Testing generic predictions of dark energy
  Constraints on the expansion history of the universe from measurements of
cosmological distances make predictions for large-scale structure growth. Since
these predictions depend on assumptions about dark energy evolution and spatial
curvature, they can be used to test general classes of dark energy models by
comparing predictions for those models with direct measurements of the growth
history. I present predictions from current distance measurements for the
growth history of dark energy models including a cosmological constant and
quintessence. Although a time-dependent dark energy equation of state
significantly weakens predictions for growth from measured distances, for
quintessence there is a generic limit on the growth evolution that could be
used to falsify the whole class of quintessence models. Understanding the
allowed range of growth for dark energy models in the context of general
relativity is a crucial step for efforts to distinguish dark energy from
modified gravity.
