Non-parametric reconstruction of non-minimally coupled gravity with a smoothness prior on CMB, DESI BAO, supernovae, and DES data yields a 2.8σ hint for coupling and a preference for phantom divide crossing stabilized by the coupling.
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The Cosmologi- cal Evidence for Non-Minimal Coupling
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abstract
The recent observational evidence of deviations from the $\Lambda$-Cold Dark Matter ($\Lambda$CDM) model points towards the presence of evolving dark energy. The simplest possibility consists of a cosmological scalar field $\varphi$, dubbed quintessence, driving the accelerated expansion. We assess the evidence for the existence of such a scalar field. We find that, if the accelerated expansion is driven by quintessence, the data favour a potential energy $V(\varphi)$ that is concave, i.e., $m^2=d^2V/d\varphi^2<0$. Furthermore, and more significantly, the data strongly favour a scalar field that is non-minimally coupled to gravity (Bayes factor $\log(B) = 7.34 \pm 0.6$), leading to time variations in the gravitational constant on cosmological scales, and the existence of fifth forces on smaller scales. The fact that we do not observe such fifth forces implies that either new physics must come into play on non-cosmological scales or that quintessence is an unlikely explanation for the observed cosmic acceleration.
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Kinetic screening non-monotonically suppresses or enhances scalar quadrupolar emission from equal-mass neutron star binaries depending on screening radius versus wavelength, with a dipole re-emerging linearly with mass asymmetry.
KiDS-Legacy weak lensing plus CMB data yields a 3 sigma deviation in light deflection from GR in a Lambda CDM background, with the signal driven by large-scale CMB lensing amplitudes.
Under standard recombination, phantom-crossing dynamical dark energy is preferred at ~97–98.5% probability; early-time fixes to the Hubble tension erase that preference while creating severe ω_m tension with CMB.
Weakly dissipative quintessence explains DESI phantom crossing in dark energy without pathological dynamics.
Evolving dark energy models lower the tension in DES Y3 Weyl potential measurements with GR+ΛCDM predictions to 1.6-2.2σ by changing the theoretical background evolution.
Using Planck, DESI, supernovae, and redshift-space distortions, the authors infer that modified gravity, if present, must act only below ~30 Mpc and cannot modify the large scales previously considered.
A unified post-Newtonian analysis shows that metric vs Palatini scalar-tensor gravity can yield different γ, β and Yukawa suppression, with Palatini f(R̂) recovering GR’s exterior PN limit for point sources.
Early dark energy resolves CMB-BAO tension and, combined with thawing quintessence, reduces overall cosmological tensions without phantom crossing.
Planck PR4 CMB data mildly favors dynamical dark energy, but this preference weakens when accounting for possible excess smoothing, indicating the signal may partly arise from data processing issues.
Reanalysis of DESI full-shape clustering data tightens constraints on neutrino mass, spatial curvature, and dark energy equation-of-state parameters relative to BAO-only results.
Non-minimally coupled quintessence resolves the Planck-DESI Ω_m tension at >3σ while the effective equation of state stays above w=-1 and other tensions on neutrino mass and growth rate are relieved.
Cosmological data can constrain only a handful of EFT parameters for single-scalar dark energy; extended models show modest preference over Λ but remain underdetermined and challenged by fifth forces and screening.
A swampland-inspired DM-EDE coupling is tested against DESI DR2 BAO data, showing the EDE potential construction affects late-time dark energy constraints.
A two-field quintom model reproduces w0waCDM perturbation features and is mildly favored over it in Bayesian fits to BAO, CMB, and SNIa data.
Axion EDE model fitted to Planck/ACT/SPT CMB, DESI BAO, and JWST UV luminosity function data yields H0 = 71.58 ± 1.05 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}, reduces H0 tension to 1.0 sigma, and improves Δχ^{2}_tot = -18.26 over Λ CDM.
Upper bounds on total neutrino mass in four phenomenological interacting dark energy models are derived from DESI DR2 BAO plus CMB and SNIa data, showing strong dependence on the interaction term form and statistical preference for models that tighten the bound below the oscillation lower limit.
Coupled quintessence-dark matter models can produce an apparent phantom-crossing effective equation of state matching DESI preferences if the scalar field begins frozen in the radiation era.
Two three-parameter extensions of the mAH dark energy parametrization are compared to LambdaCDM, wCDM, CPL and others using CMB, DESI BAO, H(z), RSD and three SNIa samples, yielding Delta chi-squared improvements of 6-38 and 2-5 sigma tensions with LambdaCDM.
Effective phantom dark energy is a background-level reconstruction that does not imply fundamental pathologies such as ghost instabilities or null energy condition violation by the underlying stress tensor.
Quintessence models with standard potentials give only modest improvements over Lambda to DESI data on evolving dark energy, while non-minimal couplings allow temporary phantom behavior but face tight gravity constraints except for carefully selected narrow ranges.
This review traces the history of dynamical dark energy, presents the no-go theorem against single-field crossing of w = -1, and surveys viable Quintom constructions including multi-field models and modified gravity in light of DESI DR2 hints.
citing papers explorer
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Late-time reconstruction of non-minimally coupled gravity with a smoothness prior
Non-parametric reconstruction of non-minimally coupled gravity with a smoothness prior on CMB, DESI BAO, supernovae, and DES data yields a 2.8σ hint for coupling and a preference for phantom divide crossing stabilized by the coupling.
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Constraints on Dynamical Dark Energy from Multiple Probes in the Full Dark Energy Survey
Full DES data from SN+BAO+3x2pt yields w0=-0.84, wa=-0.44 with 2.2σ deviation from ΛCDM; adding DESI+CMB reaches 3.0σ while 3x2pt improves figure of merit by ~10%.
