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Leonardo Castañeda

Publications and source records attributed to Leonardo Castañeda.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Cosmological constraints on viable $f(R)$ models using weak lensing

The accelerated expansion of the Universe remains one of the central open problems in modern cosmology. While the $Λ$CDM model successfully describes a wide range of observations, the physical nature of dark energy is still unknown, motivating the study of alternative theories of gravity. Among these, $f(R)$ models provide a well-established extension of General Relativity, capable of reproducing a $Λ$CDM-like background evolution without introducing an explicit dark energy component. However, they can induce deviations in the growth of cosmic structures, making them testable through observables sensitive to cosmological perturbations. In this work, we use weak gravitational lensing to constrain several viable $f(R)$ gravity models. We analyze their impact on the matter power spectrum, as well as on the convergence and cosmic shear power spectra. Our analysis is carried out within a Bayesian framework using the \textit{Cobaya} code and its modified gravity extension, \textit{MGCobaya}, which enables consistent theoretical predictions and their comparison with current weak lensing and CMB lensing data. We find that standard cosmological parameters remain consistent with the $Λ$CDM scenario for all models considered, as expected from their background degeneracy. Nevertheless, we obtain non-trivial and model-dependent constraints on the characteristic parameters of several $f(R)$ theories.

astro-ph.CO

A 3+1 Perturbative Approach to the Cosmic Dynamo Equation

In this work, we analyze the evolution of PMFs within a perturbed Friedmann-Lema\^ıtre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) spacetime using the formalisms of Numerical Relativity (NR). We apply the 3+1 decomposition to first-order cosmological perturbations to derive the cosmological dynamo equation under the kinematic-dynamo approximation. Our objective is to study the interaction between the seed magnetic field and the growing modes of scalar perturbations, whose associated velocity fields are evolved numerically using the software \texttt{Einstein Toolkit} and \texttt{FLRWSolver}. We find that these velocity fields effectively drive the amplification of the PMF, demonstrating that the extent of this growth is dependent on the electrical conductivity of the cosmic medium. Our findings provide a computational description linking primordial magnetogenesis to the evolution of magnetic seeds, ultimately explaining the ubiquity of large-scale magnetic fields in the universe

gr-qc

Analytical Description of Baryonic Matter Fluctuations Using Jeans Filtering Functions in Second-Order Cosmological Perturbation Theory

Cosmological perturbation theory provides the fundamental framework for describing the evolution of the matter-energy density field in an expanding Universe and serves as the basis for understanding the formation of large-scale structures within the $Λ$CDM paradigm. We present an analytical approach to describe the evolution of fluctuations in a mixed fluid composed of cold dark matter (CDM) and baryonic matter. Assuming that the Universe is governed by General Relativity, we employ the Vlasov equation to derive the general equations of motion for this mixed cosmological fluid, incorporating baryonic effects through the stress tensor by considering only the contributions from baryonic pressure. We introduce the Jeans filtering functions as a biasing tool that allows us to describe baryonic fluctuations with CDM as a tracer, and we obtain an analytical description of the fluctuations -- a novel and uncommon approach compared to the accepted computational advances currently available in this field. First- and second-order solutions are obtained through a single iteration of the equations of motion, with the aim of identifying how the filtering scale behaves in a second-order theory compared to the linear one, as well as some of its impacts on the matter power spectrum without the need to compute it explicitly. For the first time, these kind of solutions are derived entirely through an analytical method. Finally, we obtain analytical expressions for baryonic fluctuations in the density and velocity fields, which can be readily evaluated and provide valuable insights into the role of baryons in the Large-scale structure of the Universe. Consequently, these results reveal how pressure effects shift the filtering scale and how including this component could influence parameters such as the filtering mass and the temperature of the pressure-supported components.

astro-ph.CO

Gravitational lensing by a generalised-NFW halo via the Fox $H$-function and its application to the super-NFW

We present an analytical framework for a family of axisymmetric gravitational lenses, in which we express the lensing properties in terms of the Fox $H$-function. We apply this framework to a generalised-NFW (gNFW) profile, where we provide the power series representation of the Fox $H$-functions involved, and explore their performance and accuracy. From these power series we show that the corresponding Fox $H$-functions reduce to simple expressions in terms of the Gauss hypergeometric function. We apply these results to the particular case of the super-NFW (sNFW) profile, obtaining simpler expressions, this time in terms of complete elliptic functions (which are easier to work with). When the number of images formed is maximum, the sum of their signed magnifications denoted as $I$, is constant for several lenses. We study its behaviour for the sNFW, NFW and Hernquist lenses, and show that for a fixed $κ_0$ (characteristic convergence), in general, $I$ is not constant ($I_{\text{min}}\leq I \leq I_{\text{max}}$), as it exhibits a strong dependence on the source position inside the radial caustic. The boundaries depend on $κ_0$ (and so does the average $\langle I \rangle$). Our numerical experiments suggest that for these lenses $I_{\text{min}}\to 1$ as $κ_0$ increases, and $I\to 1$ as $κ_0\to \infty$. Additionally, $I$ is constant only for a specific $κ_0$, which is different for each model.

