Cosmological Tests Research Articles

Cosmological test using the high-redshift detection rate of FSRQs with the Square Kilometre Array

We present a phenomenological method for predicting the number of Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs) that should be detected by upcoming Square Kilometer Array (SKA) SKA1-MID Wide Band 1 and Medium-Deep band 2 surveys. We use the Fermi Blazar Sequence and mass estimates of Fermi FSRQs, and gamma-ray emitting Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies, to model the radio emission of FSRQs as a function of mass alone, assuming a near-Eddington accretion rate, which is suggested by current quasar surveys at z > 6. This is used to determine the smallest visible black hole mass as a function of redshift in two competing cosmologies we compare in this paper: the standard LCDM model and the R_h=ct universe. We then apply lockstep growth to the observed black-hole mass function at $z=6$ in order to devolve that population to higher redshifts and determine the number of FSRQs detectable by the SKA surveys as a function of z. We find that at the redshifts for which this method is most valid, LCDM predicts ~30 times more FSRQs than R_h=ct for the Wide survey, and ~100 times more in the Medium-Deep survey. These stark differences will allow the SKA surveys to strongly differentiate between these two models, possibly rejecting one in comparison with the other at a high level of confidence.

Kinematic and statistical inconsistencies of Hořava–Lifshitz cosmology

Abstract We investigate the validity of a minimal cosmological model derived from the renormalizable Hořava action at low redshift scales by using different cosmological and statistical tests. Assuming pure attractive gravity, i.e., λ > 1 ∕ 3 in the Hořava action, we compare the Union 2.1 supernova type Ia data with the kinematics following from a model-independent approach. The two approaches, although compatible, lead to explicit cosmographic constraints on the free parameters of the Hořava action, which turn out to be in strong disagreement with the Λ CDM, w CDM and Chevallier–Polarski–Linder scenarios. To show this, we use standard diagnostic tools of regression models, namely the Akaike and the Bayesian Information Criteria. Using such model-independent statistical methods, we show that Hořava–Lifshitz cosmology differs from the standard dark energy scenarios, independently of the number of free parameters involved in the model. Since this result is valid at small redshift domains, it indicates the presence of inconsistencies in the minimal version of Hořava–Lifshitz cosmology even at the level of background cosmology.

The growth of the density fluctuations in the scale-invariant vacuum theory

The growth of the density fluctuations is considered to be an important cosmological test. In the standard model, for a matter dominated universe, the growth of the density perturbations evolves with redshift z like (11+z)s with s=1. This is not fast enough to form galaxies and to account for the observed present-day inhomogeneities. This problem is usually resolved by assuming that at the recombination epoch the baryons settle down in the potential well of the dark matter previously assembled during the radiation era of the universe. This view is challenged in the present paper by using the recently proposed model of a scale-invariant framework for cosmology, the Scale-Invariant Vacuum Theory (Maeder 2017a,2017b,2017c), that enlarges the invariance group subtending the theory of the gravitation. From the continuity equation, the Euler and Poisson equations are written in the scale-invariant framework, the equation governing the growth of density fluctuations δ is obtained. Starting from δ=10−5 at a redshift around 1000, numerical solutions for various density background are obtained. The growth of density fluctuations is much faster than in the standard EdS model. The s values are in the range from 2.7 to 3.9 for Ωm between 0.30 and 0.02. This enables the density fluctuations to enter the nonlinear regime with δ>1 long before the present time, typically at redshifts of about 10, without requiring the presence of dark matter.

Comment on “Hubble flow variations as a test for inhomogeneous cosmology”

Saulder et al. (2019, A&A, 622, A83) have performed a novel observational test of the local expansion of the Universe for the standard cosmology as compared to an alternative model with differential cosmic expansion. Their analysis employs mock galaxy samples from the Millennium Simulation, a Newtonian N–body simulation on a ΛCDM background. For the differential expansion case the simulation has been deformed in an attempt to incorporate features of a particular inhomogeneous cosmology: the timescape model. It is shown that key geometrical features of the timescape cosmology have been omitted in this rescaling. Consequently, the differential expansion model tested by Saulder et al. (2019) cannot be considered to approximate the timescape cosmology.

