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A scalar field with a timelike gradient defines a preferred slicing. This occurs even in a non-cosmological setup in scalar-tensor theories such as khronometric theory. We study a black hole moving slowly relative to the preferred slicing defined by the scalar field. We consider a family of higher-order scalar-tensor theories that extend khronometric theory. The action is characterized by one constant parameter and one arbitrary function of the kinetic term of the scalar field. A slowly moving black hole is described by a dipole perturbation of a black hole at rest. We treat the metric and scalar-field perturbations consistently, derive a single master equation for the coupled system, and reconstruct the metric for a slowly moving black hole from the master variable. In this way, we revisit and generalize the previous studies. For generic theories in the family we consider, we find a solution that is regular outside the universal horizon and agnostic to the arbitrary function in the action., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures

We study the extension of the chromo-natural inflation model by incorporating nonminimal coupling between the axion field and gravity. Nonminimal coupling is introduced so that it enhances friction in the axion's equation of motion and thus supports slow-roll inflation. This enhanced friction effectively delays the activation of the gauge field, thereby preventing the overproduction of gravitational waves in the CMB scale. We extend previous results by describing the nonminimal coupling in a general and unifying way utilizing Horndeski gravity. This allows us to explore systematically and comprehensively possible enhanced friction models of chromo-natural inflation consistent with observations. We find a novel enhanced friction model that shows better agreement (within 1$\sigma$) with CMB measurements than the previous nonminimally coupled chromo-natural inflation model. The gravitational-wave spectrum starts to rise at some wavenumber due to retarded activation of the gauge field in the late stage of inflation. We show how one can identify the wavenumber at which this occurs based on the background evolution and present a universal analytic formula for the gravitational-wave spectrum that can be used for any enhanced friction model of chromo-natural inflation., Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures

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., Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures

Ensuring the safety of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is the key requisite for their acceptance in society. This complexity is the core challenge in formally proving their safety conditions with AI-based black-box controllers and surrounding objects under various traffic scenarios. This paper describes our strategy and experience in modelling, deriving, and proving the safety conditions of AVs with the Event-B refinement mechanism to reduce complexity. Our case study targets the state-of-the-art model of goal-aware responsibility-sensitive safety to argue over interactions with surrounding vehicles. We also employ the Simplex architecture to involve advanced black-box AI controllers. Our experience has demonstrated that the refinement mechanism can be effectively used to gradually develop the complex system over scenario variations., Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, author version of the manuscript of the same name published in the proceedings of the 25th International Symposium on Formal Methods (FM 2023)

Higher-order scalar-tensor theories having an instantaneous mode do not develop the Ostrogradsky instability even if a seemingly dangerous mode is present. Such theories satisfy only partially the degeneracy conditions that are usually imposed to remove the dangerous mode completely, and are dubbed as U-DHOST theories. We study weak gravitational fields sourced by nonrelativistic matter distributions in U-DHOST theories. In contrast to the case of totally degenerate theories where nonlinear derivative interactions are crucial for exhibiting the Vainshtein mechanism and its partial breaking, we show that in generic U-DHOST theories the linear analysis is sufficient for weak gravitational fields. We identify the subset of U-DHOST theories in which solar system tests are evaded and gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light. Such theories can however be tested with cosmological observations. We also point out that there is a particular case of U-DHOST theories where nonlinear derivative interactions play an important role as in totally degenerate theories. In that case, it is found, however, that the Vainshtein mechanism does not operate and gravitational forces are modified., Comment: 12 pages, published version in PRD

We study linear perturbations around a static and spherically symmetric black hole solution in spatially covariant gravity with just two tensorial degrees of freedom. In this theory, gravity modification is characterized by a single time-dependent function that appears in the coefficient of $K^2$ in the action, where $K$ is the trace of the extrinsic curvature. The background black hole solution is given by the Schwarzschild solution foliated by the maximal slices and has a universal horizon at which the lapse function vanishes. We show that the quadratic action for the odd-parity perturbations is identical to that in general relativity upon performing an appropriate coordinate transformation. This in particular implies that the odd-parity perturbations propagate at the speed of light, with the inner boundary being the usual event horizon. We also derive the quadratic action for even-parity perturbations. In the even-parity sector, one of the two tensorial degrees of freedom is mixed with an instantaneous scalar mode, rendering the system distinct from that in general relativity. We find that monopole and dipole perturbations, which are composed solely of the instantaneous scalar mode, have no solutions regular both at the universal horizon and infinity (except for the trivial one corresponding to the constant shift of the mass parameter). We also consider stationary perturbations with higher multipoles. By carefully treating the locations of the inner boundary, we show that also in this case there are no solutions regular both at the inner boundary and infinity. Thus, the black hole solution we consider is shown to be perturbatively unique., Comment: 15pages, 4figures

