The momentum constraint equation in parameterised post-Newtonian cosmology

Abstract

Abstract We derive a theory-independent version of the momentum constraint equation for use in cosmology, as a part of the parameterised post-Newtonian cosmology framework. Our equations are constructed by adapting the corresponding quantities from formalisms constructed for testing and constraining gravity in isolated astrophysical systems, thereby extending the domain of applicability of these approaches up to cosmological scales. Our parameterised equations include both scalar and divergenceless-vector gravitational potentials, and can be applied to both conservative and non-conservative theories of gravity. They can also be used to describe the gravitational fields of both non-linear structures and super-horizon perturbations. We apply the parameterised equations we propose to quintessence models of dark energy, as well as scalar-tensor and vector-tensor theories of gravity. We find them to work well in each case. Our equations are highly compact, and are intended to be useful for constraining gravity in a theory-independent fashion in cosmology.