Observational constraints on scalar field models of dark energy with barotropic equation of state

TL;DR

This paper uses multiple cosmological datasets to constrain scalar field models of dark energy with a barotropic equation of state, finding that initial dark energy parameters are weakly constrained but influence future universe contraction.

Contribution

It provides new observational constraints on scalar field dark energy models with barotropic equations of state, incorporating diverse datasets and forecasting future data impacts.

Findings

Initial dark energy equation of state is weakly constrained by current data.

Best-fit initial equation of state is lower than its current value.

Future Planck data will significantly tighten parameter constraints.

Abstract

We constrain the parameters of dynamical dark energy in the form of a classical or tachyonic scalar field with barotropic equation of state jointly with other cosmological ones using the combined datasets which include the CMB power spectra from WMAP7, the baryon acoustic oscillations in the space distribution of galaxies from SDSS DR7, the power spectrum of luminous red galaxies from SDSS DR7 and the light curves of SN Ia from 2 different compilations: Union2 (SALT2 light curve fitting) and SDSS (SALT2 and MLCS2k2 light curve fittings). It has been found that the initial value of dark energy equation of state parameter is constrained very weakly by most of the data while the rest of main cosmological parameters are well constrained: their likelihoods and posteriors are similar, have the forms close to Gaussian (or half-Gaussian) and their confidential ranges are narrow. The most reliable determinations of the best fitting value and $1\sigma$ confidence range for the initial value of dark energy equation of state parameter were obtained from the combined datasets including SN Ia data from the full SDSS compilation with MLCS2k2 fitting of light curves. In all such cases the best fitting value of this parameter is lower than the value of corresponding parameter for current epoch. Such dark energy loses its repulsive properties and in future the expansion of the Universe will change into contraction. We also perform an error forecast for the Planck mock data and show that they narrow essentially the confidential ranges of cosmological parameters values, moreover, their combination with SN SDSS compilation with MLCS2k2 light curve fitting may exclude the fields with initial equation of state parameter $>-0.1$ at 2$\sigma$ confidential level.