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We investigate the observational consequences of a novel class of stable interacting dark energy (IDE) models, featuring interactions between dark matter (DM) and dark energy (DE). In the first part of our work, we start by considering two IDE models which are known to present earlytime linear perturbation instabilities. Applying a transformation depending on the dark energy equation of state (EoS) to the DM-DE coupling, we then obtain two novel stable IDE models. Subsequently, we derive robust and accurate constraints on the parameters of these models, assuming a constant EoS wx for the DE fluid, in light of some of the most recent publicly available cosmological data. These include Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropy measurements from the Planck satellite, a selection of Baryon Acoustic Oscillation measurements, Supernovae Type-Ia luminosity distance measurements from the JLA sample, and measurements of the Hubble parameter up to redshift 2 from cosmic chronometers. Our analysis displays a mild preference for the DE fluid residing in the phantom region (wx < −1), with significance up to 95% confidence level, while we obtain new upper limits on the coupling parameter between the dark components. The preference for a phantom DE suggests a coupling function Q < 0, thus a scenario where energy flows from the DE to the DM. We also examine the possibility of addressing the H0 and σ8 tensions, finding that only the former can be partially alleviated. Finally, we perform a Bayesian model comparison analysis to quantify the possible preference for the two IDE models against the standard concordance ΛCDM model, finding that the latter is always preferred with the strength of the evidence ranging from positive to very strong. 98.80.Cq, 95.35.+d, 95.36.+x, 98.80.Es. *

Even though it is not possible to differentiate general relativity from teleparallel gravity using classical experiments, it could be possible to discriminate between them by quantum gravitational effects. These effects have motivated the introduction of nonlocal deformations of general relativity, and similar effects are also expected to occur in teleparallel gravity. Here, we study nonlocal deformations of teleparallel gravity along with its cosmological solutions. We observe that nonlocal teleparallel gravity (like nonlocal general relativity) is consistent with the present cosmological data obtained by SNe Ia + BAO + CC + observations. Along this track, future experiments probing nonlocal effects could be used to test whether general relativity or teleparallel gravity gives the most consistent picture of gravitational interaction.

Abstract:We use the local value of the Hubble constant recently measured with 2.4% precision, as well as the latest compilation of cosmic chronometers data, together with standard probes such as Supernovae Type Ia and Baryon Acoustic Oscillation distance measurements, in order to impose constraints on the viable and most used f (T ) gravity models, where T is the torsion scalar in teleparallel gravity. In particular, we consider three f (T ) models with two parameters, out of which one is independent, and we quantify their deviation from ΛCDM cosmology through a sole parameter. Our analysis reveals that for one of the models a small but non-zero deviation from ΛCDM cosmology is slightly favored, while for the other models the best fit is very close to ΛCDM scenario. Clearly, f (T ) gravity is consistent with observations, and it can serve as a candidate for modified gravity.

We investigate the observational constraints on an interacting vacuum energy scenario with two different neutrino schemes (with and without a sterile neutrino) using the most recent data from CMB temperature and polarization anisotropy, baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), type Ia supernovae from JLA sample and structure growth inferred from cluster counts. We find that inclusion of the galaxy clusters data with the minimal data combination CMB + BAO + JLA suggests an interaction in the dark sector, implying the decay of dark matter particles into dark energy, since the constraints obtained by including the galaxy clusters data yield a non-null and negative coupling parameter between the dark components at 99% confidence level. We deduce that the current tensions on the parameters H0 and σ8 can be alleviated within the framework of the interacting as well as non-interacting vacuum energy models with sterile neutrinos.PACS numbers: 95.35.+d; 95.36.+x; 14.60.Pq; 98.80.Es

We investigate the evolution of scalar perturbations in f (T ) teleparallel gravity and its effects on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy. The f (T ) gravity generalizes the teleparallel gravity which is formulated on the Weitzenböck spacetime, characterized by the vanishing curvature tensor (absolute parallelism) and the non-vanishing torsion tensor. For the first time, we derive the observational constraints on the modified teleparallel gravity using the CMB temperature power spectrum from Planck's estimation, in addition to data from baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) and local Hubble constant measurements. We find that a small deviation of the f (T ) gravity model from the ΛCDM cosmology is slightly favored. Besides that, the f (T ) gravity model does not show tension on the Hubble constant that prevails in the ΛCDM cosmology. It is clear that f (T ) gravity is also consistent with the CMB observations, and undoubtedly it can serve as a viable candidate amongst other modified gravity theories.

We consider the possibility of an interaction in the dark sector in the presence of massive neutrinos, and study the observational constraints on three different scenarios of massive neutrinos using the most recent CMB anisotropy data in combination with type Ia supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, and Hubble parameter measurements. When a sterile neutrino is introduced in the interacting dark sector scenario in addition to the standard model prediction of neutrinos, we find that the coupling parameter, characterizing the interaction between dark matter and dark energy, is non-zero at 2σ confidence level. The interaction model with sterile neutrino is also found to be a promising one to alleviate the current tension on Hubble constant. We do not find the evidence for a coupling in the dark sector when the possibility of a sterile neutrino is discarded.