We present, for the first time, an observational test of the consistency relation for the large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe through a joint analysis of the anisotropic two- and three-point correlation functions (2PCF and 3PCF) of galaxies. We parameterise the breakdown of the LSS consistency relation in the squeezed limit by $E_{\rm s}$, which represents the ratio of the coefficients of the shift terms in the second-order density and velocity fluctuations. $E_{\rm s}\neq1$ is a sufficient condition under which the LSS consistency relation is violated. A novel aspect of this work is that we constrain $E_{\rm s}$ by obtaining information about the nonlinear velocity field from the quadrupole component of the 3PCF without taking the squeezed limit. Using the galaxy catalogues in the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Data Release 12, we obtain $E_{\rm s} = -0.92_{-3.26}^{+3.13}$, indicating that there is no violation of the LSS consistency relation in our analysis within the statistical errors. Our parameterisation is general enough that our constraint can be applied to a wide range of theories, such as multicomponent fluids, modified gravity theories, and their associated galaxy bias effects. Our analysis opens a new observational window to test the fundamental physics using the anisotropic higher-order correlation functions of galaxy clustering., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. Explanatory videos are available in several languages: https://youtu.be/Zi36ooLPhss (English), https://youtu.be/d2ZamcDt6hs (French), https://youtu.be/iSm5yPWmZ9c (Spanish), https://youtu.be/Go7ox-ciHIc (German), https://youtu.be/6Ith7cE723o (Chinese), and https://youtu.be/rH9-C3eKoYc (English with my voice)

We report a new test of modified gravity theories using the large-scale structure of the Universe. This paper is the first attempt to (1) apply a joint analysis of the anisotropic components of galaxy two- and three-point correlation functions (2 and 3PCFs) to actual galaxy data and (2) constrain the nonlinear effects of degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories on cosmological scales. Applying this analysis to the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) data release 12, we obtain the lower bounds of $-1.655 < \xi_{\rm t}$ and $-0.504 < \xi_{\rm s}$ at the $95\%$ confidence level on the parameters characterising the time evolution of the tidal and shift terms of the second-order velocity field. These constraints are consistent with GR predictions of $\xi_{\rm t}=15/1144$ and $\xi_{\rm s}=0$. Moreover, they represent a $35$-fold and $20$-fold improvement, respectively, over the joint analysis with only the isotropic 3PCF. We ensure the validity of our results by investigating various quantities, including theoretical models of the 3PCF, window function corrections, cumulative ${\rm S/N}$, Fisher matrices, and statistical scattering effects of mock simulation data. We also find statistically significant discrepancies between the BOSS data and the Patchy mocks for the 3PCF measurement. Finally, we package all of our 3PCF analysis codes under the name \textsc{HITOMI} and make them publicly available so that readers can reproduce all the results of this paper and easily apply them to ongoing future galaxy surveys., Comment: 60 pages, 21 figures, 22 tables; a set of codes for data analysis is publicly available at https://github.com/naonori/hitomi.git

Recently, a generalization of invertible disformal transformations containing higher-order derivatives of a scalar field has been proposed in the context of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. By applying this generalized disformal transformation to the Horndeski theory, one can obtain the so-called generalized disformal Horndeski theories which are more general healthy scalar-tensor theories than ever. However, it is unclear whether or not the generalized disformal Horndeski theories can be coupled consistently to matter fields because introducing a matter field could break the degeneracy conditions of higher-order scalar-tensor theories and hence yield the unwanted Ostrogradsky ghost. We investigate this issue and explore the conditions under which a minimal coupling to a matter field is consistent in the generalized disformal Horndeski theories without relying on any particular gauge such as the unitary gauge. We find that all the higher derivative terms in the generalized disformal transformation are prohibited to avoid the appearance of the Ostrogradsky ghost, leading to the conclusion that only the theories that are related to the Horndeski theory through a conventional disformal transformation remain ghost-free in the presence of minimally coupled matter fields., Comment: 11pages, no figure

