Fingerprints of modified gravity on galaxies in voids

TL;DR

This study investigates how f(R) modified gravity influences the properties and morphology of void galaxies, revealing potential observable signatures that could distinguish it from general relativity in future cosmological tests.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of the effects of f(R) gravity on galaxy and halo properties in void environments, highlighting observable deviations from GR.

Findings

f(R) gravity increases maximum galaxy velocities compared to GR.

Haloes in f(R) are more concentrated and less triaxial than in GR.

Galaxy morphology and halo shape deviations depend on screening regions.

Abstract

We search for detectable signatures of f(R) gravity and its chameleon screening mechanism in the baryonic and dark matter (DM) properties of simulated void galaxies. The enhancement of the gravitational acceleration can have a meaningful impact on the scaling relations as well as on the halo morphology. The galaxy rotational velocity field (calculated with the velocity of the gas disc and the acceleration fields) deviates from the typical values of the Tully-Fisher Relation (TFR) in GR. For a given stellar mass, f(R) gravity tends to produce greater maximum velocities. On the other hand, the mass in haloes in f(R) gravity is more concentrated than their counterparts in GR. This trend changes when the concentration is calculated with the dynamical density profile, which takes into account the unscreened outer regions of the halo. Stellar discs interact with the overall potential well in the central regions, modifying the morphology of the screening regions and reshaping them. We find a trend for galaxies with a more dominant stellar disc to deviate further from round screening regions. We find that small haloes are less triaxial and more round in f(R) than their GR counterparts. The difference between halo morphology becomes smaller in f(R) haloes whose inner regions are screened. These results suggest possible observables that could unveil modified gravity effects on galaxies in voids in future cosmological tests of gravity.