Stability of Palatini-f(R) cosmology

The evolution of linear cosmological perturbations in modified theories of gravity is investigated assuming the Palatini formalism. It has been discussed about the stability problem in this model based on the equivalence between f(R) gravity and the scalar tensor theory. However, we study this problem in the physical frame where the matter is minimally coupled. In general, the stability of the superhorizon metric evolution depends on models. We show that the deviation from the superhorizon metric evolution is null for a specific choice for the nonlinear Einstein-Hilbert action, f(R̂) ∼ R̂, where n 6= 0, 2, 3. Thus the stability of metric fluctuation is guaranteed in these models. We also study the matter density fluctuation in the general gauge and show the differential equations in super and sub-horizon scales.