Examining Quintessence Models with DESI Data

TL;DR

This paper analyzes DESI data to evaluate quintessence dark energy models, finding marginal improvements over the cosmological constant and correcting previous overly optimistic analyses.

Contribution

It provides a critical assessment of quintessence models using DESI data and corrects prior analyses that overestimated their compatibility.

Findings

Hilltop and exponential potentials show modest improvements over ΛCDM.

Statistical evidence for quintessence models remains marginal.

Previous literature overestimated the fit of some quintessence models.

Abstract

We examine data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration which has implications for the nature of dark energy. We consider classes of models that manifestly obey the null energy condition, with a focus on quintessence models. We find that hilltop potentials and exponential potentials provide modest improvement compared to a cosmological constant, but the statistical evidence is only marginal at this stage. We correct some analyses in the existing literature which attempted to compare some quintessence models to the data, giving an overly positive result.