Jacob Moldenhauer

A new independent limit on the cosmological constant/dark energy from the relativistic bending of light by Galaxies and clusters of Galaxies

We derive new limits on the value of the cosmological constant, A, based on the Einstein bending of light by systems where the lens is a distant galaxy or a cluster of galaxies. We use an amended lens equation in which the contribution of A to the Einstein deflection angle is taken into account and use observations of Einstein radii around several lens systems. We use in our calculations a Schwarzschild-de Sitter vacuole exactly matched into a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker background and show that a A-contribution term appears in the deflection angle within the lens equation. We find that the contribution of the A-term to the bending angle is larger than the second-order term for many lens systems. Using these observations of bending angles, we derive new limits on the value of A. These limits constitute the best observational upper bound on A after cosmological constraints and are only two orders of magnitude away from the value determined by those cosmological constraints.

Testing general relativity at cosmological scales: Implementation and parameter correlations

The testing of general relativity at cosmological scales has become a possible and timely endeavor that is not only motivated by the pressing question of cosmic acceleration but also by the proposals of some extensions to general relativity that would manifest themselves at large scales of distance. We analyze here correlations between modified gravity growth parameters and some core cosmological parameters using the latest cosmological data sets including the refined Cosmic Evolution Survey 3D weak lensing. We provide parametrized modified growth equations and their evolution. We implement known functional and binning approaches, and propose a new hybrid approach to evolve modified gravity parameters in redshift (time) and scale. The hybrid parametrization combines a binned redshift dependence and a smooth evolution in scale avoiding a jump in the matter power spectrum. The formalism developed to test the consistency of current and future data with general relativity is implemented in a package that we make publicly available and call ISiTGR (Integrated Software in Testing General Relativity), an integrated set of modified modules for the publicly available packages CosmoMC and CAMB, including a modified version of the integrated Sachs-Wolfe-galaxy cross correlation module of Ho et al and a new weak-lensing likelihood module for the refined HST-COSMOS weak lensing tomography data. We obtain parameter constraints and correlation coefficients finding that modified gravity parameters are significantly correlated with \sigma_8 and mildly correlated with \Omega_m, for all evolution methods. The degeneracies between \sigma_8 and modified gravity parameters are found to be substantial for the functional form and also for some specific bins in the hybrid and binned methods indicating that these degeneracies will need to be taken into consideration when using future high precision data.

Constraints on growth index parameters from current and future observations

We use current and future simulated data of the growth rate of large scale structure in combination with data from supernova, BAO, and CMB surface measurements, in order to put constraints on the growth index parameters. We use a recently proposed parameterization of the growth index that interpolates between a constant value at high redshifts and a form that accounts for redshift dependencies at small redshifts. We also suggest here another exponential parameterization with a similar behaviour. The redshift dependent parametrizations provide a sub-percent precision level to the numerical growth function, for the full redshift range. Using these redshift parameterizations or a constant growth index, we find that current available data from galaxy redshift distortions and Lyman-alpha forests is unable to put significant constraints on any of the growth parameters. For example both ΛCDM and flat DGP are allowed by current growth data. We use an MCMC analysis to study constraints from future growth data, and simulate pessimistic and moderate scenarios for the uncertainties. In both scenarios, the redshift parameterizations discussed are able to provide significant constraints and rule out models when incorrectly assumed in the analysis. The values taken by the constant part of the parameterizations as well as the redshift slopes are all found to significantly rule out an incorrect background. We also find that, for our pessimistic scenario, an assumed constant growth index over the full redshift range is unable to rule out incorrect models in all cases. This is due to the fact that the slope acts as a second discriminator at smaller redshifts and therefore provide a significant test to identify the underlying gravity theory.

