Why we need to see the dark matter to understand the dark energy

TL;DR

Understanding dark matter and dark energy requires direct observation because their estimated abundances depend heavily on the assumptions of the models used, highlighting the need for empirical evidence.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates that current measurements of dark matter and dark energy abundances are model-dependent and emphasizes the importance of observing dark matter directly to better understand dark energy.

Findings

Dark matter and dark energy estimates are model-dependent.

Current measurements rely on specific assumptions about dark energy.

Direct detection of dark matter is crucial for understanding dark energy.

Abstract

The cosmological concordance model contains two separate constituents which interact only gravitationally with themselves and everything else, the dark matter and the dark energy. In the standard dark energy models, the dark matter makes up some 20% of the total energy budget today, while the dark energy is responsible for about 75%. Here we show that these numbers are only robust for specific dark energy models and that in general we cannot measure the abundance of the dark constituents separately without making strong assumptions.