Since the discovery of the accelerated expansion of the present Universe, significant theoretical developments have been made in the area of modified gravity. In the meantime, cosmological observations have been providing more high-quality data, allowing us to explore gravity on cosmological scales. To bridge the recent theoretical developments and observations, we present an overview of a variety of modified theories of gravity and the cosmological observables in the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure, supplemented with a summary of predictions for cosmological observables derived from cosmological perturbations and sophisticated numerical studies. We specifically consider scalar-tensor theories in the Horndeski and DHOST family, massive gravity/bigravity, vector-tensor theories, metric-affine gravity, and cuscuton/minimally-modified gravity, and discuss the current status of those theories with emphasis on their physical motivations, validity, appealing features, the level of maturity, and calculability. We conclude that the Horndeski theory is one of the most well-developed theories of modified gravity, although several remaining issues are left for future observations. The paper aims to help to develop strategies for testing gravity with ongoing and forthcoming cosmological observations., Comment: 115 pages, 8 figures

We study the homogeneous and anisotropic dynamics of pseudoscalar inflation coupled to an SU($N$) gauge field. To see how the initially anisotropic universe is isotropized in such an inflation model, we derive the equations to obtain axisymmetric SU($N$) gauge field configurations in Bianchi type-I geometry and discuss a method to identify their isotropic subsets which are the candidates of their late-time attractor. Each isotropic solution is characterized by the corresponding SU(2) subalgebra of the SU($N$) algebra. It is shown numerically that the isotropic universe is a universal late-time attractor in the case of the SU(3) gauge field. Interestingly, we find that a transition between the two distinct gauge-field configurations characterized by different SU(2) subalgebras can occur during inflation. We clarify the conditions for this to occur. This transition could leave an observable imprint on the CMB and the primordial gravitational wave background., Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures

We introduce a goal-aware extension of responsibility-sensitive safety (RSS), a recent methodology for rule-based safety guarantee for automated driving systems (ADS). Making RSS rules guarantee goal achievement -- in addition to collision avoidance as in the original RSS -- requires complex planning over long sequences of manoeuvres. To deal with the complexity, we introduce a compositional reasoning framework based on program logic, in which one can systematically develop RSS rules for smaller subscenarios and combine them to obtain RSS rules for bigger scenarios. As the basis of the framework, we introduce a program logic dFHL that accommodates continuous dynamics and safety conditions. Our framework presents a dFHL-based workflow for deriving goal-aware RSS rules; we discuss its software support, too. We conducted experimental evaluation using RSS rules in a safety architecture. Its results show that goal-aware RSS is indeed effective in realising both collision avoidance and goal achievement., Comment: 33 pages, 18 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles

We provide a cosmological test of modified gravity with two tensorial degrees of freedom and no extra propagating scalar mode. The theory of gravity we consider admits a cosmological model that is indistinguishable from the $\Lambda$CDM model at the level of the background evolution. The model has a single modified-gravity parameter $\beta$, the effect of which can be seen in linear perturbations, though no extra scalar mode is propagating. Using the Boltzmann code modified to incorporate the present model, we derive the constraints $-0.047 < \beta < -0.028$ at 68$\%$ confidence from Planck CMB data. Since our modified gravity model can hardly be constrained by the Solar System tests and gravitational-wave propagation, our result offers the first observational test on the model., Comment: 11 pages. v2: typos corrected

We consider spatially covariant modified gravity in which the would-be scalar degree of freedom is made non-dynamical and hence there are just two tensorial degrees of freedom, i.e., the same number of dynamical degrees of freedom as in general relativity. Focusing on a class of such modified gravity theories characterized by three functions of time, we discuss how modified gravity with two tensorial degrees of freedom can be distinguished observationally or phenomenologically from general relativity. It is checked that the theory gives the same predictions as general relativity for weak gravitational fields and the propagation speed of gravitational waves. We also find that there is no modification to asymptotically flat black hole solutions. Due to a large degree of freedom to choose the time-dependent functions in the theory, the homogeneous and isotropic cosmological dynamics can be made close to or even identical to that of the $\Lambda$CDM model. We investigate the behavior of cosmological perturbations in the long and short wavelength limits and show that in both limits the effects of modified gravity appear only through the modification of the background evolution. Finally, it is remarked that in the presence of a galileon field in the matter sector, the scalar degree of freedom is revived, ruining the essential feature of the theory., Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures

Formal reasoning on the safety of controller systems interacting with plants is complex because developers need to specify behavior while taking into account perceptual uncertainty. To address this, we propose an automated workflow that takes an Event-B model of an uncertainty-unaware controller and a specification of uncertainty as input. First, our workflow automatically injects the uncertainty into the original model to obtain an uncertainty-aware but potentially unsafe controller. Then, it automatically robustifies the controller so that it satisfies safety even under the uncertainty. The case study shows how our workflow helps developers to explore multiple levels of perceptual uncertainty. We conclude that our workflow makes design and analysis of uncertainty-aware controller systems easier and more systematic., Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, author version of the manuscript of the same name published in the proceedings of the 13th NASA Formal Methods Symposium (NFM 2021)

We investigate static and spherically symmetric stars disformally coupled to a scalar field. The scalar field is assumed to be shift symmetric, and hence the conformal and disformal factors of the metric coupled to matter are dependent only on the kinetic term of the scalar field. Assuming that the scalar field is linearly dependent on time, we consider a general shift-symmetric scalar-tensor theory and a general form of the matter energy-momentum tensor that allows for the anisotropic pressure and the heat flux in the radial direction. This is a natural starting point in light of how the gravitational field equations and the energy-momentum tensor transform under a disformal transformation. By inspecting the structure of the hydrostatic equilibrium equation in the presence of the derivative-dependent conformal and disformal factors, we show that the energy density and tangential pressure must vanish at the surface of a star. This fact is used to prove the disformal invariance of the surface of a star, which was previously subtle and unclear. We then focus on the shift-symmetric k-essence disformally coupled to matter, and study the interior and exterior metric functions and scalar-field profile in more detail. It is found that there are two branches of the solution depending on the velocity of the scalar field. The disformally-related metric functions of the exterior spacetime are also discussed., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures

We introduce a new logic named Quantitative Confidence Logic (QCL) that quantifies the level of confidence one has in the conclusion of a proof. By translating a fault tree representing a system's architecture to a proof, we show how to use QCL to give a solution to the test resource allocation problem that takes the given architecture into account. We implemented a tool called Astrahl and compared our results to other testing resource allocation strategies., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, author version of the manuscript of the same name published in the proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Tests and Proofs (TAP 2021)

We study the dynamics of a homogeneous, isotropic, and positively curved universe in the presence of a SU(2) gauge field or a triplet of mutually orthogonal vector fields. In the SU(2) case we use the previously known ansatz for the gauge-field configuration, but the case without non-abelian symmetries is more nontrivial and we develop a new ansatz. We in particular consider axion-SU(2) inflation and inflation with vector fields having U(1)$\times$U(1)$\times$U(1) symmetry, and analyze their dynamics in detail numerically. Novel effects of the spatial curvature come into play through vector fields, which causes unconventional pre-inflationary dynamics. It is found that the closed universe with vector fields is slightly more stable against collapse than that filled solely with an inflaton field., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures

SU(2) gauge fields coupled to an axion field can acquire an isotropic background solution during inflation. We study homogeneous but anisotropic inflationary solutions in the presence of such (massless) gauge fields. A gauge field in the cosmological background may pose a threat to spatial isotropy. We show, however, that such models $\textit{generally}$ isotropize in Bianchi type-I geometry, and the isotropic solution is the attractor. Restricting the setup by adding an axial symmetry, we revisited the numerical analysis presented in Wolfson et.al (2020). We find that the reported numerical breakdown in the previous analysis is an artifact of parametrization singularity. We use a new parametrization that is well-defined all over the phase space. We show that the system respects the cosmic no-hair conjecture and the anisotropies always dilute away within a few e-folds., Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures. Published 23 September 2021 Updated to published version

The detections of gravitational waves (GW) by LIGO/Virgo collaborations provide various possibilities to physics and astronomy. We are quite sure that GW observations will develop a lot both in precision and in number owing to the continuous works for the improvement of detectors, including the expectation to the newly joined detector, KAGRA, and the planned detector, LIGO-India. In this occasion, we review the fundamental outcomes and prospects of gravitational wave physics and astronomy. We survey the development focusing on representative sources of gravitational waves: binary black holes, binary neutron stars, and supernovae. We also summarize the role of gravitational wave observations as a probe of new physics., Comment: 89pages, Prog. Theor. Exp. Phys. accepted

