Spherical symmetry in a dark energy permeated spacetime

The properties of a spherically symmetric static spacetime permeated through dark energy are worked out. Dark energy is viewed as the strain energy of an elastically deformable four-dimensional manifold. The metric is worked out in the vacuum region around a central spherical mass/defect in the linear approximation. We discuss analogies and differences with the analogue in the de Sitter spacetime and how these competing scenarios could be differentiated on an observational ground. The comparison with the tests at the solar system scale puts upper limits to the parameters of the theory, consistent with the values obtained applying the classical cosmological tests. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.