Theoretical Priors and the Dark Energy Equation of State

TL;DR

This paper develops a model-independent parametrization for dark energy that incorporates theoretical priors, revealing a preferred transition redshift and reducing cosmological tensions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel parametrization considering tracker priors and sound speeds, improving inference of dark energy parameters from data.

Findings

Preferred transition redshift around 29-30

Reduction in Hubble tension

Impact of sound speeds on parameter inference

Abstract

We revisit the theoretical priors used for inferring Dark Energy (DE) parameters. Any DE model must have some form of a tracker mechanism such that it behaved as matter or radiation in the past. Otherwise, the model is fine-tuned. We construct a model-independent parametrization that takes this prior into account and allows for a relatively sudden transition between radiation/matter to DE behavior. We match the parametrization with current data, and deduce that the adiabatic and effective sound speeds of DE play an important role in inferring the cosmological parameters. We find that there is a preferred transition redshift of $1+z\simeq 29-30$, and some reduction in the Hubble and Large Scale Structure tensions.