Cosmological aspects of a hyperbolic solution in [formula omitted] gravity

This article deals with a cosmological scenario in f(R,T) gravity for a flat FLRW model of the universe. We consider the f(R,T) function as f(R)+f(T) which starts with a quadratic correction of the geometric term f(R) having structure f(R)=R+αR2, and a linear matter term f(T)=2λT. To achieve the solution of the gravitational field equations in the f(R,T) formalism, we take the form of a geometrical parameter, i.e. scale factor a(t)=sinh1n(βt) (Chawla et al., 2013), where β and n are model parameters. An eternal acceleration can be predicted by the model for 0<n<1, while the cosmic transition from the early decelerated phase to the present accelerated epoch can be anticipated for n≥1. The obtained model facilitates the formation of structure in the Universe according to the Jeans instability condition as our model transits from radiation dominated era to matter dominated era. We study the varying role of the equation of state parameter ω. We analyze our model by studying the behavior of the scalar field and discuss the energy conditions on our achieved solution. We examine the validity of our model via Jerk parameter, Om diagnostic, Velocity of sound and Statefinder diagnostic tools. We investigate the constraints on the model parameter n and H0 (Hubble constant) using some observational datasets: SNeIa dataset, H(z) (Hubble parameter) dataset, BAO (Baryon Acoustic Oscillation data) and their combinations as joint observational datasets H(z) + SNeIa and H(z) + SNeIa + BAO. It is testified that the present study is well consistent with these observations. We also perform some cosmological tests and a detailed discussion of the model.

Non-fiducial cosmological test from geometrical and dynamical distortions around voids

We present a new cosmological test using the distribution of galaxies around cosmic voids without assuming a fiducial cosmology. The test is based on a physical model for the void-galaxy cross-correlation function projected along and perpendicular to the line of sight. We treat correlations in terms of void-centric angular distances and redshift differences between void-galaxy pairs, hence it is not necessary to assume a fiducial cosmology. This model reproduces the coupled dynamical (Kaiser effect, RSD) and geometrical (Alcock-Paczynski effect, GD) distortions that affect the correlation measurements. It also takes into account the scale mixing due to the projection ranges in both directions. The model is general, so it can be applied to an arbitrary cylindrical binning scheme, not only in the case of the projected correlations. It primarily depends on two cosmological parameters: $\Omega_m$, the matter fraction of the Universe today (sensitive to GD), and $\beta$, the ratio between the growth rate factor of density perturbations and the tracer bias (sensitive to RSD). In the context of the new generation of galaxy spectroscopic surveys, we calibrated the test using the Millennium XXL simulation for different redshifts. The method successfully recovers the cosmological parameters. We studied the effect of measuring with different projection ranges, finding robust results up to wide ranges. The resulting data covariance matrices are relatively small, which reduces the noise in the Gaussian likelihood analysis and will allow the usage of a smaller number of mock catalogues. The performance evaluated in this work indicates that the developed method is a promising test to be applied on real data.

Cosmological Tests of Gravity

Cosmological observations are beginning to reach a level of precision that allows us to test some of the most fundamental assumptions in our working model of the Universe. One such assumption is that gravity is governed by the theory of general relativity. In this review, we discuss how one might go about extending general relativity and how such extensions can be described in a unified way on large scales. This allows us to describe the phenomenology of modified gravity in the growth and morphology of the large-scale structure of the Universe. On smaller scales, we explore the physics of gravitational screening and how it might manifest itself in galaxies, clusters, and, more generally, in the cosmic web. We then analyze the current constraints from large-scale structure and conclude by discussing the future prospects of the field in light of the plethora of surveys currently being planned. Key results include the following: ▪ There are a plethora of alternative theories of gravity that are restricted by fundamental physics considerations. ▪ There is now a well-established formalism for describing cosmological perturbations in the linear regime for general theories of gravity. ▪ Gravitational screening can mask modifications to general relativity on small scales but may, itself, lead to distinctive signatures in the large-scale structure of the Universe. ▪ Current constraints on both linear and nonlinear scales may be affected by systematic uncertainties that limit our ability to rule out alternatives to general relativity. ▪ The next generation of cosmological surveys will dramatically improve constraints on general relativity, by up to two orders of magnitude.

