Hubble parameter measurement constraints on dark energy

TL;DR

This study uses the largest set of Hubble parameter data to constrain dark energy models, finding that recent measurements provide constraints nearly as tight as supernova data, supporting a cosmological constant but allowing for slow evolution.

Contribution

It is the first to combine 21 H(z) data points with other cosmological measurements to tightly constrain dark energy parameters.

Findings

H(z) data constraints are nearly as restrictive as supernova data.

Joint analysis favors a flat universe with a cosmological constant.

Data does not exclude slowly-evolving dark energy.

Abstract

We use 21 Hubble parameter versus redshift data points, from Gazta\~{n}aga et al. (2009), Stern et al. (2010), and Moresco et al. (2012), to place constraints on model parameters of constant and time-evolving dark energy cosmologies. This is the largest set of H(z) data considered to date. The inclusion of the 8 new Moresco et al. (2012) measurements results in H(z) constraints more restrictive than those derived by Chen & Ratra (2011b). These constraints are now almost as restrictive as those that follow from current Type Ia supernova (SNIa) apparent magnitude versus redshift data (Suzuki et al. 2012), which now more carefully account for systematic uncertainties. This is a remarkable result. We emphasize however that SNIa data have been studied for a longer time than the H(z) data, possibly resulting in a better estimate of potential systematic errors in the SNIa case. A joint analysis of the H(z), baryon acoustic oscillation peak length scale, and SNIa data favors a spatially-flat cosmological model currently dominated by a time-independent cosmological constant but does not exclude slowly-evolving dark energy.