arXiv subjects

G. Alestas

Publications and source records attributed to G. Alestas.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Euclid: Forecasts on $\Lambda$CDM consistency tests with growth rate data

The large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe is an important probe for deviations from the canonical cosmological constant $\Lambda$ and cold dark matter ($\Lambda$CDM) model. A statistically significant detection of any deviations would signify the presence of new physics or the breakdown of any number of the underlying assumptions of the standard cosmological model or possible systematic errors in the data. In this paper, we quantify the ability of the LSS data products of the spectroscopic survey of the Euclid mission, together with other contemporary surveys, to improve the constraints on deviations from $\Lambda$CDM in the redshift range $0<z<1.75$. We consider both currently available growth rate data and simulated data with specifications from Euclid and external surveys, based on $\Lambda$CDM and a modified gravity (MoG) model with an evolving Newton's constant (denoted $\mu$CDM), and carry out a binning method and a machine learning reconstruction, based on genetic algorithms (GAs), of several LSS null tests. Using the forecast Euclid growth data from the spectroscopic survey in the range $0.95<z<1.75$, we find that in combination with external data products (covering the range $0<z<0.95$), Euclid will be able to improve on current constraints of null tests of the LSS on average by a factor of eight when using a binning method and a factor of six when using the GAs. Our work highlights the need for synergies between Euclid and other surveys, but also the usefulness of statistical analyses, such as GAs, in order to disentangle any degeneracies in the cosmological parameters. Both are necessary to provide tight constraints over an extended redshift range and to probe for deviations from the $\Lambda$CDM model.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Euclid preparation: Expected constraints on initial conditions

The Euclid mission of the European Space Agency will deliver galaxy and cosmic shear surveys, which will be used to constrain initial conditions and statistics of primordial fluctuations. We present highlights for the Euclid scientific capability to test initial conditions beyond LCDM with the main probes, i.e. 3D galaxy clustering from the spectroscopic survey, the tomographic approach to 3x2pt statistics from photometric galaxy survey, and their combination. We provide Fisher forecasts from the combination of Euclid spectroscopic and photometric surveys for spatial curvature, running of the spectral index of the power spectrum of curvature perturbations, isocurvature perturbations, and primordial features. For the parameters of these models we also provide the combination of Euclid forecasts (pessimistic and optimistic) with current and future measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies., i.e. Planck, the Simons Observatory (SO), and CMB-S4. We provide Fisher forecasts for how the power spectrum and bispectrum from the Euclid spectroscopic survey will constrain the local, equilateral, and orthogonal shapes of primordial non-Gaussianity. We also review how Bayesian field-level inference of primordial non-Gaussianity can constrain local primordial non-Gaussianity. We show how Euclid, with its unique combination of the main probes, will provide the tightest constraints on low redshift to date. By targeting a markedly different range in redshift and scale, Euclid's expected uncertainties are complementary to those obtained by CMB primary anisotropy, returning the tightest combined constraints on the physics of the early Universe.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Euclid. I. Overview of the Euclid mission

The current standard model of cosmology successfully describes a variety of measurements, but the nature of its main ingredients, dark matter and dark energy, remains unknown. Euclid is a medium-class mission in the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) that will provide high-resolution optical imaging, as well as near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy, over about 14,000 deg^2 of extragalactic sky. In addition to accurate weak lensing and clustering measurements that probe structure formation over half of the age of the Universe, its primary probes for cosmology, these exquisite data will enable a wide range of science. This paper provides a high-level overview of the mission, summarising the survey characteristics, the various data-processing steps, and data products. We also highlight the main science objectives and expected performance.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Constraining a late time transition of $G_{\rm eff}$ using low-z galaxy survey data