astro-ph.CO

Early dark energy induced by non-linear electrodynamics

In this work, we introduce a parametrization of early dark energy that mimics radiation at early times and governs the present acceleration of the Universe. We show that such parametrization models non-linear electrodynamics in the early Universe and investigate the cosmological viability of the model. In our scenario, the early dark energy is encoded in the non-linearity of the electromagnetic fields through a parameter $β$ that changes the Lagrangian of the system, and the parameters $γ_s$ and $α$, that define the departure from the standard model constant equation of state. We use a Bayesian method and the modular software \textsc{CosmoSIS} to find the best values for the model's free parameters with precomputed likelihoods from Planck 2018, primordial nucleosynthesis data, inferred distances from different wide galaxy surveys and luminosity distances of SNIa from Pantheon and SH0ES, such that $γ_s =$ 0.468 $\pm$ 0.026 and $α=$ -0.947 $\pm$ 0.032, as opposed to $Λ$CDM where $γ_s = β=$ 0 and there is no equivalence for the $α$ parameter. Our results predict an earlier formation of the structure and a shorter age of the Universe compared with the canonical cosmological model. One of the main findings of our work is that this kind of dark energy alleviates the ongoing tensions in cosmology, the Hubble tension and the so-called $σ_8$ tension, which predicted values by our model are H$_o =$ 70.2 $\pm$ 0.9 km/s/Mpc and $σ_8 =$ 0.798 $\pm$ 0.007. The reported values lie between the inferred values inferred from early and late (local) Universe observations. Future observations will shed light on the nature of the dark energy, its impact on the structure formation, and its dynamics.

gr-qc

About Jordan and Einstein frames: a study in inflationary magnetogenesis

There has been considerable interest in the community to understand if the Einstein and Jordan frames are either physically equivalent to each other or if there exists a preference frame where interpretations of physical observables should be done. In this paper, we want to broaden the discussion about this equivalence by making a detailed side-by-side comparison of the physical quantities in both frames in the context of cosmic magnetogenesis. We have computed the evolution of the vector potential in each frame along with some observables such as the spectral index, and the magnetic field amplitude. We found that contrary to the Einstein frame, the electric and magnetic energy densities in Jordan Frame do not depend on any parameter associated with the scalar field. Furthermore, in the Einstein frame and assuming scale-invariant for the magnetic field, most of the total energy density contribution comes from the electric and magnetic densities. Finally, we show the ratio between magnetic field signals in both frames printed in the CMB. We expect that the results presented contribute to the ongoing discussion on the relation between these two frames.

gr-qc

relensing: Reconstructing the mass profile of galaxy clusters from gravitational lensing

In this work we present relensing, a package written in python whose goal is to model galaxy clusters from gravitational lensing. With relensing we extend the amount of software available, which provides the scientific community with a wide range of models that help to compare and therefore validate the physical results that rely on them. We implement a free-form approach which computes the gravitational deflection potential on an adaptive irregular grid, from which one can characterize the cluster and its properties as a gravitational lens. Here, we use two alternative penalty functions to constrain strong lensing. We apply relensing to two toy models, in order to explore under which conditions one can get a better performance in the reconstruction. We find that by applying a smoothing to the deflection potential, we are able to increase the capability of this approach to recover the shape and size of the mass profile of galaxy clusters, as well as its magnification map. This translates into a better estimation of the critical and caustic curves. The power that the smoothing provides is also tested on the simulated clusters Ares and Hera, for which we get an rms on the lens plane of ~0.17 arcsec and ~0.16 arcsec, respectively. Our results represent an improvement with respect to reconstructions that were carried out with methods of the same nature as relensing. At the same time, the smoothing also increases the stability of our implementation, and decreases the computation time. In its current state, relensing is available upon request.

astro-ph.CO

Mass reconstruction in disc like galaxies using strong lensing and rotation curves: The Gallenspy package

