Exploring cosmological imprints of phantom crossing with dynamical dark energy in Horndeski gravity

TL;DR

This paper investigates a Horndeski gravity-based dynamical dark energy model that allows phantom crossing and negative densities at high redshifts without instabilities, analyzing its cosmological implications and observational consistency.

Contribution

It introduces a novel Horndeski dark energy model with nonminimal coupling that exhibits phantom crossing and negative densities, and performs a comprehensive background and perturbation analysis.

Findings

Model exhibits phantom crossing without instabilities

Fits observational data with non-zero parameter preferences

Does not outperform ΛCDM but remains a promising alternative

Abstract

In the current era of precision cosmology, the persistence of cosmological tensions, most notably the Hubble tension and the $S_8$ tension, challenges the standard $\Lambda$CDM model. To reconcile these tensions via late-time modifications to expansion history, various features such as phantom crossing in the dark energy equation of state, a negative energy density at high redshifts, etc., are favoured. However, these scenarios cannot be realized within the framework of GR without introducing ghost or gradient instabilities. In this work, we investigate a dynamical dark energy scenario within the framework of Horndeski gravity, incorporating nonminimal coupling to gravity and self-interactions. We highlight that the model can exhibit novel features like phantom crossing and negative dark energy densities at high redshifts without introducing any instabilities. For this specific Horndeski model, we perform a comprehensive analysis of the background evolution along with the effects on perturbations, examining observables like growth rate, matter and CMB power spectrum. To check the consistency of the model with the observational data, we employ MCMC analysis using BAO/$f\sigma_8$, Supernovae, and CMB data. While the model does not outperform the standard $\Lambda$CDM framework in a combined likelihood analysis, there remains a preference for non-zero values of the model parameters within the data. This suggests that dynamical dark energy scenarios, particularly those with non-minimal couplings, merit further exploration as promising alternatives to GR, offering rich phenomenology that can be tested against a broader range of current and upcoming observational datasets.