It has recently been pointed out that a gravitational transition taking place at a recent redshift $z_t$, reducing the effective gravitational constant $G_{\rm eff}$ by about $10\%$ for $z>z_t$, has the potential to lead to a resolution of the Hubble tension if $z_t\lesssim 0.01$. Since $H(z)^2\sim G_{\rm eff}$, such a transition would also lead to sharp change of the slope of the Hubble diagram at $z=z_t$ and a sharp decrease in the number of galaxies per redshift bin at $z_t$. Here we attempt to impose constraints on such a transition by using two robust low-z redshift survey datasets ($z<0.01$), taken from the Six-degree Field Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) as well as the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS). In both surveys, we bin the data in redshift bins and focus on the number of galaxies in each bin ($ΔN(z_i)$). We observe a peak in the distribution of galaxies near a distance of approximately 20 Mpc in both datasets. This feature could be attributed to galactic density fluctuations, to coherent peculiar velocities of galaxies or to an ultra late-time gravitational transition in the same era. In the context of the later scenario we show that this feature could have been induced by a sharp change of $G_{\rm eff}$ by $ΔG_{\rm eff}/G_{\rm eff} \simeq 0.6$ at $z_t\simeq 0.005$. Thus, in a conservative approach, this method can be used to impose constraints on a possible abrupt change of the gravitational constant taking place at very low redshifts.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Late time approaches to the Hubble tension deforming $H(z)$, worsen the growth tension

Many late time approaches for the solution of the Hubble tension use late time smooth deformations of the Hubble expansion rate $H(z)$ of the Planck18/$Λ$CDM best fit to match the locally measured value of $H_0$ while effectively keeping the comoving distance to the last scattering surface and $Ω_{0m} h^2$ fixed to maintain consistency with Planck CMB measurements. A well known problem of these approaches is that they worsen the fit to low $z$ distance probes. Here we show that another problem of these approaches is that they worsen the level of the $Ω_{0m}-σ_8$ growth tension. We use the generic class of CPL parametrizations corresponding to evolving dark energy equation of state parameter $w(z)=w_0+w_1\frac{z}{1+z}$ with local measurements $H_0$ prior and identify the pairs $(w_0, w_1)$ that satisfy this condition. This is a generic class of smooth deformations of $H(z)$ that are designed to address the Hubble tension. We show that for these models the growth tension between dynamical probe data and CMB constraints is worse than the corresponding tension of the standard Planck18/$Λ$CDM model. We justify this feature using a full numerical solution of the growth equation and fit to the data, as well as by using an approximate analytic approach. The problem does not affect recent proposed solutions of the Hubble crisis involving a SnIa intrinsic luminosity transition at $z_t\simeq 0.01$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Existence and Stability of Static Spherical Fluid Shells in a Schwarzschild-Rindler-anti-de Sitter Metric

We demonstrate the existence of static stable spherical fluid shells in the Schwarzschild-Rindler-anti-de Sitter (SRAdS) spacetime where $ds^2 = f(r)dt^{2} -\frac{dr^{2}}{f(r)}-r^{2}(dθ^2 +\sin ^2 θdϕ^2)$ with $f(r) = 1 -\frac{2Gm}{r} + 2 b r -\fracΛ{3}r^2$. This is an alternative to the well known gravastar geometry where the stability emerges due to the combination of the repulsive forces of the interior de Sitter space with the attractive forces of the exterior Schwarzschild spacetime. In the SRAdS spacetime the repulsion that leads to stability of the shell comes from a negative Rindler term while the Schwarzschild and anti-de Sitter terms are attractive. We demonstrate the existence of such stable spherical shells for three shell fluid equations of state: vacuum shell ($p=-σ$), stiff matter shell ($p=σ$) and dust shell ($p=0$) where $p$ is the shell pressure and $σ$ is the shell surface density. We also identify the metric parameter conditions that need to be satisfied for shell stability in each case. The vacuum stable shell solution in the SRAdS spacetime is consistent with previous studies by two of the authors that demonstrated the existence sf stable spherical scalar field domain walls in the SRAdS spacetime.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

