Constraining Post-Newtonian Parameters with the Cosmic Microwave Background

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Thomas, Daniel B., Anton, Theodore, Clifton, Timothy, Bull, Philip
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Thomas, Daniel B.
Anton, Theodore
Clifton, Timothy
Bull, Philip
author_facet Thomas, Daniel B.
Anton, Theodore
Clifton, Timothy
Bull, Philip
contents The Parameterised Post-Newtonian (PPN) approach is the default framework for performing precision tests of gravity in nearby astrophysical systems. In recent works we have extended this approach for cosmological applications, and in this paper we use observations of the anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background to constrain the time variation of the PPN parameters $α$ and $γ$ between last scattering and the present day. We find their time-averages over cosmological history should be within $\sim 20\%$ of their values in GR, with $\barα=0.89^{+0.08}_{-0.09}$ and $\barγ=0.90^{+0.07}_{-0.08}$ at the $68\%$ confidence level. We also constrain the time derivatives of these parameters, and find that their present-day values should be within a factor of two of the best Solar System constraints. Many of these results have no counter-part from Solar System observations, and are entirely new constraints on the gravitational interaction. In all cases, we find that the data strongly prefer $\barα\simeq \barγ$, meaning that observers would typically find local gravitational physics to be compatible with GR, despite considerable variation of $α$ and $γ$ being allowed over cosmic history. This study lays the groundwork for future precision tests of gravity that combine observations made over all cosmological and astrophysical scales of length and time.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_20388
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Constraining Post-Newtonian Parameters with the Cosmic Microwave Background
Thomas, Daniel B.
Anton, Theodore
Clifton, Timothy
Bull, Philip
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
The Parameterised Post-Newtonian (PPN) approach is the default framework for performing precision tests of gravity in nearby astrophysical systems. In recent works we have extended this approach for cosmological applications, and in this paper we use observations of the anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background to constrain the time variation of the PPN parameters $α$ and $γ$ between last scattering and the present day. We find their time-averages over cosmological history should be within $\sim 20\%$ of their values in GR, with $\barα=0.89^{+0.08}_{-0.09}$ and $\barγ=0.90^{+0.07}_{-0.08}$ at the $68\%$ confidence level. We also constrain the time derivatives of these parameters, and find that their present-day values should be within a factor of two of the best Solar System constraints. Many of these results have no counter-part from Solar System observations, and are entirely new constraints on the gravitational interaction. In all cases, we find that the data strongly prefer $\barα\simeq \barγ$, meaning that observers would typically find local gravitational physics to be compatible with GR, despite considerable variation of $α$ and $γ$ being allowed over cosmic history. This study lays the groundwork for future precision tests of gravity that combine observations made over all cosmological and astrophysical scales of length and time.
title Constraining Post-Newtonian Parameters with the Cosmic Microwave Background
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.20388