Testing gravity using the environmental dependence of dark matter halos

Phys Rev Lett. 2011 Aug 12;107(7):071303. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.071303. Epub 2011 Aug 10.

Abstract

In this Letter, we investigate the environmental dependence of dark matter halos in theories which attempt to explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe by modifying general relativity (GR). Using high-resolution N-body simulations in f(R) gravity models which recover GR in dense environments by virtue of the chameleon mechanism, we find a significant difference, which depends on the environment, between the lensing and dynamical masses of dark matter halos. This environmental dependence of the halo properties can be used as a smoking gun to test GR observationally.