A well-known problem of the ΛCDM model is the tension between the relatively high level of clustering, as quantified by the parameter σ8, found in cosmic microwave background experiments and the smaller one obtained from large-scale observations in the late Universe. In this paper we show that coupled quintessence, i.e. a single dark energy scalar field conformally coupled to dark matter through a constant coupling, can solve this problem if the background is taken to be identical to the ΛCDM one. We show that two competing effects arise. On one hand, the additional scalar force is attractive, and is therefore expected to increase the clustering. On the other, in order to obtain the same background as ΛCDM, coupled quintessence must have a smaller amount of dark matter near the present epoch. We show that the second effect is dominating today and leads to an overall slower growth. Comparing to redshift distortion data, we find that coupled quintessence with ΛCDM background solves the tension between early and late clustering.We find for the coupling β and for σ8 the best fit values |β| = 0.079 +0.059 −0.067 and σ8 = 0.818 +0.115 −0.088 . These values also fit the lensing data from the KiDS-450 survey. We also estimate that the future missions SKA and Euclid will constrain β with an error of ± 1.5 × 10 −3 and for σ8 of ± 1.8 × 10 −3 at 1σ level.

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The main goal of this work is to propose a generalized model of interacting dark energy which allows for the kinetic term of a scalar field to couple to the matter species a priori in the action. We derive the modified field equations, and present novel cosmological solutions for a specific coupled model. One alluring consequence is the emergence of solutions allowing for an early scaling regime, possible due to two novel critical points, followed by a period of accelerated expansion. Using a dynamical system analysis, we show that the presence of the coupling may alter the dynamical nature of the critical points and can be used to enlarge the existence and stability regions of these. Using constraints from Planck data we are able to find an upper bound on the coupling parameter. Finally, it is shown how this theory encapsulates a wide variety of dark energy models already present in the literature.

In this work, we find novel static and spherically symmetric wormhole geometries using a threeform field. By solving the gravitational field equations, we find a variety of analytical and numerical solutions and show that it is possible for the matter fields threading the wormhole to satisfy the null and weak energy conditions throughout the spacetime, when the three-form field is present. In these cases, the form field is responsible for supporting the wormhole and all the exoticity is confined to it. Thus, the three-form curvature terms, which may be interpreted as a gravitational fluid, sustain these wormhole geometries. We also show that in the case of a vanishing redshift function the field can display a cosmological constant behavior.

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It has been shown in the last few years that 3-form fields present viable cosmological solutions for inflation and dark energy with particular observable signatures distinct from those of canonical single scalar field inflation. The aim of this work is to explore the dynamics of a single 3-form in five dimensional Randall-Sundrum II braneworld scenario, in which a 3-form is confined to the brane and only gravity propagates in the bulk. We compare the solutions with the standard four dimensional case already studied in the literature. In particular, we evaluate how the spectral index and the ratio of tensor to scalar perturbations are influenced by the presence of the bulk and put constraints on the parameters of the models in the light of the recent Planck 2015 data. PACS numbers: 98.80.-k,98.80.Jk

In this work we study the growth of cold dark matter density perturbations in the nonlinear regime on a conformally coupled quintessence model in which the background is designed to mimic a ΛCDM cosmology. The spherical collapse of overdense regions is analysed. We highlight the role of the coupling on the overall dynamics, trace the evolution of the density contrast throughout the cosmic history and compute perturbative parameters such as the critical density contrast. We find that the coupling has the influence of delaying the collapse due to the slower growth of matter perturbations. We follow to compute the cluster number counts using the Press-Schechter and Sheth-Tormen mass functions. In both cases, the transfer of energy between the dark energy field and dark matter suppresses the number of objects at low redshifts and enhances the number at high redshifts. Finally, we compute the expected cluster number counts for two future surveys -eROSITA and the South Pole Telescope -and shed some light on the possibility of discriminating models with these missions.

We investigate static and spherically symmetric solutions in a gravity theory that extends the standard Hilbert–Einstein action with a Lagrangian constructed from a three-form field $$A_{\alpha \beta \gamma }$$Aαβγ, which is related to the field strength and a potential term. The field equations are obtained explicitly for a static and spherically symmetric geometry in vacuum. For a vanishing three-form field potential the gravitational field equations can be solved exactly. For arbitrary potentials numerical approaches are adopted in studying the behavior of the metric functions and of the three-form field. To this effect, the field equations are reformulated in a dimensionless form and are solved numerically by introducing a suitable independent radial coordinate. We detect the formation of a black hole from the presence of a Killing horizon for the timelike Killing vector in the metric tensor components. Several models, corresponding to different functional forms of the three-field potential, namely, the Higgs and exponential type, are considered. In particular, naked singularity solutions are also obtained for the exponential potential case. Finally, the thermodynamic properties of these black hole solutions, such as the horizon temperature, specific heat, entropy and evaporation time due to the Hawking luminosity, are studied in detail.