We construct a family of viable scalar-tensor models of dark energy (DE) which possess a phase of late-time acceleration preceded by a standard matter era, while at the same time satisfying the local gravity constraints (LGC). The coupling $Q$ between the scalar field and the nonrelativistic matter in the Einstein frame is assumed to be constant in our scenario, which is a generalization of $f(R)$ gravity theories corresponding to the coupling $Q=-1/\sqrt{6}$. We find that these models can be made compatible with local gravity constraints even when $|Q|$ is of the order of unity through a chameleon mechanism, if the scalar-field potential is chosen to have a sufficiently large mass in the high-curvature regions. We show that these models generally lead to the divergence of the equation of state of DE, which occurs at smaller redshifts as the deviation from the $\Lambda \mathrm{CDM}$ model becomes more significant. We also study the evolution of matter density perturbations and employ them to place bounds on the coupling $|Q|$ as well as model parameters of the field potential from observations of the matter power spectrum and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. We find that, as long as $|Q|$ is smaller than the order of unity, there exist allowed parameter regions that are consistent with both observational and local gravity constraints.

• Received 7 March 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.77.103009