Chameleon mechanism appearing in massive tensor-scalar theory of gravity can effectively reduce locally the non-minimal coupling between the scalar field and matter. This mechanism is invoked to reconcile large-scale departures from general relativity (GR), supposedly accounting for cosmic acceleration, to small scales stringent constraints on GR. In this paper, we carefully investigate this framework on cosmological and solar system scales to derive combined constraints on model parameters, notably by performing a non-ambiguous derivation of observables like luminosity distance and local post-newtonian parameters. Likelihood analysis of type Ia Supernovae data and of admissible domain for the PPN parameters clearly demonstrates that chameleon mechanism cannot occur in the same region of parameters space than the one necessary to account for cosmic acceleration with the assumed Ratra-Peebles potential and exponential coupling function.
We investigate the cosmological dynamics of the recently proposed extended chameleon models at both background and linear perturbation levels. Dynamical systems techniques are employed to fully characterize the evolution of the universe at the largest distances, while structure formation is analysed at sub-horizon scales within the quasi-static approximation. The late time dynamical transition from dark matter to dark energy domination can be well described by almost all extended chameleon models considered, with no deviations from $Λ$CDM results at both background and perturbation levels. The…
We consider a hybrid scalar field which is non-minimally coupled to the matter and models a chameleon cosmology. By introducing an effective potential, we study the dependence of the effective potential's minimum and hybrid chameleon field's masses to the local matter density. In a dynamical system technique, we analyze the phase space of this two-field chameleon model, find its fixed points and study their stability. We show that the hybrid chameleon domination solution is a stable attractor and the universe in this setup experiences a phantom divide crossing.
The chameleon mechanism appearing in massive tensor-scalar theory of gravity can effectively reduce the nonminimal coupling between the scalar field and matter. This mechanism is invoked to reconcile cosmological data requiring introduction of Dark Energy with small-scale stringent constraints on General Relativity. In this communication, we present constraints on this mechanism obtained by a cosmological analysis (based on Supernovae Ia data) and by a Solar System analysis (based on PPN formalism).
In this paper we consider Chameleonic Generalized Brans--Dicke Cosmology in the framework of FRW universes. The bouncing solution and phantom crossing is investigated for the model. Two independent cosmological tests: Cosmological Redshift Drift (CRD) and distance modulus are applied to test the model with the observation.
The post Newtonian parameter is considered in the Chameleon-Brans-Dicke frame. In the first step, the general form of this parameter and also effective gravitational constant is obtained. An arbitrary function for $f(Φ)$, which indicates the coupling between matter and scalar field, is introduced to investigate validity of solar system constraint. It is shown that Chameleon-Brans-Dicke model can satisfy the solar system constraint and gives us an $ω$ parameter of order $10^4$, which is in comparable to the constraint which has been indicated in {\cite{17-a}}.
In conventional approach to the chameleon mechanism, by assuming a static and spherically symmetric solutions in which matter density and chameleon field are given by $ρ=ρ(r)$ and $ϕ=ϕ(r)$, it has been shown that mass of chameleon field is matter density-dependent. In regions of high matter density such as earth, chameleon field is massive, in solar system it is low and in cosmological scales it is very low. In this article we revisit the mechanism in cosmological scales by assuming a redshift dependence of the matter density and chameleon field, i.e. $ρ=ρ(z)$, $ϕ=ϕ(z)$. To support our analysi…
We investigate the solar-system constraint on the f(R) theory of modified gravity with chameleon mechanism, where f(R) represents the deviation from general relativity in the gravity action. We obtain a stringent bound to a general, non-constant deviation function f(R): -10^{-15} < df/dR < 0 when R ~ 3*10^5*H0^2, and a loose bound: 0 < R*d(df/dR)/dR < 2/5 when R > 3*10^5*H0^2, by requiring the thin-shell condition in the solar system, particularly in the atmosphere of the Earth. These bounds can be conveniently utilized to test the f(R) models with given functional forms of f(R) and to obtain …
Metric $f(R)$ gravity theories behave like GR with cosmological constant when $f"(R)$ = 0, and like scalar-tensor theories elsewhere. I investigate the transition from $f"(R) \neq 0$ to $f"(R) = 0$, and show that this theory may offer a way to explain Dark Energy and/or Dark Matter without having to make use of the chameleon mechanism to agree with solar system tests.