Hubble flow variations as a test for inhomogeneous cosmology

Context.Backreactions from large-scale inhomogeneities may provide an elegant explanation for the observed accelerated expansion of the universe without the need to introduce dark energy.Aims.We propose a cosmological test for a specific model of inhomogeneous cosmology, called timescape cosmology. Using large-scale galaxy surveys such as SDSS and 2MRS, we test the variation of expansion expected in the Λ-cold dark matter (Λ-CDM) model versus a more generic differential expansion using our own calibrations of bounds suggested by timescape cosmology.Methods.Our test measures the systematic variations of the Hubble flow towards distant galaxies groups as a function of the matter distribution in the lines of sight to those galaxy groups. We compare the observed systematic variation of the Hubble flow to mock catalogues from the Millennium Simulation in the case of the Λ-CDM model, and a deformed version of the same simulation that exhibits more pronounced differential expansion.Results.We perform a series of statistical tests, ranging from linear regressions to Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, on the obtained data. They consistently yield results preferring Λ-CDM cosmology over our approximated model of timescape cosmology.Conclusions.Our analysis of observational data shows no evidence that the variation of expansion differs from that of the standard Λ-CDM model.

Cosmological Tests of Gravity with the Latest Observations

Abstract We perform observational tests of modified gravity on cosmological scales following model-dependent and model-independent approaches using the latest astronomical observations, including measurements of the local Hubble constant, cosmic microwave background, the baryonic acoustic oscillations and redshift space distortions derived from galaxy surveys including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey BOSS and eBOSS, as well as the weak lensing observations performed by the CFHTLenS team. Combining all these data sets, we find a deviation from the prediction of general relativity in both the effective Newton’s constant, μ(a, k), and in the gravitational slip, η(a, k). The deviation is at a 3.1σ level in the joint {μ(a, k), η(a, k)} space using a two-parameter phenomenological model for μ and η, and reaches a 3.7σ level if a general parameterization is used. This signal, which may be subject to unknown observational systematics, or a sign of new physics, is worth further investigating with forthcoming observations.

Fast radio bursts and cosmological tests

We consider future cosmological tests based on observations of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). We use Illustris Simulation to realistically estimate the scatter in the dispersion measure (DM) of FRBs caused by the inhomogeneous distribution of ionized gas in the Intergalactic Medium (IGM). We find ~13% scatter in DM to a source at z=1 and ~7% at z=3 (one sigma). The distribution of DM is close to Gaussian. We simulate samples of FRBs and examine their applicability to simple cosmological tests. Our calculations show that using a sample of 100 FRBs and fixing cosmological model one can find the redshift and sample averaged fraction of ionized gas with ~1% uncertainty. Finding the ionized fraction with ~1% accuracy at few different epochs would require ~10 000 FRBs with known redshifts. Because DM is proportional to the product of ionized fraction, baryon density and the Hubble constant it is impossible to constrain these parameters separately with FRBs. Constraints on cosmological densities are possible in a flat LCDM model but give uninterestingly low accuracy. Using FRBs with other type of data improves the constraints, but the role of FRBs is not crucial. Thus constraints on the distribution of ionized gas are probably the most promising application of FRBs which allow for "tomography" if sources redshifts are known, as opposed to measuring electron scattering optical depth or S-Z y parameters with CMB observations.

Consistency tests in cosmology using relative entropy

With the high-precision data from current and upcoming experiments, it becomes increasingly important to perform consistency tests of the standard cosmological model. In this work, we focus on consistency measures between different data sets and methods that allow us to assess the goodness of fit of different models. We address both of these questions using the relative entropy or Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence [1]. First, we revisit the relative entropy as a consistency measure between data sets and further investigate some of its key properties, such as asymmetry and path dependence. We then introduce a novel model rejection framework, which is based on the relative entropy and the posterior predictive distribution. We validate the method on several toy models and apply it to Type Ia supernovae data from the JLA and CMB constraints from Planck 2015, testing the consistency of the data with six different cosmological models.

