Addressing the High-$f$ Problem in Pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone Boson Dark Energy Models with Dark Matter - Dark Energy Interaction

TL;DR

This paper explores a pseudo Nambu-Goldstone boson dark energy model with high symmetry-breaking scale, showing that dark matter-dark energy interaction and Slotheon modifications improve the model's viability and address the high-$f$ problem.

Contribution

It demonstrates that incorporating dark matter-dark energy interaction and Slotheon modifications alleviates the high-$f$ problem in pNGB dark energy models.

Findings

Dark matter-dark energy interaction improves high-$f$ problem solution.

Slotheon dark energy model outperforms quintessence in this context.

A mass limit for dark matter is estimated.

Abstract

We consider a dark energy scenario driven by a scalar field $\phi$ with a pseudo Nambu Goldstone boson (pNGB) type potential $V(\phi)=\mu^4 \left( 1+ {\rm cos}(\phi/f) \right)$. The pNGB originates out of breaking of spontaneous symmetry at a scale $f$ close to Planck mass $M_{\rm{pl}}$. We consider two cases namely the quintessence dark energy and the other, where the standard pNGB action is modified by the terms related to Slotheon cosmology. We demonstrate that for this pNGB potential, high-$f$ problem is better addressed when interaction between dark matter and dark energy is taken into account and that Slotheon dark energy scenario works even better over quintessence in this respect. To this end, a mass limit for dark matter is also estimated.