We study in this paper chameleon cosmology applied to Friedmann-Robertson-Walker space, which gives rise to the equation of state (EoS) parameter larger than -1 in the past and less than -1 today, satisfying current observations. We also study cosmological constraints on the model using the time evolution of the cosmological redshift of distant sources which directly probes the expansion history of the universe. Due to the evolution of the universe's expansion rate, the model independent Cosmological Redshift Drift (CRD)test is expected to experience a small, systematic drift as a function of …
On cosmological scales, observations of the cluster abundance currently place the strongest constraints on f(R) gravity. These constraints lie in the large-field limit, where the modifications of general relativity can correctly be modeled by setting the Compton wavelength of the scalar field to its background value. These bounds are, however, at the verge of penetrating into a regime, where the modifications become nonlinearly suppressed due to the chameleon mechanism and cannot be described by this linearized approximation. For future constraints based on observations subjected to cluster ab…
Chameleon fields may modify gravity on cluster scales while recovering general relativity locally. This article reviews signatures of chameleon modifications in the nonlinear cosmological structure, comparing different techniques to model them, summarising the current state of observational constraints, and concluding with an outlook on prospective constraints from future observations and applications of the analytic tools developed in the process to more general scalar-tensor theories. Particular focus is given to the Hu-Sawicki and designer models of f(R) gravity.
We explore a chameleon type of interacting dark matter-dark energy scenario in which a scalar field adiabatically traces the minimum of an effective potential sourced by the dark matter density. We discuss extensively the effect of this coupling on cosmological observables, especially the parameter degeneracies expected to arise between the model parameters and other cosmological parameters, and then test the model against observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies and other cosmological probes. We find that the chameleon parameters $α$ and $β$, which determine respecti…
In this paper we investigate the chameleon effect in the different conformal frames of the Brans--Dicke theory. Given that, in the standard literature on the subject, the chameleon is described in the Einstein frame almost exclusively, here we pay special attention to the description of this effect in the Jordan and in the string frames. It is shown that, in general, terrestrial and solar system bounds on the mass of the BD scalar field, and bounds of cosmological origin, are difficult to reconcile at once through a single chameleon potential. We point out that, in a cosmological context, prov…
Starting from the assumption that the present accelerated expansion of the Universe is driven by a chameleon scalar field, the function describing a direct coupling between the matter content of the Universe and the scalar field is derived from cosmological considerations. In progressing from cosmology towards astrophysical scales, this function is used to estimate the influence that such nonminimal coupling may have on the properties of usual (polytropic) stars whose matter can interact directly with the cosmological chameleon. It is shown that in order to obtain sizes and masses of compact c…
Using a novel and self-consistent approach that avoids the scalar-tensor identification in the Einstein frame, we reanalyze the viability of f(R) gravity within the context of solar-system tests. In order to do so, we depart from a simple but fully relativistic system of differential equations that describe a compact object in a static and spherically symmetric spacetime, and then we make suitable linearizations that apply to nonrelativistic objects such as the Sun. We then show clearly under which conditions the emerging chameleonlike mechanism can lead to a post-Newtonian parameter γ compati…
We have investigated a brane world model in which the gravitational field in the bulk is described both by a metric tensor and a minimally coupled scalar field. This scalar field is taken to be a chameleon with an appropriate potential function. The scalar field interacts with matter and there is an energy transfer between the two components. We find a late-time asymptotic solution which exhibits late-time accelerating expansion. We also show that the Universe recently crosses the phantom barrier without recourse to any exotic matter. We provide some thermodynamic arguments which constrain bot…
We consider cosmological models where dark energy is described by a dynamical field equipped with the Chameleon screening mechanism, which serves to hide its effects in local dense regions and to conform to Solar System observations. In these models, there is no universal gravitational coupling and here we study the effective couplings that determine the force between massive objects, $G_N$, and the propagation of gravitational waves, $G_{gw}$. In particular, we revisit the Chameleon screening mechanism without neglecting the time dependence of the galactic environment where local regions are …
The chameleon model is a scalar field theory with a screening mechanism that explains how a cosmologically relevant light scalar can avoid the constraints of intra-solar-system searches for fifth-forces. The chameleon is a popular dark energy candidate and also arises in $f(R)$ theories of gravity. Whilst the chameleon is designed to avoid historical searches for fifth-forces it is not unobservable and much effort has gone into identifying the best observables and experiments to detect it. These results are not always presented for the same models or in the same language, a particular problem …
The Solar System bounds on R^n gravity are often ignored in the literature by invoking the chameleon mechanism. We show that in order for the latter to work, the exponent n must be ridicolously close to unity and, therefore, these theories are severely constrained.