We study odd parity perturbations of spherically symmetric black holes with time-dependent scalar hair in shift-symmetric higher-order scalar-tensor theories. The analysis is performed in a general way without assuming the degeneracy conditions. Nevertheless, we end up with second-order equations for a single master variable, similarly to cosmological tensor modes. We thus identify the general form of the quadratic Lagrangian for the odd parity perturbations, leading to a generalization of the Regge-Wheeler equation. We also investigate the structure of the effective metric for the master variable and refine the stability conditions. As an application of our generalized Regge-Wheeler equation, we compute the quasi-normal modes of a certain nontrivial black hole solution. Finally, our result is extended to include the matter energy-momentum tensor as a source term., Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures

We derive the solutions of gravitational waves in the future (F) expanding and the past (P) shrinking Kanser spacetimes as well as in the left (L) and right (R) Rindler wedges in the Regge-Wheeler gauge. The solutions for all metric components are obtained in an analytic form in each region. We identify the master variables, which are equivalent to massless scalar fields, to describe the gravitational degrees of freedom for the odd parity and even parity modes under the transformation in the two-dimensional plane symmetric space. Then, the master variables are quantized, and we develop the quantum field theory of the gravitational waves in the F, P, L, and R regions. We demonstrate that the mode functions of the quantized gravitational waves in the left and right Rindler wedges are obtained by an analytic continuation of the left-moving and right-moving wave modes in Kasner spacetime. On the basis of these analyses, we discuss the Unruh effect of quantized gravitational waves for an observer in a uniformly accelerated motion in Minkowski spacetime., Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure

We study nanohertz gravitational waves relevant to pulsar timing array experiments from quantum fluctuations in the early universe with null energy condition (NEC) violation. The NEC violation admits accelerated expansion with the scale factor $a\propto (-t)^{-p}$ ($p>0$), which gives the tensor spectral index $n_t=2/(p+1)>0$. To evade the constraint from Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), we connect the NEC-violating phase to a subsequent short slow-roll inflationary phase which ends with standard reheating, and thereby reduce the high frequency part of the spectrum. An explicit model is constructed within the cubic Horndeski theory which allows for stable violation of the NEC. We present numerical examples of the background evolution having the different maximal Hubble parameters (which determine the peak amplitude of gravitational waves), the different inflationary Hubble parameters (which determine the amplitudes of high frequency gravitational waves), and different durations of the inflationary phase (which essentially determine the peak frequency of the spectrum). We display the spectra with $n_t=0.8$, $0.9$, and $0.95$ for $f\lesssim 1/{\rm yr}$, which are consistent with the recent NANOGrav result. We also check that they do not contradict the BBN constraint. We discuss how the nearly scale-invariant spectrum of curvature perturbations is produced in the NEC-violating phase., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures

We study matter density perturbations up to third order and the one-loop matter power spectrum in degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories beyond Horndeski. We systematically solve gravitational field equations and fluid equations order by order, and find three novel shape functions characterizing the third-order solution in DHOST theories. A complete form of the one-loop matter power spectrum is then obtained using the resultant second- and third-order solutions. We confirm the previous result that the convergence condition of the loop integrals in the infrared limit becomes more stringent than that of the standard one in general relativity. We show that also in the ultraviolet limit the convergence condition becomes more stringent and the one-loop matter power spectrum is thus sensitive to the short-wavelength behavior of the linear power spectrum., Comment: 18 pages, no figure

We construct a model of higher dimensional cosmology in which extra dimensions are frozen by virtue of the cubic-order Lovelock gravity throughout the cosmic history from inflation to the present with radiation and matter-dominated regimes in between., Comment: 6 pages

We reformulate the recently proposed regularized version of Lovelock gravity in four dimensions as a scalar-tensor theory. By promoting the warp factor of the internal space to a scalar degree of freedom by means of Kaluza-Klein reduction, we show that regularized Lovelock gravity can be described effectively by a certain subclass of the Horndeski theory. Cosmological aspects of this particular scalar-tensor theory are studied. It is found that the background with a scalar charge is generically allowed. The consequences of this scalar charge are briefly discussed., Comment: v2: version to appear in JCAP, 7 pages