$H_0$ Tension, Phantom Dark Energy and Cosmological Parameter Degeneracies

Phantom dark energy can produce amplified cosmic acceleration at late times, thus increasing the value of $H_0$ favored by CMB data and releasing the tension with local measurements of $H_0$. We show that the best fit value of $H_0$ in the context of the CMB power spectrum is degenerate with a constant equation of state parameter $w$, in accordance with the approximate effective linear equation $H_0 + 30.93\; w - 36.47 = 0$ ($H_0$ in $km \; sec^{-1} \; Mpc^{-1}$). This equation is derived by assuming that both $Ω_{0 \rm m}h^2$ and $d_A=\int_0^{z_{rec}}\frac{dz}{H(z)}$ remain constant (for invariant CMB spectrum) and equal to their best fit Planck/$Λ$CDM values as $H_0$, $Ω_{0 \rm m}$ and $w$ vary. For $w=-1$, this linear degeneracy equation leads to the best fit $H_0=67.4 \; km \; sec^{-1} \; Mpc^{-1}$ as expected. For $w=-1.22$ the corresponding predicted CMB best fit Hubble constant is $H_0=74 \; km \; sec^{-1} \; Mpc^{-1}$ which is identical with the value obtained by local distance ladder measurements while the best fit matter density parameter is predicted to decrease since $Ω_{0 \rm m}h^2$ is fixed. We verify the above $H_0-w$ degeneracy equation by fitting a $w$CDM model with fixed values of $w$ to the Planck TT spectrum showing also that the quality of fit ($χ^2$) is similar to that of $Λ$CDM. However, when including SnIa, BAO or growth data the quality of fit becomes worse than $Λ$CDM when $w< -1$. Finally, we generalize the $H_0-w(z)$ degeneracy equation for $w(z)=w_0+w_1\; z/(1+z)$ and identify analytically the full $w_0-w_1$ parameter region that leads to a best fit $H_0=74\; km \; sec^{-1} \; Mpc^{-1}$ in the context of the Planck CMB spectrum. This exploitation of $H_0-w(z)$ degeneracy can lead to immediate identification of all parameter values of a given $w(z)$ parametrization that can potentially resolve the $H_0$ tension.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

Evading Derrick's theorem in curved space: Static metastable spherical domain wall

A recent analysis by one of the authors\cite{Perivolaropoulos:2018cgr} has pointed out that Derrick's theorem can be evaded in curved space. Here we extend that analysis by demonstrating the existence of a static metastable solution in a wide class of metrics that include a Schwarzschild-Rindler-AntideSitter spacetime (Grumiller metric) defined as $ds^2= f(r) dt^2 - f(r)^{-1} dr^2 - r^2 (dθ^2 +\sin^2θdϕ^2)$ with $f(r)=1-\frac{2Gm}{r}+2br-\fracΛ{3} r^2$ ($Λ<0\; b<0$). This metric emerges generically as a spherically symmetric vacuum solution in a class of scalar-tensor theories\cite{Grumiller:2010bz} as well as in Weyl conformal gravity\cite{Mannheim:1988dj}. It also emerges in General Relativity (GR) in the presence of a cosmological constant and a proper spherically symmetric perfect fluid. We demonstrate that this metric supports a static spherically symmetric metastable soliton scalar field solution that corresponds to a spherical domain wall. We derive the static solution numerically and identify a range of parameters $m, b, Λ$ of the metric for which the spherical wall is metastable. Our result is supported by both a minimization of the scalar field energy functional with proper boundary conditions and by a numerical simulation of the scalar field evolution. The metastable solution is very well approximated as $ϕ(r) = Tanh\left[q (r-r_0)\right]$ where $r_0$ is the radius of the metastable wall that depends on the parameters of the metric and $q$ determines the width of the wall. We also find the gravitational effects of the thin spherical wall solution and its backreaction on the background metric that allows its formation. We show that this backreaction does not hinder the metastability of the solution even though it can change the range of parameters that correspond to metastability.

gr-qc↗