IWDM: The fate of an interacting non-cold dark matter $-$ vacuum scenario

TL;DR

This study explores a cosmological model where dark matter has a variable, non-zero equation of state interacting with vacuum energy, using observational data to assess its viability and find a slight preference for non-cold dark matter.

Contribution

It introduces and tests an interacting non-cold dark matter-vacuum scenario with a variable dark matter equation of state using multiple observational datasets.

Findings

Non-zero dark matter equation of state is mildly preferred.

Data suggests possible deviation from cold dark matter assumption.

Further investigation into non-cold dark matter is warranted.

Abstract

In most cosmological models, the equation of state of the dark matter is assumed to be zero, which means that the dark matter is pressure-less or cold. While this hypothesis is based on the abundance of cold dark matter in the universe, however, there is no compelling reason to assume that the equation of state of dark matter is exactly zero. A more general approach would be to allow for a range of values for the dark matter equation of state and use the observational data to determine which values are most likely. With the increasing accuracy of experimental data, we have chosen to explore the possibility of interacting non-cold dark matter $-$ vacuum scenario, where the equation of state of the dark matter is constant but can take different values within a specific range. Using the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies and the CMB lensing reconstruction from the Planck legacy release, plus other non-CMB measurements, namely, the baryon acoustic oscillations distance measurements, and the Pantheon catalogue from Type Ia Supernovae, we have analyzed this scenario and found that a non-zero value for the dark matter equation of state is preferred with a confidence level of over 68\%. While this is not significant by itself, however, it does suggest that investigating the possibility of non-cold dark matter in the universe is worth exploring further to gain a better understanding of the nature of dark matter.