Cascading Dark Energy

TL;DR

This paper proposes a two-epoch, multi-field dark energy model called Cascading Dark Energy that aims to resolve the Hubble tension and improve agreement with cosmological observations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multi-field dark energy scenario with multiple epochs, reducing to a two-field model, to address the Hubble tension and observational discrepancies.

Findings

The model alleviates the Hubble tension.

It improves agreement with baryon acoustic oscillation measurements.

Neglecting linear perturbations, it fits cosmological data better than single-field models.

Abstract

The standard cosmological model is in the midst of a stress test, thanks to the tension between supernovae-based measurements of the Hubble constant $H_{0}$ and inferences of its values from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies. Numerous explanations for the present-day cosmic acceleration require the presence of a new fundamental scalar field, as do Early Dark Energy (EDE) solutions to the Hubble tension. This raises the possibility that multiple fields cooperatively contribute to the dark energy component in bursts throughout cosmic time due to distinct initial conditions and couplings. Here, this Cascading Dark Energy (CDE) scenario is illustrated through a realization that effectively reduces to a two-field model, with two epochs in which dark energy is cosmologically significant. The model is compared to measurements of the CMB, baryon acoustic oscillations, as well as both PANTHEON and SH0ES observations of Type-Ia supernovae. Neglecting the linear perturbations, it is found that this scenario ameliorates the Hubble tension, improving over purely late-time models of dark energy, and the agreement between the galaxy survey measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations.