Astrophysical Tests of Modified Gravity: A Screening Map of the Nearby
  Universe
  Astrophysical tests of modified modified gravity theories in the nearby
universe have been emphasized recently by Hui, Nicolis and Stubbs (2009) and
Jain and VanderPlas (2011). A key element of such tests is the screening
mechanism whereby general relativity is restored in massive halos or high
density environments like the Milky Way. In chameleon theories of gravity,
including all f(R) models, field dwarf galaxies may be unscreened and therefore
feel an extra force, as opposed to screened galaxies. The first step to study
differences between screened and unscreened galaxies is to create a 3D
screening map. We use N-body simulations to test and calibrate simple
approximations to determine the level of screening in galaxy catalogs. Sources
of systematic errors in the screening map due to observational inaccuracies are
modeled and their contamination is estimated. We then apply our methods to
create a map out to 200 Mpc in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint using
data from the Sloan survey and other sources. In two companion papers this map
will be used to carry out new tests of gravity using distance indicators and
the disks of dwarf galaxies. We also make our screening map publicly available.