Dynamic Cosmological Tests

A new class of cosmological tests is proposed which examines the dependence on redshift z of the dispersion in peculiar velocities, virial mass, and mass-luminosity ratios of galactic clusters. Data on galactic clusters with redshifts up to z ≈ 2 are accessible to modern instruments in the visible and x-ray ranges. Clusters of galaxies are less susceptible to evolutionary effects than other objects at large z, so that the proposed tests offer promise for analysis of cosmological models.

Laboratory constraints

We review laboratory constraints on theories of modified gravity and show that they are complementary to cosmological and astrophysical tests. We particularly focus on the environmentally dependent dilaton, as a worked example to show how such constraints are derived. Finally we discuss precision photons experiments, and why these may also give us information about possible modifications of gravity.

The future of fast radio burst science

The field of Fast Radio Burst (FRB) science is currently thriving and growing rapidly. The lines of active investigation include theoretical and observational aspects of these enigmatic millisecond radio signals. These pursuits are for the most part intertwined so that each keeps the other in check, characteristic of the healthy state of the field. The immediate future for FRB science is full of promise --- we will in the next few years see two orders of magnitude more FRBs discovered by the now diverse group of instruments spread across the globe involved in these efforts. This increased crop, and the increased information obtained per event, will allow a number of fundamental questions to be answered, and FRBs' potential as astrophysical and cosmological tools to be exploited. Questions as to the exact detailed nature of FRB progenitors and whether or not there are one or more types of progenitor will be answered. Questions as to source counts, the luminosity distribution and cosmological density of FRBs will also be addressed. Looking further ahead, applications involving FRBs at the highest redshifts look set to be a major focus of the field. The potential exists to evolve to a point where statistically robust cosmological tests, orthogonal to those already undertaken in other ways, will be achieved. Related work into FRB foregrounds, as well as how to identify new events in ever more challenging radio-frequency interference environments, also appear likely avenues for extensive investigations in the coming years.

Gravity, antimatter and the Dirac-Milne universe

We review the main arguments against antigravity, a different acceleration of antimatter relative to matter in a gravitational field, discussing and challenging Morrison's, Good's and Schiff's arguments. Following Price, we show that, very surprisingly, the usual expression of the Equivalence Principle is violated by General Relativity when particles of negative mass are supposed to exist, which may provide a fundamental explanation of MOND phenomenology, obviating the need for Dark Matter. Motivated by the observation of repulsive gravity under the form of Dark Energy, and by the fact that our universe looks very similar to a coasting (neither decelerating nor accelerating) universe, we study the Dirac-Milne cosmology, a symmetric matter-antimatter cosmology where antiparticles have the same gravitational properties as holes in a semiconductor. Noting the similarities with our universe (age, SN1a luminosity distance, nucleosynthesis, CMB angular scale), we focus our attention on structure formation mechanisms, finding strong similarities with our universe. Additional tests of the Dirac-Milne cosmology are briefly reviewed, and we finally note that a crucial test of the Dirac-Milne cosmology will be soon realized at CERN next to the ELENA antiproton decelerator, possibly as early as fall 2018, with the AEgIS, ALPHA-g and Gbar antihydrogen gravity experiments.

Cosmological tests of Everpresent Λ

Everpresent Λ is a cosmological scenario in which the observed cosmological ‘constant’ Λ fluctuates between positive and negative values with a vanishing mean, and with a magnitude comparable to the critical density at any epoch. In accord with a longstanding heuristic prediction of causal set theory, it postulates that Λ is a stochastic function of cosmic time that will vary from one realization of the scenario to another. Herein, we consider two models of ‘dark energy’ that exhibit these features. Via Monte Carlo Markov chains, we explore the space of cosmological parameters and the set of stochastic realizations of these models, finding that Everpresent Λ can fit current cosmological observations as well as the ΛCDM model does. Furthermore, it removes the observational tensions that ΛCDM experiences in relation to low redshift measurements of the Hubble constant, and to the baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) in Lyman-α forest at –3. It does not, however, help significantly with the early growth of ultramassive black holes, or with the Lithium problem in Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Future measurements of ‘dark energy’ at high redshifts will further test the viability of Everpresent Λ as an alternative to the ΛCDM cosmology.

