Dark energy and graviton mass in the nearby universe

Abstract

The problem of the local Hubble flow on scales of several Mpc induced by the dark energy realized by a scalar quintessence field is considered within the framework of relativistic gravity theory (RGT). The observational Hubble Space Telescope data are shown to be well described in RGT by a model similar to the Chernin–Baryshev–Teerikorpi model constructed in general relativity, with the local Hubble constant being smaller than the cosmological Hubble constant. A stringent constraint has been placed on the quintessence parameter, 0 ≤ ν ≤ 0.05.