The Layzer-Irvine Equation for Scalar-Tensor Theories: A Test of Modified Gravity N-body Simulations

Abstract

The Layzer-Irvine equation describes energy conservation for a pressure less fluid interacting though quasi-Newtonian gravity in an expanding Universe. We here derive a Layzer-Irvine equation for scalar field theories where the scalar field is coupled to the matter fields, and show applications of this equation by applying it to N-body simulations of modified gravity theories. There it can be used as both a dynamical test of the accuracy of the solution and the numerical implementation when solving the equation of motion. We also present an equation that can be used as a new static test for an arbitrary matter distribution. This allows us to test the N- body scalar field solver using a matter distribution which resembles what we actually encounter in numerical simulations.