Consistent Modified Gravity Analysis of Anisotropic Galaxy Clustering Using BOSS DR11

TL;DR

This paper uses a consistent modified gravity perturbation theory to analyze anisotropic galaxy clustering in BOSS DR11 data, finding no evidence for deviations from general relativity and setting upper limits on f(R) gravity parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a methodology for analyzing anisotropic galaxy clustering with modified gravity theories, specifically f(R) gravity, using BOSS DR11 data.

Findings

No evidence for extra scale dependence in growth factor

95% confidence upper limit |f_{R0}| < 8 x 10^{-4}

Method can be applied to future surveys for tighter constraints

Abstract

We analyse the clustering of cosmic large scale structure using a consistent modified gravity perturbation theory, accounting for anisotropic effects along and transverse to the line of sight. The growth factor has a particular scale dependence in f(R) gravity and we fit for the shape parameter f_{R0} simultaneously with the distance and the large scale (general relativity) limit of the growth function. Using more than 690,000 galaxies in the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopy Survey Data Release 11, we find no evidence for extra scale dependence, with the 95\% confidence upper limit |f_{R0}| <8 \times 10^{-4}. Future clustering data, such as from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, can use this consistent methodology to impose tighter constraints.