Evolution of dark energy perturbations in scalar-tensor cosmologies

We solve analytically and numerically the generalized Einstein equations in scalar-tensor cosmologies to obtain the evolution of dark energy and matter linear perturbations. We compare our results with the corresponding results for minimally coupled quintessence perturbations. We find that scalar-tensor dark energy density perturbations are amplified by a factor of about 10{sup 4} compared to minimally coupled quintessence perturbations on scales less than about 1000 h{sup -1} Mpc (sub-Hubble scales). On these scales dark energy perturbations constitute a fraction of about 10% compared to matter density perturbations. Scalar-tensor dark energy density perturbations are anticorrelated with matter linear perturbations on sub-Hubble scales. This anticorrelation of matter with negative pressure perturbations induces a mild amplification of matter perturbations by about 10% on sub-Hubble scales. The evolution of scalar field perturbations on sub-Hubble scales is scale independent and therefore corresponds to a vanishing effective speed of sound (c{sub s{Phi}=}0). We briefly discuss the observational implications of our results, which may include predictions for galaxy and cluster halo profiles that are modified compared to {Lambda}CDM. The observed properties of these profiles are known to be in some tension with the predictions of {Lambda}CDM.