Bound dark energy: Particle origin of dark energy with DESI BAO and DES supernova data

Abstract

The recent findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) indicate a preference for dynamical dark energy at a significance level above $2.5\sigma$, with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) combined with cosmic microwave background (CMB) data and Type Ia supernovae (SNe) data, favoring a time dependent equation of state $w(z)$ rather than the cosmological constant ($w=-1$). We introduce the Bound Dark Energy (BDE) model, in which dark energy arises from the lightest meson field $\varphi$ in a dark SU(3) gauge group, developing dynamically through non perturbative interactions. Governed by an inverse power law potential $V(\varphi )={\Lambda }_c^{4+2/3}{\varphi }^{-2/3}$, BDE features no dark energy free parameters: one less than $\Lambda$CDM ($\Lambda$) and three less than the $w_0{w}_a$CDM ($w_0,w_a,\Lambda$) models. By integrating DESI BAO measurements, CMB data and Dark Energy Survey SN Ia distance data collected during the fifth year, BDE demonstrates a reduction of $42$ and $37$ percent in the reduced ${\chi }_{BAO}^2$ as well as lower AIC and BIC values compared to the $w_0{w}_a$CDM and $\Lambda$CDM models, respectively, while maintaining a comparable fit for both type Ia supernovae and the cosmic microwave background data. Although the ($w_0,w_a$) contour in BDE is 10,000 times smaller than that found in the $w_0{w}_a$CDM model, the BDE model suggests a dynamical dark energy scenario with precise values of $w_0=$-0.9301 $\pm$ 0.0004 and $w_a=$ -0.8085 $\pm$ 0.0053 while providing a consistency on the six Planck and derived parameters at the 1$\sigma$ level between BDE, $\Lambda$CDM and $w_0{w}_a$CDM models. The critical parameters condensation energy scale ${\Lambda }_c=43.806\pm 0.190$ eV and epoch $a_c=(2.497\pm 0.011)\times 10^{-6}$ are consistent with predictions from high energy physics.

17 pages, 11 figures