Speaker
Description
Constraining the dark energy equation of state, w, as well as modified growth of large structures predicted by alternatives to GR, are among the primary science goals of ongoing and future cosmological surveys. We derive the theoretical prior covariance for w predicted by a general class of theories of a scalar field dark energy (Horndeski theories). This is achieved by generating a large ensemble of possible scalar-tensor theories using a Monte Carlo methodology, including the application of physical viability conditions. We also use the same technique to study correlations between the frequently used modified growth parameters mu and Sigma (also known as G_matter/G and G_light/G) and confirm the previously made conjecture that the combination (mu-1)(Sigma-1) is non-negative for viable models.
