Solar System Constraints on Gauss-Bonnet Dark Energy

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Gauss-Bonnet gravity, a quadratic curvature modification, can explain dark energy while remaining consistent with local gravitational tests, deriving stringent constraints on its coupling strength.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of solar system constraints on Gauss-Bonnet dark energy models, highlighting the tension between cosmological viability and local tests.

Findings

The bound on the density fraction is |Omega_GB| < 3.6 x 10^-32.

Large coupling strengths conflict with laboratory and planetary tests.

Constraints challenge the viability of Gauss-Bonnet gravity as a dark energy candidate.

Abstract

Quadratic curvature Gauss-Bonnet gravity may be the solution to the dark energy problem, but a large coupling strength is required. This can lead to conflict with laboratory and planetary tests of Newton's law, as well as light bending. The corresponding constraints are derived. If applied directly to cosmological scales, the resulting bound on the density fraction is |Omega_GB| < 3.6 x 10^-32.