Two methods for mass profiles reconstruction in disc-like galaxies are presented in this work, the first is done with the fit of the rotation curve based on the data of circular velocity which are obtained observationally in a stars system, while the other method is focused in the Gravitational Lensed Effect (GLE). For these mass reconstructions, two routines developed in the language of programming python were used: one of them is Galrotpy, which was built by members of the Galaxies, Gravitation and Cosmology group from the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and whose funtionality is applied in the rotation curves, the other routine is Gallenspy which was created in the development of this work and it is focused in the GLE. It should be noted that both routines perform a parametric estimation from the Bayesian statistics, which allows obtaining the uncertainties of the estimated values. Finally is shown the great power of combining galactic dynamics and GLE, for this purpose the mass profiles of the galaxies SDSSJ2141-001 and SDSSJ1331+3628 were reconstructed with Galrotpy and Gallenspy where these results obtained are compared with those reported by other authors regarding these systems. Keywords: Mass reconstructions, GLE, rotational curves, mass profiles, Gallenspy, Galrotpy.

astro-ph.GA

A novel early Dark Energy model

We present a theoretical study of an early dark energy (EDE) model. The equation of state $ω(z)$ evolves during the thermal history in a framework of a Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker Universe, following an effective parametrization that is a function of redshift $z$. We explore the evolution of the system from the radiation domination era to the late times, allowing the EDE model to have a non-negligible contribution at high redshift (as opposed to the cosmological constant that only plays a role once the structure is formed) with a very little input to the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, and to do so, the equation of state mimics the radiation behaviour, but being subdominant in terms of its energy density. At late times, the equation of state of the dark energy model asymptotically tends to the fiducial value of the De Sitter domination epoch, providing an explanation for the accelerated expansion of the Universe at late times, emulating the effect of the cosmological constant. The proposed model has three free parameters, that we constrain using SNIa luminosity distances, along with the CMB shift parameter and the deceleration parameter calculated at the time of dark energy - matter equality. With full knowledge of the best fit for our model, we calculate different observables and compare these predictions with the standard$Λ$CDM model. Besides the general consent of the community with the cosmological constant, there is no fundamental reason to choose that particular candidate as dark energy. Here, we open the opportunity to consider a more dynamical model, that also accounts for the late accelerated expansion of the Universe.

astro-ph.CO

On perturbative constraints for vacuum f(R) gravity

Perturbative techniques are important for modified theories of gravity since they allow to calculate deviations from General Relativity without recurring to exact solutions, which can be difficult to find. When applied to models such as $f(R)$ gravity, these techniques introduce corrections in the field equations that involve higher order derivatives. Such corrections must be handled carefully to have a well defined perturbative scheme, and this can be achieved through the method of perturbative constraints, where the coefficient of the additional term in the action is used as expansion parameter for the quantities of interest. In this work, we implement a perturbative framework that compares solutions in modified theories of gravity with solutions of the Einstein field equations, by following the guidelines of perturbation theory constructed in General Relativity together with the perturbative constraints rationale. By using this formalism, we demonstrate that a consistent $f(R)$ perturbation theory in vacuum, for an important class of $f(R)$ functions, produces no additional effects with respect to what is expected from the perturbation theory of General Relativity. From this result, we argue that there are fundamental limitations that explain why the solutions of some $f(R)$ models can be disconnected from their general relativistic counterparts, in the sense that the limit that leads from the $f(R)$ action to General Relativity does not transform the solutions accordingly.

gr-qc

GalRotpy: an educational tool to understand and parametrize the rotation curve and gravitational potential of disk-like galaxies

\textbf{GalRotpy} is an educational \verb+Python3+-based visual tool, which is useful to undestand how is the contribution of each mass component to the gravitational potential of disc-like galaxies by means of their rotation curve. Besides, \textbf{GalRotpy} allows the user to perform a parametric fit of a given rotation curve, which relies on a MCMC procedure implemented by using \verb+emcee+ package. Here the gravitational potential of disc-like galaxies is built from the contribution of a Miyamoto-Nagai potential model for the bulge/core and the thin/thick disc, an exponential disc, together with the NFW (Navarro-Frenk- White) potential or the Burkert (cored density profile) potential for the Dark Matter halo, where each contribution is implemented by using \verb+galpy+ package. We summarize the properties of each contribution to the rotation curve involved, and then describe how \textbf{GalRotpy} is implemented along with its capabilities. Finally we present the characterization of two galaxies, NGC6361 and M33, and show that the results for M33 provided by \textbf{GalRotpy} are consistent with those found in the literature.