In this paper, the generalized second law (GSL) of thermodynamics and entropy is revisited in the context of cosmological models with bouncing behavior such as chameleon cosmology where the boundary of the universe is assumed to be enclosed by the dynamical apparent horizon. From a thermodynamic point of view, to link between thermodynamic and geometric parameters in cosmological models, we introduce "entropy rate of change multiplied by the temperature" as a model independent thermodynamic state parameter together with the well known $\{r,s \}$ statefinder to differentiate the dark energy mod…
In this paper, we study some relevant cosmological features of a Dark Energy (DE) model with Granda-Oliveiros cut-off, which is just a specific case of Nojiri-Odintsov holographic DE unifying phantom inflation with late-time acceleration, in the framework of Chameleon Brans-Dicke (BD) Cosmology. Choosing a particular ansatz for some of the quantities involved, we derive the expressions of some important cosmological quantities, like the Equation of State (EoS) parameter of DE $w_D$, the effective EoS parameter $w_{eff}$, the pressure of DE $p_D$ and the deceleration parameter $q$. Moreover, we…
In chameleon dark energy models, local gravity constraints tend to rule out parameters in which observable cosmological signatures can be found. We study viable chameleon potentials consistent with a number of recent observational and experimental bounds. A novel chameleon field potential, motivated by f(R) gravity, is constructed where observable cosmological signatures are present both at the background evolution and in the growth-rate of the perturbations. We study the evolution of matter density perturbations on low redshifts for this potential and show that the growth index today gamma_0 …
Direct detection of solar chameleons with electron recoil data from XENONnT
University of Trento（特伦托大学）；Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications (TIFPA)-INFN（特伦托基础物理与应用研究所（TIFPA）-意大利国家核物理研究所）；University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）；Kavli Institute for Cosmology (KICC), University of Cambridge（剑桥大学卡弗里宇宙学研究所）；Universidad de Zaragoza（萨拉戈萨大学）；Centro de Astropartículas y Física de Altas Energías, Universidad de Zaragoza（萨拉戈萨大学高能天体粒子物理中心）；University of Salerno（萨莱诺大学）；INFN Sezione di Napoli, Gruppo Collegato di Salerno（意大利国家核物理研究所那不勒斯分部萨莱诺协作组）；Technische Universität Dortmund（多特蒙德工业大学）
Recently it was argued that the conformal coupling of the chameleon to matter fields created an issue for early universe cosmology. As standard model degrees of freedom become non-relativistic in the early universe the chameleon is attracted towards a "surfing" solution, so that it arrives at the potential minimum with too large a velocity. This leads to rapid variations in the chameleon's mass and excitation of high energy modes, casting doubts on the classical treatment at Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. Here we present the DBI chameleon, a consistent high energy modification of the chameleon theo…
In order to satisfy limits on the allowed variation of particle masses from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) until today, the chameleon scalar field is required to reach its attractor solution early on in its cosmological evolution. Brax et al. (2004) have shown this to be possible for certain specific initial conditions on the chameleon field at the end of inflation. However the extreme fine-tuning necessary to achieve this, poses a problem if the chameleon is to be viewed a natural candidate for dark energy. In this article we revisit the behaviour of the chameleon in the early Universe, inclu…
Motivated by the recent work of one of us [1], we generalize this work to the case where the pressureless dark matter and the holographic dark energy do not conserve separately but interact with each other. We investigate the cosmological applications of interacting holographic dark energy in Brans-Dicke theory with chameleon scalar field which is non-minimally coupled to the matter field. We find out that in this model the phantom crossing can be constructed if the model parameters are chosen suitably. We also perform the study for the new agegraphic dark energy model and calculate some relev…
We investigate the cosmological dynamics of a class of supersymmetric chameleon models coupled to cold dark matter fermions. Supergravity corrections ensure that these models are efficiently screened in all astrophysical objects of interest, however this does not preclude the enhancement of gravity on linear cosmological scales. We analyse the background cosmology and solve the modified equations for the growth of cold dark matter density perturbations in closed form. Using this, we go on to derive the modified linear power spectrum which is characterised by two scales, the horizon size at mat…
Chameleon gravity is an example of a model that gives rise to interesting phenomenology on cosmological scales while simultaneously possessing a screening mechanism, allowing it to avoid solar system constraints. Such models result in non-linear field equations, which can be solved analytically only in simple highly symmetric systems. In this work we study the equation of motion of a scalar-tensor theory with chameleon screening using the finite element method. More specifically, we solve the field equation for spherical and triaxial NFW cluster-sized halos. This allows a detailed investigatio…
We study general properties of attractors for tachyonic potential chameleon scalar-field model which possess cosmological scaling solutions. An analytic formulation is given to obtain fixed points with a discussion on their stability. The model predicts a dynamical equation of state parameter with phantom crossing behavior for an accelerating universe. We constrain the parameters of the model by best fitting with the recent data-sets from supernovae and simulated data points for redshift drift experiment generated by Monte Carlo simulations.
