Signatures of Modified Gravity Below $\mathcal{O}(10)$ Mpc in a Dynamical Dark Energy Background

TL;DR

This study investigates how modifications to gravity on scales below approximately 10 Mpc can influence cosmic structure growth within a dynamical dark energy background, using observational data to constrain these effects.

Contribution

It introduces a parametrization of deviations from Newton's constant on small scales in a dynamical dark energy context and constrains these deviations with current cosmological data.

Findings

Modified gravity effects must occur below ~10 Mpc to fit structure growth data.

Including modified gravity strengthens the preference for a dynamical dark energy background over ΛCDM.

The preferred dark energy model shifts slightly into the quintom region with modified gravity effects.

Abstract

Cosmological data from the cosmic microwave background (CMB), baryon acoustic oscillations, and Type Ia supernovae suggest that the component driving the accelerated expansion of the Universe may be dynamical at the $\sim 2.5$-$3\sigma$ CL. The best-fit CPL model produces a level of cosmic structure similar to that of $\Lambda$CDM, with both models exhibiting mild tension with redshift-space distortion data. In this {\it Letter}, we parametrize possible departures of the effective gravitational coupling from Newton's constant in the late Universe, below a comoving scale $\lambda_c$, using two redshift bins, $0 \leq z < 1$ and $1 \leq z \leq 3$. We then determine the optimal values of $\lambda_c$ and the amplitude of these deviations from General Relativity, assuming a background with dynamical dark energy in CPL form. We find that, in order to achieve the required suppression of structure growth at low redshifts while remaining consistent with CMB constraints -- primarily from the late-time ISW effect at low $\ell$ and lensing at high $\ell$ -- modified gravity effects must appear on scales smaller than $\lambda_c \sim \mathcal{O}(10)\,\mathrm{Mpc}$. Using Planck PR4, DESI DR2, Pantheon+ (or DES-Dovekie) and redshift-space distortions data we confirm that a CPL background with standard gravity is moderately preferred over $\Lambda$CDM; this preference strengthens to a mildly strong level when modified gravity effects are included. This enhancement leaves the CPL parameters largely unchanged, but shifts them slightly further into the quintom region.