Testing Gravity Using the Environmental Dependence of Dark Matter Halos

2011/05/31 by Gong-Bo Zhao, Gong‐Bo Zhao, Baojiu Li +2 · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Dark energy #Dark matter #Dark matter halo #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #General relativity #Halo #Hot dark matter #Physics #Theoretical physics #Universe #astro-ph.CO #gr-qc #hep-ph #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.107.071303

published as Phys.Rev.Lett.107:071303,2011 · 5 pages, 4 figures, version accepted to PRL

arxiv created 2011/07/18 · openalex publication_date 2011/08/10 · arxiv updated 2011/08/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

In this Letter, we investigate the environmental dependence of dark matter halos in theories which attempt to explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe by modifying general relativity (GR). Using high-resolution N-body simulations in f(R) gravity models which recover GR in dense environments by virtue of the chameleon mechanism, we find a significant difference, which depends on the environment, between the lensing and dynamical masses of dark matter halos. This environmental dependence of the halo properties can be used as a smoking gun to test GR observationally.

Citations

• f(R)theories of gravity
• Cosmological Tests of General Relativity with Future Tomographic Surveys
• Consistency test of general relativity from large scale structure of the universe
• Dynamical masses in modified gravity

Cited by

• Scale-dependent growth from a transition in dark energy dynamics
• Distinguishing screening mechanisms with environment-dependent velocity statistics
• Haloes and voids in f(R) gravity
• Spatial variations of the fine-structure constant in symmetron models