Figures of merit and constraints from testing General Relativity using the latest cosmological data sets including refined COSMOS 3D weak lensing

We use cosmological constraints from current data sets and a figure of merit (FoM) approach to probe any deviations from general relativity (GR) at cosmological scales. The FoM approach is used to study the constraining power of various combinations of data sets on modified gravity (MG) parameters. We use recently refined HST-COSMOS weak-lensing tomography data, ISW-galaxy cross correlations from 2MASS and SDSS LRG surveys, matter power spectrum from SDSS-DR7 (MPK), WMAP7 temperature and polarization spectra, BAO from 2DF and SDSS-DR7, and Union2 compilation of supernovae, in addition to other bounds from H_0 measurements and BBN. We use 3 parametrizations of MG parameters that enter the perturbed field equations. In order to allow for variations with redshift and scale, the first 2 parametrizations use recently suggested functional forms while the third is based on binning methods. Using the first parametrization, we find that CMB + ISW + WL provides the strongest constraints on MG parameters followed by CMB+WL or CMB+MPK+ISW. Using the second parametrization or binning methods, CMB+MPK+ISW consistently provides some of the strongest constraints. This shows that the constraints are parametrization dependent. We find that adding up current data sets does not improve consistently uncertainties on MG parameters due to tensions between best-fit MG parameters preferred by different data sets. Furthermore, some functional forms imposed by the parametrizations can lead to an exacerbation of these tensions. Next, unlike some studies that used the CFHTLS lensing data, we do not find any deviation from GR using the refined HST-COSMOS data, confirming previous claims in those studies that their result may have been due to some systematic effect. Finally, we find in all cases that the values corresponding to GR are within the 95% confidence level contours for all data set combinations. (abridged)

Supernova, baryon acoustic oscillations, and CMB surface distance constraints on f(G) higher order gravity models

We consider recently proposed higher-order gravity models where the action is built from the Einstein-Hilbert action plus a function f(G) of the Gauss-Bonnet invariant. The models were previously shown to pass physical acceptability conditions as well as solar system tests. In this paper, we compare the models to combined data sets of supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, and constraints from the CMB surface of last scattering. We find that the models provide fits to the data that are close to those of the lambda cold dark matter concordance model. The results provide a pool of higher-order gravity models that pass these tests and need to be compared to constraints from large scale structure and full CMB analysis.

A minimal set of invariants as a systematic approach to higher order gravity models: physical and cosmological constraints

We compare higher order gravity models to observational constraints from magnitude -redshift supernova data, distance to the last scattering surface of the CMB, and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations. We follow a recently proposed systematic approach to higher order gravity models based on minimal sets of curvature invariants, and select models that pass some physical acceptability conditions (free of ghost instabilities, real and positive propagation speeds, and free of separatrices). Models that satisfy these physical and observational constraints are found in this analysis and do provide fits to the data that are very close to those of the LCDM concordance model. However, we find in that the limitation of the models considered here comes from the presence of superluminal mode propagations for the constrained parameter space of the models.

A minimal set of invariants as a systematic approach to higher order gravity models

Higher-order gravity models have been recently the subject of much attention in the context of cosmic acceleration. These models are derived by adding various curvature invariants to the Einstein-Hilbert action. Several studies showed that these models can have late-time self-acceleration and could, in some cases, fit various observational constraints. In view of the infinite spectrum of invariants that could be built from curvature tensors, we propose here a method based on minimal sets of independent invariants as a possible route for a systematic approach to these models. We explore a connection made between theorems on bases in invariants theory in relativity and higher-order cosmological models. A dynamical system analysis is performed and some models with accelerating attractors are discussed. The asymptotic behavior of the models is also studied using analytical calculations.

Modern cosmology: Interactive computer simulations that use recent observational surveys

We present a collection of new, open-source computational tools for numerically modeling recent large-scale observational data sets using modern cosmology theory. Specifically, these tools will allow both students and researchers to constrain the parameter values in competitive cosmological models, thereby discovering both the accelerated expansion of the universe and its composition (e.g., dark matter and dark energy). These programs have several features to help the non-cosmologist build an understanding of cosmological models and their relation to observational data: a built-in collection of several real observational data sets; sliders to vary the values of the parameters that define different cosmological models; real-time plotting of simulated data; and

Fortranning It with Style [review of "Modern Fortran: Style and Usage" (Clerman, N.S. and Spector, W.; 2012)]

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Testing General Relativity at Cosmological Scales using ISiTGR

calculations of the goodness of fit for each choice of parameters (theory) and observational data (experiment). The current list of built-in observations includes several recent supernovae Type Ia surveys, baryon acoustic oscillations, the cosmic microwave background radiation, gamma-ray bursts, and measurements of the Hubble parameter. In this article, we discuss specific results for testing cosmological models using these observational data. These programs can be found at this http URL