A novel test of gravity: Does spacetime geometry track matter density?

We propose a novel test of gravity that combines galaxy clustering with gravitational lensing. One of the cornerstone of general relativity is to link spacetime distortions to matter distribution through Einstein’s equations. As a consequence, the evolution of matter density fluctuations and the Weyl potential – the sum of spatial and temporal distortions of the geometry – are governed by the same growth function. In contrast, alternative theories of gravity that modify the relation between geometry and matter can lead to differences in these two growths. Exploiting a recent method to directly measure the Weyl potential, we constructed a null test that deviates from zero if and only if a mismatch appears between the growth rate of density and geometric distortions. We show that changes in the background expansion due to alternative dark energy models and additional forces in the dark matter sector induce no deviations in this test, making this method a robust probe for detecting departures from general relativity. Applying the test to current data, we find no evidence of deviation. From z * = 10 to z ∼ 0.5, we constrain the evolution of the Weyl potential to track that of the density within 33%. Combining stage-IV surveys will improve the precision across a broad redshift range, limiting differences between the two evolutions to below 2–4%.