The tensor-vector-scalar theory and its cosmology

Over the last few decades, astronomers and cosmologists have accumulated vast amounts of data clearly demonstrating that our current theories of fundamental particles and of gravity are inadequate to explain the observed discrepancy between the dynamics and the distribution of the visible matter in the universe. The modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) proposal aims at solving the problem by postulating that Newton's second law of motion is modified for accelerations smaller than ∼10-10 m s-2. This simple amendment, has had tremendous success in explaining galactic rotation curves. However, being non-relativistic, it cannot make firm predictions for cosmology. A relativistic theory called tensor-vector-scalar (TeVeS) has been proposed by Bekenstein building on earlier work of Sanders which has a MOND limit for non-relativistic systems. In this review I give a short introduction to TeVeS theory and focus on its predictions for cosmology as well as some non-cosmological studies. (topical review)