Nonlinear Scales in Luminal Horndeski -- I. Halo mass function and power spectrum boost in models with Vainshtein screening

Abstract

We investigate nonlinear structure formation in Horndeski gravity with luminal gravitational wave speed ($c_T = 1$), assuming Vainshtein screening within the spherical collapse model. We compute the critical and virial overdensities and evaluate the halo mass function. Building on the reaction approach, we present a framework for the computation of the reaction and the resulting nonlinear matter power spectrum using the EFTofDE formulation of Horndeski gravity. We show results for the case of EFT functions that trace the evolution of dark energy, and specialize to the cubic galileon and nDGP models for benchmarking against existing results. The framework interfaces with \texttt{EFTCAMB} for the linear evolution, though alternatives are possible. While restricted to Vainshtein-screened models, the current implementation focuses on qualitative trends and parameter dependencies. Further refinements and extensions to other screening mechanisms will be addressed in future work.