https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4720-1
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Probing gravitational non-minimal coupling with dark energy surveys
1
Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, 400065, China
2
Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
3
National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
4
Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
* e-mail: g9522545@oz.nthu.edu.tw
Received:
13
December
2016
Accepted:
24
February
2017
Published online:
16
March
2017
We investigate observational constraints on a specific one-parameter extension to the minimal quintessence model, where the quintessence field acquires a quadratic coupling to the scalar curvature through a coupling constant 
. The value of is highly suppressed in typical tracker models if the late-time cosmic acceleration is driven at some field values near the Planck scale. We test in a second class of models in which the field value today becomes a free model parameter. We use the combined data from type-Ia supernovae, cosmic microwave background, baryon acoustic oscillations and matter power spectrum, to weak lensing measurements and find a best-fit value 
where 
is excluded outside the 95% confidence region. The effective gravitational constant 
subject to the hint of a non-zero is constrained to 
at the same confidence level on cosmological scales, and it can be narrowed down to 
when combining with Solar System tests.
© The Author(s), 2017
