Scalar perturbations of Galileon cosmologies in the mechanical approach within the late Universe

TL;DR

This paper studies scalar perturbations in Galileon cosmologies during the late Universe, focusing on conditions for the Galileon field to couple with matter and its implications for cosmic evolution.

Contribution

It introduces conditions under which the physical Galileon field can become coupled with matter in the late Universe, consistent with recent gravitational wave constraints.

Findings

Galileon field can behave as a matter component.

Conditions for coupling depend on gravitational wave constraints.

Galileon acts as a two-component perfect fluid at the background level.

Abstract

We investigate the Universe at the late stage of its evolution and inside the cell of uniformity 150-370 Mpc. We consider the Universe to be filled at these scales with dust like matter, a minimally coupled Galileon field and radiation. We use the mechanical approach. Therefore, the peculiar velocities of the inhomogeneities as well as the fluctuations of the other perfect fluids can be considered nonrelativistic. Such fluids are said to be coupled because they are concentrated around the inhomogeneities. We investigate the conditions under which the physical Galileon field, i.e. compatible with results of the latest gravitational wave experiments GW150914, GW151226, GW170104, GW170814, GW170817 and GW170608, can become coupled. We know that at the background level coupled scalar fields behave as a two-component perfect fluids: one which mimics a network of frustrated cosmic string and an another one which corresponds to an effective cosmological constant. We found a correction for the Galileon field, which behaves like a matter component.