynamics?

Symmetry ◽

10.3390/sym13081417 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1417

Author(s):

Marcelo Schiffer

Keyword(s):

Dark Matter ◽

Modified Gravity ◽

Hubble Constant ◽

Matter Content ◽

Matter Distribution ◽

Present Value ◽

Field Equations ◽

Local Dynamics ◽

Cosmological Expansion ◽

Modified Gravity Theories

It is a well-known fact that the Newtonian description of dynamics within Galaxies for its known matter content is in disagreement with the observations as the acceleration approaches a0≈1.2×10−10 m/s2 (slighter larger for clusters). Both the Dark Matter scenario and Modified Gravity Theories (MGT) fail to explain the existence of such an acceleration scale. Motivated by the closeness of the acceleration scale and the Hubble constant cH0≈10−9 h m/s2, we are led to analyze whether this coincidence might have a Cosmological origin for scalar-tensor and spinor-tensor theories by performing detailed calculations for perturbations that represent the local matter distribution on the top of the cosmological background. Then, we solve the field equations for these perturbations in a power series in the present value of the Hubble constant. As we shall see, for both theories, the power expansion contains only even powers in the Hubble constant, a fact that renders the cosmological expansion irrelevant for the local dynamics.

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