We consider the possibility of the detection of a chameleon effect by an earth orbiting satellite such as LAGEOS, and possible constraints that might be placed on chameleon model parameters. Approximate constraints presented here result from using a simple monopole approximation for the gravitational field of the earth, along with results from the Khoury-Weltman chameleon model, solar system constraints obtained from the Cassini mission, and parameter bounds obtained from the LAGEOS satellite. It is furthermore suggested that a comparison of ground-based and space-based multipole moments of th…
Experiments on the violation of equivalence principle (EP) and solar system give a number of constraints in which any modified gravity model must satisfy them. We study these constraints on a kind of $f(R)$ gravity as $f(R) = R(1\pm ε\ln({R \over R_c}))$. For this investigation we use of chameleon mechanism and show that a spherically body has thin-shell in this model. So that we obtain an effective coupling of the fifth force which is suppressed through a chameleon mechanism. Also, we obtain $γ_{PPN} = 1 \pm 1.13 \times10^{-5}$ which is agreement with experiment results. At last, we show that…
Light scalar fields are expected to arise in theories of high energy physics (such as string theory), and find phenomenological motivations in dark energy, dark matter, or neutrino physics. However, the coupling of light scalar fields to ordinary (or dark) matter is strongly constrained from laboratory, solar system, and astrophysical tests of fifth force. One way to evade these constraints in dense environments is through the chameleon mechanism, where the field's mass steeply increases with ambient density. Consequently, the chameleonic force is only sourced by a thin shell near the surface …
The chameleon, or generalizations thereof, is a light scalar that couple to matter with gravitational strength, but whose manifestation depends on the ambient matter density. A key feature is that the screening mechanism suppressing its effects in high-density environments is determined by the local scalar field value. Under very general conditions, we prove two theorems limiting its cosmological impact: i) the Compton wavelength of such a scalar can be at most Mpc at present cosmic density, which restricts its impact to non-linear scales; ii) the conformal factor relating Einstein- and Jordan…
In the Einstein-Cartan gravitational theory with the chameleon field, changing its mass in dependence of a density of its environment, we analyze the Friedmann-Einstein equations for the Universe evolution with the expansion parameter $a$ dependent on time only. We analyze the problem of an identification of the chameleon field with quintessence, i.e. a canonical scalar field responsible for dark energy dynamics and for the acceleration of the Universe expansion. We show that since the cosmological constant, related to the relic dark energy density, is induced by torsion (Astrophys. J.829, 47 …
We extend the chameleon models by considering Scalar-Fluid theories where the coupling between matter and the scalar field can be represented by a quadratic effective potential with density-dependent minimum and mass. In this context, we study the effects of the scalar field on Solar System tests of gravity and show that models passing these stringent constraints can still induce large modifications of Newton's law on galactic scales. On these scales we analyse models which could lead to a percent deviation of Newton's law outside the virial radius. We then model the dark matter halo as a Nava…
We consider the Post-Newtonian limit of massive Brans-Dicke theory and we make some notes about the Post-Newtonian limit of the case $ω=0$. This case is dynamically equivalent to the metric $f(R)$ theory. It is known that this theory can be compatible with the solar system tests if Chameleon mechanism occurs. Also, it is known that this mechanism is because of the non-linearity in the field equations produced by the largeness of the local curvature relative to the background curvature. Thus, the linearization of the field equations breaks down. On the other hand we know that Chameleon mechanis…
We consider a generalized Brans-Dicke model in which the scalar field has a potential function and is also allowed to couple non-minimally with the matter sector. This anomalous gravitational coupling can in principle avoid the model to pass local gravity experiments. One then usually assumes that the scalar field has a chameleon behavior in the sense that it acquires a density-dependent effective mass. While it can take a small effective mass in cosmological (low-density environment) scale, it has a sufficiently heavy mass in Solar System (large-density environment) and then hides gravity tes…
Scalar-tensor theories whose phenomenology differs significantly from general relativity on large (e.g. cosmological) scales do not typically pass local experimental tests (e.g. in the solar system) unless they present a suitable "screening mechanism". An example is provided by chameleon screening, whereby the local general relativistic behavior is recovered in high density environments, at least in weak-field and quasi-static configurations. Here, we test the validity of chameleon screening in strong-field and highly relativistic/dynamical conditions, by performing fully non-linear simulation…