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Scalar emission from binary neutron stars in scalar-tensor theories with kinetic screening
Kinetic screening non-monotonically suppresses or enhances scalar quadrupolar emission from equal-mass neutron star binaries depending on screening radius versus wavelength, with a dipole re-emerging linearly with mass asymmetry.
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Evidence for deviation in gravitational light deflection from general relativity at cosmological scales with KiDS-Legacy and CMB lensing
KiDS-Legacy weak lensing plus CMB data yields a 3 sigma deviation in light deflection from GR in a Lambda CDM background, with the signal driven by large-scale CMB lensing amplitudes.
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Exploring the interplay of late-time dynamical dark energy and new physics before recombination
Under standard recombination, phantom-crossing dynamical dark energy is preferred at ~97–98.5% probability; early-time fixes to the Hubble tension erase that preference while creating severe ω_m tension with CMB.
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Dissipative Dark Energy can explain the DESI phantom crossing
Weakly dissipative quintessence explains DESI phantom crossing in dark energy without pathological dynamics.
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The impact of evolving dark energy on the Weyl potential measured from the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 data
Evolving dark energy models lower the tension in DES Y3 Weyl potential measurements with GR+ΛCDM predictions to 1.6-2.2σ by changing the theoretical background evolution.
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Signatures of Modified Gravity on Linear Scales in a Dynamical Dark Energy Background
Using Planck, DESI, supernovae, and redshift-space distortions, the authors infer that modified gravity, if present, must act only below ~30 Mpc and cannot modify the large scales previously considered.
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Post-Newtonian Constraints on Scalar-Tensor Gravity
A unified post-Newtonian analysis shows that metric vs Palatini scalar-tensor gravity can yield different γ, β and Yukawa suppression, with Palatini f(R̂) recovering GR’s exterior PN limit for point sources.
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Disentangling cosmic distance tensions with early and late dark energy
Early dark energy resolves CMB-BAO tension and, combined with thawing quintessence, reduces overall cosmological tensions without phantom crossing.
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Is the $w_0w_a$CDM cosmological parameterization evidence for dark energy dynamics partially caused by the excess smoothing of Planck PR4 CMB anisotropy data?
Planck PR4 CMB data mildly favors dynamical dark energy, but this preference weakens when accounting for possible excess smoothing, indicating the signal may partly arise from data processing issues.
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Reanalyzing DESI DR1: 2. Constraints on Dark Energy, Spatial Curvature, and Neutrino Masses
Reanalysis of DESI full-shape clustering data tightens constraints on neutrino mass, spatial curvature, and dark energy equation-of-state parameters relative to BAO-only results.
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Resolving the Planck-DESI tension by nonminimally coupled quintessence
Non-minimally coupled quintessence resolves the Planck-DESI Ω_m tension at >3σ while the effective equation of state stays above w=-1 and other tensions on neutrino mass and growth rate are relieved.
-
The Status of Single Scalar Field Dark Energy
Cosmological data can constrain only a handful of EFT parameters for single-scalar dark energy; extended models show modest preference over Λ but remain underdetermined and challenged by fifth forces and screening.
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Imprint of swampland-inspired coupled early dark energy
A swampland-inspired DM-EDE coupling is tested against DESI DR2 BAO data, showing the EDE potential construction affects late-time dark energy constraints.
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Quintom Model Perturbations
A two-field quintom model reproduces w0waCDM perturbation features and is mildly favored over it in Bayesian fits to BAO, CMB, and SNIa data.
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Resolving the Hubble Tension in the Early Dark Energy Framework with JWST and DESI Data
Axion EDE model fitted to Planck/ACT/SPT CMB, DESI BAO, and JWST UV luminosity function data yields H0 = 71.58 ± 1.05 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}, reduces H0 tension to 1.0 sigma, and improves Δχ^{2}_tot = -18.26 over Λ CDM.
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Neutrino mass constraints in interacting dark energy models after DESI DR2
Upper bounds on total neutrino mass in four phenomenological interacting dark energy models are derived from DESI DR2 BAO plus CMB and SNIa data, showing strong dependence on the interaction term form and statistical preference for models that tighten the bound below the oscillation lower limit.
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Coupled Dark Energy and Dark Matter for DESI: An Effective Guide to the Phantom Divide
Coupled quintessence-dark matter models can produce an apparent phantom-crossing effective equation of state matching DESI preferences if the scalar field begins frozen in the radiation era.
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Beyond CPL: Evidence for dynamical dark energy in three-parameter models
Two three-parameter extensions of the mAH dark energy parametrization are compared to LambdaCDM, wCDM, CPL and others using CMB, DESI BAO, H(z), RSD and three SNIa samples, yielding Delta chi-squared improvements of 6-38 and 2-5 sigma tensions with LambdaCDM.
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Effective Phantom Dark Energy: What Cosmological Reconstruction Does and Does Not Imply
Effective phantom dark energy is a background-level reconstruction that does not imply fundamental pathologies such as ghost instabilities or null energy condition violation by the underlying stress tensor.
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Comparing Minimal and Non-Minimal Quintessence Models to 2025 DESI Data
Quintessence models with standard potentials give only modest improvements over Lambda to DESI data on evolving dark energy, while non-minimal couplings allow temporary phantom behavior but face tight gravity constraints except for carefully selected narrow ranges.
-
The Quintom theory of dark energy after DESI DR2
This review traces the history of dynamical dark energy, presents the no-go theorem against single-field crossing of w = -1, and surveys viable Quintom constructions including multi-field models and modified gravity in light of DESI DR2 hints.
- Nonminimally coupled quintessence with sign-switching interaction
- Probing dynamical dark energy with late-time data: Evidence, tensions, and the limits of the $w_0w_a$CDM framework