Phenomenology of large scale structure in scalar-tensor theories: Joint prior covariance of wDE, Σ, and μ in Horndeski theories

Ongoing and upcoming cosmological surveys will significantly improve our ability to probe the equation of state of dark energy, wDE, and the phenomenology of large scale structure. They will allow us to constrain deviations from the Λ cold dark matter predictions for the relations between the matter density contrast and the weak lensing and the Newtonian potential, described by the functions Σ and μ, respectively. In this work, we derive the theoretical prior for the joint covariance of wDE, Σ and μ, expected in general scalar-tensor theories with second order equations of motion (Horndeski gravity), focusing on their time-dependence at certain representative scales. We employ Monte Carlo methods to generate large ensembles of statistically independent Horndeski models, focusing on those that are physically viable and in broad agreement with local tests of gravity, the observed cosmic expansion history and the measurement of the speed of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star merger. We identify several interesting features and trends in the distribution functions of wDE, Σ and μ, as well as in their covariances; we confirm the high degree of correlation between Σ and μ in scalar-tensor theories. The derived prior covariance matrices will allow us to reconstruct jointly wDE, Σ and μ in a nonparametric way.