Constraining Quintessence Models with ISW-tSZ Cross-Correlations: A Comparative Analysis of Thawing, Tracker, and Scaling-Freezing Dynamics

Abstract

We present constraints on quintessence dark energy models using the observational detection of the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW)--thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (tSZ) cross-correlation dataset. Our analysis compares three classes of quintessence dynamics: thawing, tracker, and scaling-freezing with the standard $\hat{I}›$CDM cosmology. Through a comprehensive likelihood analysis, we derive best-fit values and 68\% confidence intervals for key cosmological parameters, finding $\hat{I}{\text{c◯}}_{\mathrm{m}}=0.322_{-0.030}^{+0.027}$ and $\ddot{I}{ƒ}_8=0.735_{-0.035}^{+0.045}$ for $\hat{I}›$CDM, with deviations in alternative models consistent within $1\ddot{I}ƒ$. For the thawing model, we consider an exponential potential with slope $\hat{I}»=0.736_{-0.227}^{+0.270}$, while for the tracker and scaling-freezing models, we use inverse axion-like and double exponential potentials, respectively. Observationally, the tracker model yields $n=5.651_{-1.604}^{+1.625}$ and $f=0.258_{-0.096}^{+0.149}$, and the scaling-freezing model gives $\hat{I}{»}_1=0.405_{-0.322}^{+0.293}$ and $\hat{I}{»}_2=23.226_{-7.258}^{+7.975}$. The dimensionless tSZ amplitude (${\tilde{W}}^{\mathrm{SZ}}$) and cosmic infrared background (CIB) parameters are tightly constrained across all models, providing additional insights into astrophysical foregrounds. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of ISW--tSZ cross-correlations as a probe of dark energy dynamics, with the Thawing quintessence model yielding the lowest $\ddot{I}{‡}_{\min }^2$ among the tested scenarios, and highlight the need for future high-precision measurements to distinguish between quintessence models and $\hat{I}›$CDM.

20 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables, accepted in PRD