Cosmological tests with the joint lightcurve analysis

We examine whether a comparison between wCDM and using merged Type-Ia SN catalogs produces results consistent with those based on a single homogeneous sample. Using the Betoule et al. (Astron. Astrophys., 568 (2014) 22). Joint Lightcurve Analysis (JLA) of a combined sample of 613 events from SNLS and SDSS-II, we estimate the parameters of the two models and compare them. We find that the improved statistics can alter the model selection in some cases, but not others. In addition, based on the model fits, we find that there appears to be a lingering systematic offset of ∼0.04–0.08 mag between the SNLS and SDSS-II sources, in spite of the cross-calibration in the JLA. Treating wCDM, ΛCDM and as separate models, we find in an unbiased pairwise statistical comparison that the Bayes Information Criterion (BIC) favors the Universe with a likelihood of vs. for wCDM, but the ratio of likelihoods is reversed ( vs. ) when (i.e., ΛCDM) and strongly reversed ( vs. ) if in addition k = 0 (i.e., flat ΛCDM). We point out, however, that the value of k is a measure of the net energy (kinetic plus gravitational) in the Universe and is not constrained theoretically, though some models of inflation would drive due to an expansion-enforced dilution. Since we here consider only the basic ΛCDM model, the value of k needs to be measured and, therefore, the pre-assumption of flatness introduces a significant bias into the BIC.

Are redshift-space distortions actually a probe of growth of structure?

Abstract Although multiple cosmological observations indicate the existence of dark matter and dark energy, cosmological tests of interactions between them have not yet been established. We point out that, in the presence of a coupling between dark matter and dark energy, a peculiar velocity of total matter field is determined not only by a logarithmic time-derivative of its density perturbation but also by density perturbations for both dark matter and baryonic matter, leading to a large modification of the physical interpretation of observed data obtained by measurements of redshift-space distortions. We reformulate a galaxy two-point correlation function in the redshift space based on the modified continuity and Euler equations. We conclude from the resultant formula that redshift space distortions provide us information on the coupling between dark matter and the scalar field by combining weak lensing measurements.

Weak lensing by voids in weak lensing maps

ABSTRACT Cosmic voids are an important probe of large-scale structure that can constrain cosmological parameters and test cosmological models. We present a new paradigm for void studies: void detection in weak lensing convergence maps. This approach identifies objects that relate directly to our theoretical understanding of voids as underdensities in the total matter field and presents several advantages compared to the customary method of finding voids in the galaxy distribution. We exemplify this approach by identifying voids using the weak lensing peaks as tracers of the large-scale structure. We find self-similarity in the void abundance across a range of peak signal-to-noise selection thresholds. The voids obtained via this approach give a tangential shear signal up to ∼40 times larger than voids identified in the galaxy distribution.

Abundance of peaks and dips in 3D mass and halo density fields: a test for cosmology

Using cosmological N-body simulations, we study the abundance of local maxima (peaks) and minima (dips) identified in the smoothed distribution of halos and dark matter (DM) on scales of $10-100$s Mpcs. The simulations include Gaussian and local-type $f_{\rm NL}$ non-Gaussian initial conditions. The expression derived in the literature for the abundance (irrespective of height) of peaks for Gaussian fields is surprisingly accurate for the evolved halo and DM density fields for all initial conditions considered. Furthermore, the height distribution is very well fitted by a log-normal on quasi-linear scales. The abundance as a function of scale depends on the cosmological parameters ($H_0$ and background matter densities) through the shape of the power spectrum, but it is insensitive to the clustering amplitude. Further, the abundance in the smoothed halo distribution is substantially different in the non-Gaussian from the Gaussian simulations. The interpretation of this effect is straightforward in terms of the scale dependence of halo bias in non-Gaussian models. The abundance of extrema extracted from three-dimensional large galaxy redshift surveys could be a competitive probe of the cosmological parameters and initial non-Gaussianity. It breaks the degeneracy between $f_{\rm NL}$ and the clustering amplitude, making it complementary to counts of galaxy clusters and peaks in weak-lensing maps.