PPN meets EFT of dark energy: Post-Newtonian approximation in higher-order scalar-tensor theories

Abstract

We study the post-Newtonian limit of higher-order scalar-tensor theories that are degenerate in the unitary gauge. They can be conveniently described by the effective field theory (EFT) of dark energy. We determine all the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) parameters in terms of the EFT of dark energy parameters. Experimental bounds on the PPN parameters are then translated to constraints on the EFT parameters. We present a Lagrangian of a unitary degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor theory characterized by a single function of the kinetic term of the scalar field whose PPN parameters have the same values as in general relativity.