arXiv subjects

Oliver F. Piattella

Publications and source records attributed to Oliver F. Piattella.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Renormalization Group approach to Gravity: the running of G and L inside galaxies and additional details on the elliptical NGC 4494

We explore the phenomenology of nontrivial quantum effects on low-energy gravity. These effects come from the running of the gravitational coupling parameter G and the cosmological constant L in the Einstein-Hilbert action, as induced by the Renormalization Group (RG). The Renormalization Group corrected General Relativity (RGGR model) is used to parametrize these quantum effects, and it is assumed that the dominant dark matter-like effects inside galaxies is due to these nontrivial RG effects. Here we present additional details on the RGGR model application, in particular on the Poisson equation extension that defines the effective potential, also we re-analyse the ordinary elliptical galaxy NGC 4494 using a slightly different model for its baryonic contribution, and explicit solutions are presented for the running of G and L. The values of the NGC 4494 parameters as shown here have a better agreement with the general RGGR picture for galaxies, and suggest a larger radial anisotropy than the previously published result.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Scalar models for the unification of the dark sector

We review the difficulties of the generalized Chaplygin gas model to fit observational data, due to the tension between background and perturbative tests. We argue that such issues may be circumvented by means of a self-interacting scalar field representation of the model. However, this proposal seems to be successful only if the self-interacting scalar field has a non-canonical form. The latter can be implemented in Rastall's theory of gravity.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Rastall Cosmology and the ΛCDM Model

Rastall's theory is based on the non-conservation of the energy-momentum tensor. We show that, in this theory, if we introduce a two-fluid model, one component representing vacuum energy whereas the other pressureless matter (e.g. baryons plus cold dark matter), the cosmological scenario is the same as for the ΛCDM model, both at background and linear perturbative levels, except for one aspect: now dark energy may cluster. We speculate that this can lead to a possibility of distinguishing the models at the non-linear perturbative level.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Reconstructing $f(R,T)$ gravity from holographic dark energy

We consider cosmological scenarios based on $f(R,T)$ theories of gravity ($R$ is the Ricci scalar and $T$ is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor) and numerically reconstruct the function $f(R,T)$ which is able to reproduce the same expansion history generated, in the standard General Relativity theory, by dark matter and holographic dark energy. We consider two special $f(R,T)$ models: in the first instance, we investigate the modification $R + 2f(T)$, i.e. the usual Einstein-Hilbert term plus a $f(T)$ correction. In the second instance, we consider a $f(R)+λT$ theory, i.e. a $T$ correction to the renown $f(R)$ theory of gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

CMB-Galaxy correlation in Unified Dark Matter Scalar Field Cosmologies

We present an analysis of the cross-correlation between the CMB and the large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe in Unified Dark Matter (UDM) scalar field cosmologies. We work out the predicted cross-correlation function in UDM models, which depends on the speed of sound of the unified component, and compare it with observations from six galaxy catalogues (NVSS, HEAO, 2MASS, and SDSS main galaxies, luminous red galaxies, and quasars). We sample the value of the speed of sound and perform a likelihood analysis, finding that the UDM model is as likely as the LambdaCDM, and is compatible with observations for a range of values of c_\infinity (the value of the sound speed at late times) on which structure formation depends. In particular, we obtain an upper bound of c_\infinity^2 \leq 0.009 at 95% confidence level, meaning that the LambdaCDM model, for which c_\infinity^2 = 0, is a good fit to the data, while the posterior probability distribution peaks at the value c_\infinity^2=10^(-4) . Finally, we study the time dependence of the deviation from LambdaCDM via a tomographic analysis using a mock redshift distribution and we find that the largest deviation is for low-redshift sources, suggesting that future low-z surveys will be best suited to constrain UDM models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Bulk viscous cosmology with causal transport theory

We consider cosmological scenarios originating from a single imperfect fluid with bulk viscosity and apply Eckart's and both the full and the truncated Müller-Israel-Stewart's theories as descriptions of the non-equilibrium processes. Our principal objective is to investigate if the dynamical properties of Dark Matter and Dark Energy can be described by a single viscous fluid and how such description changes when a causal theory (Müller-Israel-Stewart's, both in its full and truncated forms) is taken into account instead of Eckart's non-causal theory. To this purpose, we find numerical solutions for the gravitational potential and compare its behaviour with the corresponding LambdaCDM case. Eckart's and the full causal theory seem to be disfavoured, whereas the truncated theory leads to results similar to those of the LambdaCDM model for a bulk viscous speed in the interval 10^{-11} << c_b^2 < 10^{-8}. Tentatively relating such value to a square propagation velocity of the order of T/m of perturbations in a non-relativistic gas of particles with mass m at the epoch of matter-radiation equality, this may be compatible with a mass range 0.1 GeV < m << 100 GeV.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Gravitational potential evolution in Unified Dark Matter Scalar Field Cosmologies: an analytical approach

We investigate the time evolution of the gravitational potential Phi for a special class of non-adiabatic Unified Dark matter Models described by scalar field lagrangians. These models predict the same background evolution as in the LambdaCDM and possess a non-vanishing speed of sound. We provide a very accurate approximation of Phi, valid after the recombination epoch, in the form of a Bessel function of the first kind. This approximation may be useful for a future deeper analysis of Unified Dark Matter scalar field models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Unified Dark Matter scalar field models with fast transition

We investigate the general properties of Unified Dark Matter (UDM) scalar field models with Lagrangians with a non-canonical kinetic term, looking specifically for models that can produce a fast transition between an early Einstein-de Sitter CDM-like era and a later Dark Energy like phase, similarly to the barotropic fluid UDM models in JCAP1001(2010)014. However, while the background evolution can be very similar in the two cases, the perturbations are naturally adiabatic in fluid models, while in the scalar field case they are necessarily non-adiabatic. The new approach to building UDM Lagrangians proposed here allows to escape the common problem of the fine-tuning of the parameters which plague many UDM models. We analyse the properties of perturbations in our model, focusing on the the evolution of the effective speed of sound and that of the Jeans length. With this insight, we can set theoretical constraints on the parameters of the model, predicting sufficient conditions for the model to be viable. An interesting feature of our models is that what can be interpreted as w_{DE} can be <-1 without violating the null energy conditions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Dark matter effects in vacuum spacetime

We analyze a toy model describing an empty spacetime in which the motion of a test mass (and the trajectories of photons) evidence the presence of a continuous and homogeneous distribution of matter; however, since the energy-momentum tensor vanishes, no real matter or energy distribution is present at all. Thus, a hypothetical observer will conclude that he is immersed in some sort of dark matter, even though he has no chance to directly detect it. This suggests yet another possibility of explaining the elusive dark matter as a purely dynamical effect due to the curvature of spacetime.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2010

The Step-Harmonic Potential

We analyze the behavior of a quantum system described by a one-dimensional asymmetric potential consisting of a step plus a harmonic barrier. We solve the eigenvalue equation by the integral representation method, which allows us to classify the independent solutions as equivalence classes of homotopic paths in the complex plane. We then consider the propagation of a wave packet reflected by the harmonic barrier and obtain an expression for the interaction time as a function of the peak energy. For high energies we recover the classical half-period limit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

The extreme limit of the generalized Chaplygin gas

Unified Dark Matter models describe Dark Matter and Dark Energy as a single entity which is, in the simplest case, embodied in a perfect barotropic fluid. It is a well-established fact that small adiabatic perturbations of Unified Dark Matter have an evolution characterised by oscillations and decay which provide predictions on the Cosmic Background Radiation anisotropies which are in poor agreement with observation. In this paper we investigate the generalised Chaplygin gas and we find that the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect excludes the model for $10^{-3} < α< 350$. We discuss the implications on the background evolution of the Universe if large values of $α$ are considered. In this case, the Universe expansion mimics a matter-dominated phase abruptly followed by a de Sitter one at the transition redshift $z_tr$. Thanks to an analysis of the type Ia supernovae Constitution set we are able to place $z_tr = 0.22$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Unified Dark Matter models with fast transition

We investigate the general properties of Unified Dark Matter (UDM) fluid models where the pressure and the energy density are linked by a barotropic equation of state (EoS) $p = p(ρ)$ and the perturbations are adiabatic. The EoS is assumed to admit a future attractor that acts as an effective cosmological constant, while asymptotically in the past the pressure is negligible. UDM models of the dark sector are appealing because they evade the so-called "coincidence problem" and "predict" what can be interpreted as $w_{\rm DE} \approx -1$, but in general suffer the effects of a non-negligible Jeans scale that wreak havoc in the evolution of perturbations, causing a large Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect and/or changing structure formation at small scales. Typically, observational constraints are violated, unless the parameters of the UDM model are tuned to make it indistinguishable from $Λ$CDM. Here we show how this problem can be avoided, studying in detail the functional form of the Jeans scale in adiabatic UDM perturbations and introducing a class of models with a fast transition between an early Einstein-de Sitter CDM-like era and a later $Λ$CDM-like phase. If the transition is fast enough, these models may exhibit satisfactory structure formation and CMB fluctuations. To consider a concrete case, we introduce a toy UDM model and show that it can predict CMB and matter power spectra that are in agreement with observations for a wide range of parameter values.

astro-ph.CO↗