Probing non-standard gravity with the growth index: a background independent analysis

Measurements of the growth index of linear matter density fluctuations γ(z) provide a clue as to whether Einstein's field equations encompass gravity also on large cosmic scales, those where the expansion of the universe accelerates. We show that the information encoded in this function can be satisfactorily parameterized using a small set of coefficients γi, in such a way that the true scaling of the growth index is recovered to better than 1% in most dark energy and dark gravity models. We find that the likelihood of current data, given this formalism and the Λ Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) expansion model of Planck, is maximal for γ0 = 0.74+0.44−0.41 and γ1 = 0.01+0.46−0.46, a measurement compatible with the ΛCDM predictions (γ0 = 0.545, γ1 = −0.007). In addition, data tend to favor models predicting slightly less growth of structures than the Planck ΛCDM scenario. The main aim of the paper is to provide a prescription for routinely calculating, in an analytic way, the amplitude of the growth indices γi in relevant cosmological scenarios, and to show that these parameters naturally define a space where predictions of alternative theories of gravity can be compared against growth data in a manner which is independent from the expansion history of the cosmological background. As the standard Ω-plane provides a tool to identify different expansion histories H(t) and their relation to various cosmological models, the γ-plane can thus be used to locate different growth rate histories f(t) and their relation to alternatives model of gravity. As a result, we find that the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati gravity model is rejected with a 95% confidence level. By simulating future data sets, such as those that a Euclid-like mission will provide, we also show how to tell apart ΛCDM predictions from those of more extreme possibilities, such as smooth dark energy models, clustering quintessence or parameterized post-Friedmann cosmological models.