Is cosmic acceleration slowing down?
Abstract
We investigate the course of cosmic expansion in its recent past using the Constitution SN Ia sample, along with baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. Allowing the equation of state of dark energy (DE) to vary, we find that a coasting model of the universe (q0=0) fits the data about as well as Lambda cold dark matter. This effect, which is most clearly seen using the recently introduced Om diagnostic, corresponds to an increase of Om and q at redshifts z≲0.3. This suggests that cosmic acceleration may have already peaked and that we are currently witnessing its slowing down. The case for evolving DE strengthens if a subsample of the Constitution set consisting of SNLS+ESSENCE+CfASNIa data is analyzed in combination with BAO+CMB data. The effect we observe could correspond to DE decaying into dark matter (or something else).
- Publication:
-
Physical Review D
- Pub Date:
- November 2009
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0903.5141
- Bibcode:
- 2009PhRvD..80j1301S
- Keywords:
-
- 98.80.Es;
- 95.36.+x;
- Observational cosmology;
- Dark energy;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- High Energy Physics - Theory
- E-Print:
- 6 pages, 5 figures, presentation expanded, results for a new subsample of the Constitution set are added, new BAO data are accounted for, main results unchanged