It has been found that the primordial non-Gaussianity of the curvature perturbation in the case of non-Bunch-Davies initial states can be enhanced compared with those in the case of the Bunch-Davies one due to the interactions among the perturbations on subhorizon scales. The purpose of the present paper is to investigate whether tensor non-Gaussianities can also be enhanced or not by the same mechanism. We consider general gravity theory in the presence of an inflaton, and evaluate the tensor auto-bispectrum and the cross-bispectrum involving one tensor and two scalar modes with the non-Bunch-Davies initial states for tensor modes. The crucial difference from the case of the scalar auto-bispectrum is that the tensor three-point function vanishes at the flattened momentum triangles. We point out that the cross-bispectrum can potentially be enhanced at non-trivial triangle shapes due to the non-Bunch-Davies initial states., Comment: 9 pages

Late-time cosmology in the extended cuscuton theory is studied, in which gravity is modified while one still has no extra dynamical degrees of freedom other than two tensor modes. We present a simple example admitting analytic solutions for the cosmological background evolution that mimics $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. We argue that the extended cuscuton as dark energy can be constrained, like usual scalar-tensor theories, by the growth history of matter density perturbations and the time variation of Newton's constant., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

We study relativistic stars in Hordenski theories that evade the gravitational wave constraints and exhibit the Vainshtein mechanism, focusing on a model based on the cubic Galileon Lagrangian. We derive the scalar field profile for static spherically symmetric objects in asymptotically de Sitter space-time with a linear time dependence. The exterior solution matches to the black hole solution found in the literature. Due to the Vainshtein mechanism, the stellar structure is indistinguishable from that of General Relativity with the same central density as long as the radius of the star is shorter than the Vainshtein radius. On the other hand, the scalar field is not suppressed beyond the Vainshtein radius. These solutions have an additional integration constant in addition to the mass of the star., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in PRD

We explore the possibility of a blue-tilted gravitational wave spectrum from potential-driven slow-roll inflation in the Horndeski theory. In Kamada et al. (2012), it was claimed that a blue gravitational wave spectrum cannot be obtained from stable potential-driven slow-roll inflation within the Horndeski framework. However, it has been demonstrated that the spectrum of primordial gravitational waves can be blue in inflation with the Gauss-Bonnet term, where the potential term is dominant and slow-roll conditions as well as the stability conditions are satisfied. To fill in this gap, we clarify where the discrepancy is coming from. We extend the formulation of Kamada et al. (2012) and show that a blue gravitational wave spectrum can certainly be generated from stable slow-roll inflation if some of the conditions previously imposed on the form of the free functions in the Lagrangian are relaxed., Comment: 7 pages + appendix, 2 figures, v2: Matches published version in PRD, references added

We revisit and clarify the gauge dependence of gravitational waves generated at second order from scalar perturbations. In a universe dominated by a perfect fluid with a constant equation-of-state parameter $w$, we compute the energy density of such induced gravitational waves in the Newtonian, comoving, and uniform curvature gauges. Huge differences are found between the Newtonian and comoving gauge results for any $w \,(\ge 0)$. This is always caused by the perturbation of the shift vector. Interestingly, the Newtonian and uniform curvature gauge calculations give the same energy density for $w>0$. In the case of $w=0$, the uniform curvature gauge result differs only by a factor from that of the comoving gauge, but deviates significantly from that of the Newtonian gauge. Our calculation is done analytically for $w=0$ and $w=1/3$, and our result is consistent with the previous numerical one., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

It has been pointed out that matter bounce cosmology driven by a k-essence field cannot satisfy simultaneously the observational bounds on the tensor-to-scalar ratio and non-Gaussianity of the curvature perturbation. In this paper, we show that this is not the case in more general scalar-tensor theories. To do so, we evaluate the power spectra and the bispectra of scalar and tensor perturbations on a general contracting background in the Horndeski theory. We then discuss how one can discriminate contracting models from inflation based on non-Gaussian signatures of tensor perturbations., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

