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arXiv · 1806.04302

Splashback in galaxy clusters as a probe of cosmic expansion and gravity

Susmita Adhikari·Jeremy Sakstein·Bhuvnesh Jain·Neal Dalal·Baojiu Li
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Abstract

The splashback radius is a physical scale in dark matter halos that is set by the gravitational dynamics of recently accreted shells. We use analytical models and N-body simulations to study the dependence of splashback on dark energy and screened modified gravity theories. In modified gravity models, the transition from screened to unscreened regions typically occurs in the cluster outskirts, suggesting potentially observable signatures in the splashback feature. We investigate the location of splashback in both chameleon and Vainshtein screened models and find significant differences compared with $Λ$CDM predictions. We also find an interesting interplay between dynamical friction and modified gravity, providing a distinctive signature for modified gravity models in the behavior of the splashback feature as a function of galaxy luminosity.

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Susmita Adhikari, Jeremy Sakstein, Bhuvnesh Jain, Neal Dalal, Baojiu Li. 2018-06-12. Splashback in galaxy clusters as a probe of cosmic expansion and gravity. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516%2F2018%2F11%2F033

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