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We show that a universe with a nonminimally coupled scalar field can fit current measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe better than the standard $\Lambda$-Cold Dark Matter model or other minimally coupled dark energy models. While we find a clear improvement in the goodness of fit for this dark energy model with respect to others that have been considered in the recent literature, using various information theoretic criteria, we show that the evidence for it is still inconclusive., Comment: Updated version. Minor changes to the discussion and references added. 5 pages, 2 figures

New constraints on the expansion rate of the Universe seem to favor evolving dark energy in the form of thawing quintessence models, i.e., models for which a canonical, minimally coupled scalar field has, at late times, begun to evolve away from potential energy domination. We scrutinize the evidence for thawing quintessence by exploring what it predicts for the equation of state. We show that, in terms of the usual Chevalier-Polarski-Linder parameters, ($w_0$, $w_a$), thawing quintessence is, in fact, only marginally consistent with a compilation of the current data. Despite this, we embrace the possibility that thawing quintessence is dark energy and find constraints on the microphysics of this scenario. We do so in terms of the effective mass $m^2$ and energy scale $V_0$ of the scalar field potential. We are particularly careful to enforce un-informative, flat priors on these parameters so as to minimize their effect on the final posteriors. While the current data favors a large and negative value of $m^2$, when we compare these models to the standard $\Lambda$CDM model we find that there is scant evidence for thawing quintessence., Comment: Accepted and forthcoming in PRD. Minor changes to discussions. 18 pages, 14 figures

We revisit a class of simple single-field inflation models and demonstrate that they can readily produce a negligible tensor/scalar ratio $r$. Motivated by recent work suggesting the need to introduce higher order operators to stabilise unregulated potentials, as well as by work indicating that such terms can have significant effects on observable predictions, we explicitly construct corrected versions of the quadratic hilltop potential that are motivated by an effective field theory expansion. We employ Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods and optimization techniques to sample viable models and minimize $r$. We find that such potentials can readily lower $r$ values below projected CMB-S4 sensitivity, while still remaining within observable constraints on $n_s$. Furthermore, we find that the minimum $r$ reached for each order of the expansion considered is well-described by a power law $r_{min}(q) \propto q^{-B}$ before asymptoting to a value of $r_{min} \sim 10^{-11}$, where $q$ is the order to which the expansion of $V(\phi)$ is carried out., Comment: Accepted for publication in PRD. Minor adjustmends to the discussion and references added

The paper argues that we ought to conceive of the Dark Energy problem -- the question of how to account for observational data, naturally interpreted as accelerated expansion of the universe -- as a crisis of underdetermined pursuit-worthiness. Not only are the various approaches to the Dark Energy problem evidentially underdetermined; at present, no compelling reasons single out any of them as more likely to be true than the other. More vexingly for working scientists, none of the approaches stands out as uncontroversially preferable over its rivals in terms of its rationally warranted promise, i.e. the reasons to further work on, explore and develop it. We demonstrate this claim by applying a Peircean economic model of pursuit-worthiness in terms of a cognitive cost/benefit estimate -- with the instantiation of theory virtues as key indicators of cognitive gains -- to the four main Dark Energy proposals (the cosmological constant approach, modified gravity, quintessence, and inhomogeneous cosmologies). Our analysis yields that these approaches do not admit of an unambiguous, or uncontroversial, ranking with respect to which ansatz deserves distinguished attention and research efforts. The overall methodological counsel that our analysis underwrites recommends a pragmatic double research strategy forward: to encourage and foster theory pluralism and the search for tests -- with the goal of enhancing the testability of the $\Lambda$CDM model and "testing it to destruction"., Comment: Preprint. Comments welcome!

There is compelling evidence that the Universe is undergoing a late phase of accelerated expansion. One of the simplest explanations for this behaviour is the presence of dark energy. A plethora of microphysical models for dark energy have been proposed. The hope is that, with the ever increasing precision of cosmological surveys, it will be possible to precisely pin down the model. We show that this is unlikely and that, at best, we will have a phenomenological description for the microphysics of dark energy. Furthermore, we argue that the current phenomenological prescriptions are ill-equipped for shedding light on the fundamental theory of dark energy., Comment: Updated the figures to have higher resolution. 14 pages, 8 figures

We show that the dynamical common core of the recently-discovered non-relativistic geometric trinity of gravity is Maxwell gravitation. Moreover, we explain why no analogous distinct dynamical common core exists in the case of the better-known relativistic geometric trinity of gravity., Comment: Forthcoming in Philosophy of Physics

