Imprints of deviations from the gravitational inverse-square law on the power spectrum of mass fluctuations

Abstract

Deviations from the gravitational inverse-square law would imprint scale-dependent features on the power spectrum of mass density fluctuations. We model such deviations as a Yukawa-like contribution to the gravitational potential and discuss the growth function in a mixed dark matter model with adiabatic initial conditions. Evolution of perturbations is considered in general non-flat cosmological models with a cosmological constant, and an analytical approximation for the growth function is provided. The coupling between baryons and cold dark matter across recombination is negligibly affected by modified gravity physics if the proper cutoff length of the long-range Yukawa-like force is > 10 h^{-1} Mpc. Enhancement of gravity affects the subsequent evolution, boosting large-scale power in a way that resembles the effect of a lower matter density. This phenomenon is almost perfectly degenerate in power-spectrum shape with the effect of a background of massive neutrinos. Back-reaction on density growth from a modified cosmic expansion rate should however also affect the normalization of the power spectrum, with a shape distortion similar to the case of a non-modified background.