Modified gravity models which include an additional propagating degree of freedom are typically studied in the quasi-static limit, where the propagation is neglected, and the wave equation of the field is replaced with a Poisson-type equation. Recently, it has been proposed that, in the context of models with symmetron- or chameleon-type screening, scalar waves from astrophysical or cosmological events could have a significant effect on the screening of the Solar System, and hence invalidate these models. Here, we quantitatively investigate the impact of scalar waves by solving the full field …
Theories which modify general relativity to explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe often use screening mechanisms to satisfy constraints on Solar System scales. We investigate the effects of the cosmic web and the local environmental density of dark matter halos on the screening properties of the Vainshtein and chameleon screening mechanisms. We compare the cosmic web morphology of dark matter particles, mass functions of dark matter halos, mass and radial dependence of screening, velocity dispersions and peculiar velocities, and environmental dependence of screening mechanisms in $…
We analyse the phenomenology of a self-interacting scalar field in the context of the chameleon scenario originally proposed by Khoury and Weltman. In the absence of self-interactions, this type of scalar field can mediate long range interactions and simultaneously evade constraints from violation of the weak equivalence principle. By applying to such a scalar field the effective field theory method proposed for Einstein gravity by Goldberger and Rothstein, we give a thorough perturbative evaluation of the importance of non-derivative self-interactions in determining the strength of the chamel…
In this work we systematically study the linear and nonlinear structure formation in chameleon theories of modified gravity, using a generic parameterisation which describes a large class of models using only 4 parameters. For this we have modified the N-body simulation code ECOSMOG to perform a total of 65 simulations for different models and parameter values, including the default LCDM. These simulations enable us to explore a significant portion of the parameter space. We have studied the effects of modified gravity on the matter power spectrum and mass function, and found a rich and intere…
The recently proposed chameleonic extension of bigravity theory, by including a scalar field dependence in the graviton potential, avoids several fine-tunings found to be necessary in usual massive bigravity. In particular it ensures that the Higuchi bound is satisfied at all scales, that no Vainshtein mechanism is needed to satisfy solar-system experiments, and that the strong coupling scale is always above the scale of cosmological interest all the way up to the early universe. This paper extends the previous work by presenting a stable example of cosmology in the chameleon bigravity model. …
A criterion to seek for compatibility of any given matter coupling with a fundamental theory of physics - assumed here to be the string theory - is developed. We call this criterion as"`compatibility check", and apply it to test different kinds of matter coupling which are familiar in cosmological scenarios. The so called "chameleon effect" - useful to overcome the stringent constraints on additional non gravitational interactions - is reviewed by relaxing several assumptions which are commonly found in the bibliography in order to explore the chameleon behavior of self-interacting scalar fiel…
The possibility that the apparent anomalous acceleration of the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft may be due, at least in part, to a chameleon field effect is examined. A small spacecraft, with no thin shell, can have a more pronounced anomalous acceleration than a large compact body, such as a planet, having a thin shell. The chameleon effect seems to present a natural way to explain the differences seen in deviations from pure Newtonian gravity for a spacecraft and for a planet, and appears to be compatible with the basic features of the Pioneer anomaly, including the appearance of a jerk term. H…
Recently, a model $f(R)$ theory is proposed \cite{recent} which is cosmologically viable and distinguishable from $Λ$CDM. We use chameleon mechanism to investigate viability of the model in terms of Solar System experiments.
We consider static, spherically symmetric equilibrium configurations consisting of fermionic dark matter nonminimally coupled to dark energy in the form of a quintessence scalar field. With the scalar field coupling function, the form of which is taken to meet cosmological observations, we estimate the effect of such a nonminimal coupling on the properties of dark matter compact configurations. We show that the masses and sizes of the resulting chameleon dark matter stars are smaller than those of systems with no field present.
Current constraints on gravity are relatively weak on galactic and intergalactic scales. Screened modified gravity models can exhibit complex behaviour there without violating stringent tests of gravity within our Solar System. They might hence provide viable extensions of the theory of gravity. Here, we use galaxy kinematics to constrain screened modified gravity models. We focus on chameleon $f(R)$ gravity and predict its impact on galaxy rotation curves and radial acceleration relations. This is achieved by post-processing state-of-the-art galaxy formation simulations from the \textsc{aurig…
