Phantom crossing or dark interaction?

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Guedezounme, Sêcloka L., Dinda, Bikash R., Maartens, Roy
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Guedezounme, Sêcloka L.
Dinda, Bikash R.
Maartens, Roy
author_facet Guedezounme, Sêcloka L.
Dinda, Bikash R.
Maartens, Roy
contents Recent results from DESI BAO measurements, together with Planck CMB and Pantheon+ data, suggest that there may be a `phantom' phase ($w_{\rm de}<-1$) in the expansion of the Universe. This inference follows when the $w_0, w_a$ parametrization for the dark energy equation of state $w_{\rm de}$ is used to fit the data. Since phantom dark energy in general relativity is unphysical, we investigate the possibility that the phantom behaviour is not intrinsic, but effective -- due to a non-gravitational interaction between dark matter and non-phantom dark energy. To this end, we assume a physically motivated thawing quintessence-like form of the intrinsic dark energy equation of state $w_{\rm de}$. Then we use a $w_0, w_a$ model for the \emph{effective} equation of state of dark energy. We find that the data favours a phantom crossing for the effective dark energy, but only at low significance. The intrinsic equation of state of dark energy is non-phantom, without imposing any non-phantom priors. A nonzero interaction is favoured at more than $3σ$ at $z\sim0.3$. The energy flows from dark matter to dark energy at early times and reverses at later times.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_18274
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Phantom crossing or dark interaction?
Guedezounme, Sêcloka L.
Dinda, Bikash R.
Maartens, Roy
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Recent results from DESI BAO measurements, together with Planck CMB and Pantheon+ data, suggest that there may be a `phantom' phase ($w_{\rm de}<-1$) in the expansion of the Universe. This inference follows when the $w_0, w_a$ parametrization for the dark energy equation of state $w_{\rm de}$ is used to fit the data. Since phantom dark energy in general relativity is unphysical, we investigate the possibility that the phantom behaviour is not intrinsic, but effective -- due to a non-gravitational interaction between dark matter and non-phantom dark energy. To this end, we assume a physically motivated thawing quintessence-like form of the intrinsic dark energy equation of state $w_{\rm de}$. Then we use a $w_0, w_a$ model for the \emph{effective} equation of state of dark energy. We find that the data favours a phantom crossing for the effective dark energy, but only at low significance. The intrinsic equation of state of dark energy is non-phantom, without imposing any non-phantom priors. A nonzero interaction is favoured at more than $3σ$ at $z\sim0.3$. The energy flows from dark matter to dark energy at early times and reverses at later times.
title Phantom crossing or dark interaction?
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.18274