Constraints on modified gravity from Planck 2015: when the health of your theory makes the difference

Abstract

We use the effective field theory of dark energy (EFT of DE) formalism to constrain dark energy models belonging to the Horndeski class with the recent Planck 2015 CMB data. The space of theories is spanned by a certain number of parameters determining the linear cosmological perturbations, while the expansion history is set to that of a standard $\Lambda$CDM model. We always demand that the theories be free of fatal instabilities. Additionally, we consider two optional conditions, namely that scalar and tensor perturbations propagate with subliminal speed. Such criteria severely restrict the allowed parameter space and are thus very effective in shaping the posteriors. As a result, we confirm that no theory performs better than $\Lambda$CDM when CMB data alone are analysed. Indeed, the healthy dark energy models considered here are not able to reproduce those phenomenological behaviours of the effective Newton constant and gravitational slip parameters that, according to previous studies, best fit the data.

21 pages, 8 figures. Added Mu-Sigma plane in Fig.7 plus some changes in the text with respect to the previous version. This is an author-created un-copyedited version of the article published in JCAP. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript

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