Observational constraints on an interacting dark energy model

TL;DR

This paper combines CMB, supernova, and BAO data to constrain an interacting dark energy model with a time-varying equation of state, finding that the interaction rate is limited to less than 23% of the Hubble rate at 95% confidence.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive observational constraints on an interacting dark energy model using multiple cosmological data sets.

Findings

Interaction constant $\Gamma$ constrained to be less than 23% of $H_0$ at 95% CL.

CMB data can fit large interaction rates but require different matter densities.

SN and BAO data indirectly constrain the interaction through matter density limits.

Abstract

We use observations of cosmic microwave background anisotropies, supernova luminosities and the baryon acoustic oscillation signal in the galaxy distribution to constrain the cosmological parameters in a simple interacting dark energy model with a time-varying equation of state. Using a Monte Carlo Markov Chain technique we determine the posterior likelihoods. Constraints from the individual data sets are weak, but the combination of the three data sets confines the interaction constant $\Gamma$ to be less than 23% of the expansion rate of the Universe $H_0$; at 95% CL $-0.23 < \Gamma/H_0 < +0.15$. The CMB acoustic peaks can be well fitted even if the interaction rate is much larger, but this requires a larger or smaller (depending on the sign of interaction) matter density today than in the non-interacting model. Due to this degeneracy between the matter density and the interaction rate, the only observable effect on the CMB is a larger or smaller integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect. While SN or BAO data alone do not set any direct constraints on the interaction, they exclude the models with very large matter density, and hence indirectly constrain the interaction rate when jointly analysed with the CMB data. To enable the analysis described in this paper, we present in a companion paper [arXiv:0907.4981] a new systematic analysis of the early radiation era solution to find the adiabatic initial conditions for the Boltzmann integration.