astro-ph.GA

Reduced bispectrum seeded by helical primordial magnetic fields

In this paper, we investigate the effects of helical primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) reduced bispectrum. We derive the full three-point statistics of helical magnetic fields and numerically calculate the even contribution in the collinear configuration. We then numerically compute the CMB reduced bispectrum induced by passive and compensated PMF modes on large angular scales. There is a negative signal on the bispectrum due to the helical terms of the fields and we also observe that the biggest contribution to the bispectrum comes from the non-zero IR cut-off for causal fields, unlike the two-point correlation case. For negative spectral indices, the reduced bispectrum is enhanced by the passive modes. This gives a lower value of the upper limit for the mean amplitude of the magnetic field on a given characteristic scale. However, high values of IR cut-off in the bispectrum, and the helical terms of the magnetic field relaxes this bound. This demonstrates the importance of the IR cut-off and helicity in the study of the nature of PMFs from CMB observations.

astro-ph.CO

Generalized Papapetrou's equations of motion for an extended test body within static and isotropic metrics

Applying Dixon's general equations of motion for extended bodies, we compute the Papapetrou's equations for an extended test body on static and isotropic metrics. We incorporate the force and the torque terms which involve multipole moments, beyond dipole moment, from the energy-momentum tensor. We obtain the vector form equations for both Corinaldesi-Papapetrou and Tulczyjew-Dixon spin supplementary conditions. An expanded effective mass, including interactions between the structure of the body and the gravitational field, is also found.

gr-qc

Contrasting formulations of cosmological perturbations in a magnetic FLRW cosmology

In this paper we contrasted two cosmological perturbation theory formalisms, the 1+3 covariant gauge invariant and the gauge invariant by comparing their gauge invariant variables associated with magnetic field defined in each approach. In the first part we give an introduction to each formalism assuming the presence of a magnetic field. We found that gauge invariant quantities defined by 1+3 covariant approach are related with spatial variations of the magnetic field (defined in the gauge invariant formalism) between two closed fundamental observers. This relation was computed by choosing the comoving gauge in the gauge invariant approach in a magnetized universe. Furthermore, we have derived the gauge transformations for electromagnetic potentials in the gauge invariant approach and the Maxwell's equations have been written in terms of these potentials.

gr-qc

Effects of primordial magnetic fields on CMB

The origin of large-scale magnetic fields is an unsolved problem in cosmology. In order to overcome, a possible scenario comes from the idea that these fields emerged from a small primordial magnetic field (PMF), produced in the early universe. This field could lead to the observed large-scales magnetic fields but also, would have left an imprint on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). In this work we summarize some statistical properties of this PMFs on the FLRW background. Then, we show the resulting PMF power spectrum using cosmological perturbation theory and some effects of PMFs on the CMB anisotropies.

astro-ph.CO

Power spectrum of post-inflationary primordial magnetic fields

The origin of large scale magnetic fields is one of the most puzzling topics in cosmology and astrophysics. It is assumed that the observed magnetic fields result from the amplification of an initial field produced in the early universe. In this paper we compute the exact power spectrum of magnetic fields created after inflation best known as post inflationary magnetic fields, using the first order cosmological perturbation theory. Our treatment differs from others works because we include an infrared cutoff which encodes only causal modes in the spectrum. The cross-correlation between magnetic energy density with Lorentz force and the anisotropic part of the electromagnetic field are exactly computed. We compare our results with previous works finding agreement in cases where the ratio between lower and upper cutoff is very small. However, we found that spectrum is strongly affected when this ratio is greater than 0.2. Moreover, the effect of a post inflationary magnetic field with a lower cutoff on the angular power spectrum in the temperature distribution of CMB was also exactly calculated. The main feature is a shift of the spectrum's peak as function of the infrared cutoff, therefore analyzing this effect we could infer the value of this cutoff and thus constraining the primordial magnetic fields generation models.

gr-qc

Cosmological implications of gravitational collapse in F(R) theories

We will make a comparison between the dynamics of spherical gravitational collapse for a perturbed FLRW universe to first order in the context of general relativity, with the corresponding results obtained for the gravitational collapse under theories of modified gravity f(R). This work is aimed at obtaining an analytical model of explanation a source of large scale structures in the universe presenting an approximation of model spherical gravitational collapse under theories of modified gravity f(R).

astro-ph.CO

Cosmological parameter estimation from weak lensing. The case of $Ω_m$, $σ_8$

Propagation of light in the universe with structure which amplify and modify the shape of distant galaxies, producing a correlation between nearby and distant density of galaxies, is a phenomena very important in cosmology for determining cosmological parameters as the ΛCDM. In this paper, we discuss the estimation of the two point correlation function in the gravitational shear produced by the large scale structure. We will compare the result given by gravitational lensing with the use of another alternatives such as a counting galaxy clusters. We also describe some software used in the gravitational lensing study for determining mass distribution models and images formation.

astro-ph.GA