The geometric trinity of gravity comprises three distinct formulations of general relativity: (i) the standard formulation describing gravity in terms of spacetime curvature, (ii) the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity describing gravity in terms of spacetime torsion, and (iii) the symmetric teleparallel equivalent of general relativity (STEGR) describing gravity in terms of spacetime non-metricity. In this article, we complete a geometric trinity of non-relativistic gravity, by (a) taking the non-relativistic limit of STEGR to determine its non-relativistic analogue, and (b) demonstrating that this non-metric theory is equivalent to the Newton--Cartan theory and its teleparallel equivalent, i.e., the curvature and the torsion based non-relativistic theories that are both geometrised versions of classical Newtonian gravity., Comment: Accepted version to appear in General Relativity and Gravitation. Updated with minor changes to the discussion

Canonically, `classic' tests of general relativity (GR) include perihelion precession, the bending of light around stars, and gravitational redshift; `modern' tests have to do with, inter alia, relativistic time delay, equivalence principle tests, gravitational lensing, strong field gravity, and gravitational waves. The orthodoxy is that both classic and modern tests of GR afford experimental confirmation of that theory in particular. In this article, we question this orthodoxy, by showing there are classes of both relativistic theories (with spatiotemporal geometrical properties different from those of GR) and non-relativistic theories (in which the lightcones of a relativistic spacetime are `widened') which would also pass such tests. Thus, (a) issues of underdetermination in the context of GR loom much larger than one might have thought, and (b) given this, one has to think more carefully about what exactly such tests in fact are testing., Comment: This is a revised version of the previous draft

We develop and apply a multi-dimensional account of explanatory depth towards a comparative analysis of inflationary and bouncing paradigms in primordial cosmology. Our analysis builds on earlier work due to Azhar and Loeb (2021) that establishes initial conditions fine-tuning as a dimension of explanatory depth relevant to debates in contemporary cosmology. We propose dynamical fine-tuning and autonomy as two further dimensions of depth in the context of problems with instability and trans-Planckian modes that afflict bouncing and inflationary approaches respectively. In the context of the latter issue, we argue that the recently formulated trans-Planckian censorship conjecture leads to a trade-off for inflationary models between dynamical fine-tuning and autonomy. We conclude with the suggestion that explanatory preference with regard to the different dimensions of depth is best understood in terms of differing attitudes towards heuristics for future model building., Comment: fixed typos in accepted version. Forthcoming in The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (2023)

Cosmological models with a dynamical dark energy field typically lead to a modified propagation of gravitational waves via an effectively time-varying gravitational coupling $G(t)$. The local variation of this coupling between the time of emission and detection can be probed with standard sirens. Here we discuss the role that Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) and binary pulsar constraints play in the prospects of constraining $G(t)$ with standard sirens. In particular, we argue that LLR constrains the matter-matter gravitational coupling $G_N(t)$, whereas binary pulsars and standard sirens constrain the quadratic kinetic gravity self-interaction $G_{gw}(t)$. Generically, these two couplings could be different in alternative cosmological models, in which case LLR constraints are irrelevant for standard sirens. We use the Hulse-Taylor pulsar data and show that observations are highly insensitive to time variations of $G_{gw}(t)$ yet highly sensitive to $G_N(t)$. We thus conclude that future gravitational waves data will become the best probe to test $G_{gw}(t)$, and will hence provide novel constraints on dynamical dark energy models., Comment: Updated to published version

We consider cosmological models with a dynamical dark energy field, and study the presence of three types of commonly found instabilities, namely ghost (when fields have negative kinetic energy), gradient (negative momentum squared) and tachyon (negative mass squared). In particular, we study the linear scalar perturbations of theories with two interacting scalar fields as a proxy for a dark energy and matter fields, and explicitly show how canonical transformations relate these three types of instabilities with each other. We generically show that low-energy ghosts are equivalent to tachyonic instabilities, and that high-energy ghosts are equivalent to gradient instabilities. Via examples we make evident the fact that whenever one of these fields exhibits an instability then the entire physical system becomes unstable, with an unbounded Hamiltonian. Finally, we discuss the role of interactions between the two fields, and show that whereas most of the time interactions will not determine whether an instability is present or not, they may affect the timescale of the instability. We also find exceptional cases in which the two fields are ghosts and hence the physical system is seemingly unstable, but the presence of interactions actually lead to stable solutions. These results are very important for assessing the viability of dark energy models that may exhibit ghost, gradient or tachyonic modes., Comment: 11 pages. Updated to match published version