The Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect in f(R) gravity

Abstract

We study the late-time integrated Sachs–Wolfe (ISW) effect in f(R) gravity using N-body simulations. In the f(R) model under study, the linear growth rate is larger than that in general relativity (GR). This slows down the decay of the cosmic potential and induces a smaller ISW effect on large scales. Therefore, the Φ ˙ (time derivative of the potential) power spectrum at k < 0.1 h Mpc−1 is suppressed relative to that in GR. In the non-linear regime, relatively rapid structure formation in f(R) gravity boosts the non-linear ISW effect relative to GR, and the Φ ˙ power spectrum at k > 0.1 h Mpc−1 is increased (100 per cent greater on small scales at z = 0). We explore the detectability of the ISW signal via stacking supercluster and supervoids. The differences in the corresponding ISW cold- or hotspots are ∼20 per cent for structures of ∼100 Mpc h−1. Such differences are greater for smaller structures, but the amplitude of the signal is lower. The high amplitude of ISW signal detected by Granett et al. cannot be explained in the f(R) model. We find relatively big differences between f(R) and GR in the transverse bulk motion of matter, and discuss its detectability via the relative frequency shifts of photons from multiple lensed images.