We consider a subclass of degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories in which gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light and do not decay into scalar fluctuations. The screening mechanism in DHOST theories evading these two gravitational wave constraints operates very differently from that in generic DHOST theories. We derive a spherically symmetric solution in the presence of nonrelativistic matter. General relativity is recovered in the vacuum exterior region provided that functions in the Lagrangian satisfy a certain condition, implying that fine-tuning is required. Gravity in the matter interior exhibits novel features: although the gravitational potentials still obey the standard inverse power law, the effective gravitational constant is different from its exterior value, and the two metric potentials do not coincide. We discuss possible observational constraints on this subclass of DHOST theories, and argue that the tightest bound comes from the Hulse-Taylor pulsar., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures

We investigate the potential of cosmological observations, such as galaxy surveys, for constraining degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories, focusing in particular on the linear growth of the matter density fluctuations. We develop a formalism to describe the evolution of the matter density fluctuations during the matter dominated era and in the early stage of the dark energy dominated era in DHOST theories, and give an approximate expression for the gravitational growth index in terms of several parameters characterizing the theory and the background solution under consideration. By employing the current observational constraints on the growth index, we obtain a new constraint on a parameter space of DHOST theories. Combining our result with other constraints obtained from the Newtonian stellar structure, we show that the degeneracy between the effective parameters of DHOST theories can be broken without using the Hulse-Taylor pulsar constraint., Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures

This article is intended to review the recent developments in the Horndeski theory and its generalization, which provide us with a systematic understanding of scalar-tensor theories of gravity as well as a powerful tool to explore astrophysics and cosmology beyond general relativity. This review covers the generalized Galileons, (the rediscovery of) the Horndeski theory, cosmological perturbations in the Horndeski theory, cosmology with a violation of the null energy condition, degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor theories and their status after GW170817, the Vainshtein mechanism in the Horndeski theory and beyond, and hairy black hole solutions., Comment: Review paper. 54 pages, no figure v2: published version

We show explicitly that the nonminimal coupling between the scalar field and the Ricci scalar in 2D dilaton gravity can be recast in the form of kinetic gravity braiding (KGB). This is as it should be, because KGB is the 2D version of the Horndeski theory. We also determine all the static solutions with a linearly time-dependent scalar configuration in the shift-symmetric KGB theories in 2D., Comment: 5 pages; matches published version

Our Universe is nearly spatially flat, but this does not mean that it is exactly spatially flat. In this paper we derive general quadratic actions for cosmological perturbations in non-flat models from the Horndeski theory. This allows us to study how the spatial curvature influences the behavior of cosmological perturbations in the early universe described by some general scalar-tensor theory. We show that a tiny spatial curvature at the onset of inflation is unlikely to yield large (or ${\cal O}(1)$) effects on the primordial spectra even if one modifies gravity. We also argue that non-singular cosmological solutions in the Horndeski theory are unstable in spatially open cases as well as in flat cases., Comment: 12pages

Among single-field scalar-tensor theories, there is a special class called "cuscuton," which is represented as some limiting case of k-essence in general relativity. This theory has a remarkable feature that the number of propagating degrees of freedom is only two in the unitary gauge in contrast to ordinary scalar-tensor theories with three degrees of freedom. We specify a general class of theories with the same property as the cuscuton in the context of the beyond Horndeski theory, which we dub as the extended cuscuton. We also study cosmological perturbations in the presence of matter in these extended cuscuton theories., Comment: 18 pages

We consider gravitational waves (GWs) in generic parity-violating gravity including recently proposed ghost-free theories with parity violation as well as Chern-Simons (CS) modified gravity, and study the implications of observational constraints from GW170817/GRB 170817A. Whereas GWs propagate at the speed of light, c, in CS gravity, we point out that this is specific to CS gravity and the GW propagation speed deviates from c, in general, in parity-violating gravity. Therefore, contrary to the previous literature in which only CS gravity is studied as a concrete example, we show that GW170817/GRB 170817A can, in fact, be used to limit gravitational parity violation. Our argument implies that the constraint on the propagation speed of GWs can pin down the parity-violating sector, if any, to CS gravity., Comment: 5 pages

As opposed to Wald's cosmic no-hair theorem in general relativity, it is shown that the Horndeski theory (and its generalization) admits anisotropic inflationary attractors if the Lagrangian depends cubically on the second derivatives of the scalar field. We dub such a solution as a self-anisotropizing inflationary universe because anisotropic inflation can occur without introducing any anisotropic matter fields such as a vector field. As a concrete example of self-anisotropization we present the dynamics of a Bianchi type-I universe in the Horndeski theory., Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures