Recognition: unknown
Testing Scale-Dependent Modified Gravity with DESI DR1
Pith reviewed 2026-05-07 11:05 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
DESI DR1 power spectrum analysis finds no evidence for scale-dependent deviations from general relativity.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
No evidence for deviations from GR is found in the DESI DR1 full-shape analysis. The constraint obtained is log10 |f_R0| < -4.59 at 95% C.L., implying that any corrections to GR become important only below a scale lambda < 17.81 Mpc at z=0, or that the mass of the scalar mediator exceeds 3.60 × 10^{-31} eV. The f_R0 parameter shows little degeneracy with other cosmological parameters, and the power index n is consistent with unity.
What carries the argument
Connection of the Hu-Sawicki f(R) model to a Yukawa-like potential, implemented in a baseline EFT model that uses the fkpt method to compute loop corrections to the power spectrum.
If this is right
- The f_R0 parameter is largely orthogonal to cosmological parameters, introducing no extra projection effects compared to GR.
- The power index n is consistent with values fixed to one in prior work.
- Including DESI BAO or other probes leaves the constraints essentially unchanged.
- The same bounds hold when the background is modeled with evolving dark energy rather than a cosmological constant.
- Varying the maximum wavenumber or analyzing targets separately yields similar results.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- These constraints could be strengthened by combining with other large-scale structure surveys or CMB data.
- The method provides a template for testing other scale-dependent modified gravity theories with upcoming data releases.
- Attention to neutrino mass degeneracies will be important for next-generation analyses.
- If a deviation is found in future data, it would point to new physics operating at cosmological distances.
Load-bearing premise
The Yukawa-like potential accurately represents the Hu-Sawicki f(R) model within the DESI redshift range, and the baseline EFT model with fkpt correctly captures the power spectrum under modified gravity without unaccounted systematics.
What would settle it
A clear scale-dependent deviation in the measured power spectrum from the GR prediction at wavenumbers around 0.05 to 0.2 h/Mpc that matches the Yukawa modification with log10 |f_R0| greater than -4.59.
read the original abstract
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) provides an unprecedented opportunity to test deviations from general relativity (GR) that introduce a new physical scale within its redshift range. Using the connection between a Yukawa-like potential and the Hu-Sawicki $f(R)$ model, we place strong constraints on the range of a hypothetical fifth force mediated by a massive scalar field. We analyze the power spectrum measurements from DESI Data Release 1 using a baseline EFT model that employs the fkpt approach for the loop integrals. We find no evidence for deviations from GR and obtain the constraint $\log_{10} |f_{R_0}| < -4.59$ (95\% C.L.). This corresponds to an upper bound at redshift zero on the scale at which corrections to GR become important, $\lambda < 17.81$ Mpc, or equivalently, a lower bound on the mass of the additional gravitational mediator of $m_\phi > 3.60 \times 10^{-31}$ eV. We find that the modified gravity parameter $f_{R_0}$ is largely orthogonal to the cosmological parameters in the model, such that no additional projection effects relative to the GR case are introduced in this Full-Shape analysis. Furthermore, a second modified gravity parameter, the power index $n$, which modulates the time-variation of the associated mass, is found to be consistent with previous analyses that fixed it to unity. Adding DESI BAO data or other cosmological probes does not significantly change these results. The conclusions remain similar if the background evolution is described by evolving dark energy instead of a cosmological constant. Additionally, we test the robustness of the baseline model by varying the maximum wavenumber used in the Full-Shape analysis and analyzing the DESI targets separately. Finally, we analyze the degeneracies between the modified-gravity parameters and the sum of neutrino masses.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper performs a full-shape analysis of DESI DR1 power spectrum measurements to test scale-dependent deviations from GR in the Hu-Sawicki f(R) model, using a mapping to a Yukawa-like potential mediated by a massive scalar field. Employing a baseline EFTofLSS model with the fkpt prescription for loop integrals, the authors report no evidence for modified gravity and derive the constraint log10 |f_R0| < -4.59 (95% C.L.), which translates to an upper limit lambda < 17.81 Mpc on the scale of fifth-force corrections and a lower bound m_phi > 3.60 × 10^{-31} eV on the mediator mass. They additionally show that f_R0 is largely orthogonal to standard cosmological parameters, that the index n is consistent with unity, and that the results are robust to inclusion of BAO data, neutrino mass variations, alternative dark energy backgrounds, k_max cuts, and separate tracer analyses.
Significance. If the modeling assumptions hold, this constitutes a competitive new constraint on scale-dependent modified gravity from state-of-the-art DESI full-shape data, improving upon earlier limits and demonstrating the utility of EFT-based full-shape analyses for GR tests. Explicit credit is due for the demonstrated orthogonality of f_R0 to cosmological parameters (reducing projection effects relative to GR-only fits), the suite of robustness checks (k_max variation, tracer splits, BAO addition, neutrino mass degeneracies), and the clear translation of the bound into physical scales and mediator mass. These elements strengthen the internal consistency of the null result.
major comments (1)
- The baseline EFT model employs the fkpt approach for loop integrals (as described in the abstract and the Full-Shape analysis section). For the Hu-Sawicki f(R) model, the massive scalar mediator modifies the gravitational interaction kernels at higher orders even before screening. If fkpt is implemented with standard GR kernels and only the linear Yukawa-modified P(k) is inserted, the quasi-linear corrections (k ~ 0.1-0.2 h/Mpc) may be misestimated, allowing nuisance parameters to partially absorb or mask a potential MG signal. The reported k_max variation and tracer-split tests do not isolate this kernel issue, which is load-bearing for the central bound log10 |f_R0| < -4.59.
minor comments (2)
- The Yukawa-like potential mapping to Hu-Sawicki f(R) is stated to be linear-theory accurate; a brief quantitative assessment of its validity across the DESI redshift range and k-range used in the fit would improve clarity.
- The degeneracy analysis with the sum of neutrino masses is mentioned; adding a dedicated table or figure panel showing the joint posterior would make the robustness claim more transparent.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for their careful reading of our manuscript and for providing constructive feedback. We address the major comment in detail below.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: The baseline EFT model employs the fkpt approach for loop integrals (as described in the abstract and the Full-Shape analysis section). For the Hu-Sawicki f(R) model, the massive scalar mediator modifies the gravitational interaction kernels at higher orders even before screening. If fkpt is implemented with standard GR kernels and only the linear Yukawa-modified P(k) is inserted, the quasi-linear corrections (k ~ 0.1-0.2 h/Mpc) may be misestimated, allowing nuisance parameters to partially absorb or mask a potential MG signal. The reported k_max variation and tracer-split tests do not isolate this kernel issue, which is load-bearing for the central bound log10 |f_R0| < -4.59.
Authors: We appreciate the referee highlighting this modeling consideration. Our implementation follows the standard EFTofLSS framework with the fkpt prescription for loop integrals, inserting the Yukawa-modified linear power spectrum while retaining GR kernels. For the Hu-Sawicki model, when |f_R0| is small (as required by our data), corrections to the higher-order kernels are suppressed by additional powers of f_R0 and remain negligible at the quasi-linear scales we probe. The EFT nuisance parameters are included precisely to marginalize over such small modeling uncertainties. The stability of the f_R0 constraint under our k_max variations and tracer splits indicates that any residual kernel mismatch is not driving the result. We acknowledge that a dedicated MG-kernel calculation would provide further validation and will add a clarifying discussion of this approximation and its validity in the revised manuscript. revision: partial
Circularity Check
No significant circularity in data-driven f_R0 constraint
full rationale
The paper derives an observational upper limit on the Hu-Sawicki parameter f_R0 by fitting an EFT power-spectrum model (with fkpt loop integrals) directly to DESI DR1 measurements. No derivation step reduces the reported bound log10 |f_R0| < -4.59 to an input quantity by construction, self-definition, or self-citation chain. The Yukawa mapping and background assumptions are external to the fit; the result remains falsifiable against the data and is unchanged under robustness variations (k_max, tracer splits, neutrino mass). This is a standard statistical constraint rather than a renamed or forced outcome.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
free parameters (2)
- f_R0
- n
axioms (2)
- domain assumption Hu-Sawicki f(R) gravity produces an effective Yukawa-like fifth force whose range is set by the Compton wavelength of the scalar field.
- domain assumption The fkpt approach accurately computes loop corrections to the power spectrum in the presence of scale-dependent gravity modifications.
invented entities (1)
-
massive scalar field phi
no independent evidence
Reference graph
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discussion (0)
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