Dark Matter and Dark Energy Interactions: Theoretical Challenges, Cosmological Implications and Observational Signatures

TL;DR

This paper reviews models where dark matter and dark energy interact, discussing their theoretical basis, effects on cosmic evolution, observational tests, and future prospects for understanding the dark sector.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of dark matter-dark energy interaction models, including their theoretical motivations, observational constraints, and future observational prospects.

Findings

Interaction models are compatible with current data.

Interactions influence background and perturbation evolution.

Future data will help clarify dark sector physics.

Abstract

Models where Dark Matter and Dark Energy interact with each other have been proposed to solve the coincidence problem. We review the motivations underlying the need to introduce such interaction, its influence on the background dynamics and how it modifies the evolution of linear perturbations. We test models using the most recent observational data and we find that the interaction is compatible with the current astronomical and cosmological data. Finally, we describe the forthcoming data sets from current and future facilities that are being constructed or designed that will allow a clearer understanding of the physics of the dark sector.