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We discuss the issue of toy model building for the dark energy component of the universe. Specifically, we consider two generic toy models recently proposed as alternatives to quintessence models, known as Cardassian expansion and the Chaplygin gas. We show that the former is enteriely equivalent to a class of quintessence models. We determine the observational constraints on the latter, coming from recent supernovae results and from the shape of the matter power spectrum. As expected, these restrict the model to a behaviour that closely matches that of a standard cosmological constant $Lambda$.
We investigate the cosmological observational test of the extended quintessence model, i.e. a scalar-tensor gravity model with a scalar field potential serving as dark energy, by using the Planck 2018 cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, together with the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and redshift-space distortion (RSD) data. As an example, we consider the model with a Brans-Dicke kinetic term $frac{omega(phi)}{phi} phi_{;mu} phi^{;mu} $ and a quadratic scalar potential $V (phi) = A + B (phi - phi_0) + frac{C}{2} (phi - phi_0)^2$, which reduces to general relativity (GR) in the limit $omega(phi) to infty$, and the cosmological constant in the limit $B=C=0$. In such a model the scalar field typically rolls down the potential and oscillates around the minimum of $V (phi)$. We find that the model parameter estimate for the CMB+BAO+RSD data set is given by $lg alpha = -3.6 _{-0.54}^{+0.66}~ (68%)$, corresponding to $ 3.8 times 10^5 < omega_0 < 9.5 times 10^7~ (68%)$, and $lg C = 4.9 pm 1.4~ (68%) $. However, the GR $Lambda$CDM model can fit the data almost as good as this extended quintessence model, and is favored by the Akaike information criterion (AIC). The variation of the gravitational constant since the epoch of Recombination is constrained to be $0.97 < G_{rm rec}/G_0 < 1.03~ (1 sigma)$. In light of recent report that the CMB data favors a closed universe, we consider the case with non-flat geometry in our fit, and find that the mean value of $Omega_k$ shifts a little bit from $-0.049$ to $-0.036$, and the parameters in our model are not degenerate with $Omega_k$.
Although the inflationary paradigm is the most widely accepted explanation for the current cosmological observations, it does not necessarily correspond to what actually happened in the early stages of our Universe. To decide on this issue, two paths can be followed: first, all the possible predictions it makes must be derived thoroughly and compared with available data, and second, all imaginable alternatives must be ruled out. Leaving the first task to all other contributors of this volume, we concentrate here on the second option, focusing on the bouncing alternatives and their consequences.
Massive fields in the primordial universe function as standard clocks and imprint clock signals in the density perturbations that directly record the scale factor of the primordial universe as a function of time, a(t). A measurement of such signals would identify the specific scenario of the primordial universe in a model-independent fashion. In this Letter, we introduce a new mechanism through which quantum fluctuations of massive fields function as standard clocks. The clock signals appear as scale-dependent oscillatory signals in the power spectrum of alternative scenarios to inflation.
We present a comparative analysis of observational low-redshift background constraints on three candidate models for explaining the low-redshift acceleration of the universe. The generalized coupling model by Feng and Carloni and the scale invariant model by Maeder (both of which can be interpreted as bimetric theories) are compared to the traditional parametrization of Chevallier, Polarski and Linder. In principle the generalized coupling model, which in vacuum is equivalent to General Relativity, contains two types of vacuum energy: the usual cosmological constant plus a second contribution due to the matter fields. We show that the former is necessary for the model to agree with low-redshift observations, while there is no statistically significant evidence for the presence of the second. On the other hand the scale invariant model effectively has a time-dependent cosmological constant. In this case we show that a matter density $Omega_msim0.3$ is a relatively poor fit to the data, and the best-fit model would require a fluid with a much smaller density and a significantly positive equation of state parameter.
We derive the slow-roll conditions for a non-minimally coupled scalar field (extended quintessence) during the radiation/matter dominated era extending our previous results for thawing quintessence. We find that the ratio $ddotphi/3Hdotphi$ becomes constant but negative, in sharp contrast to the ratio for the minimally coupled scalar field. We also find that the functional form of the equation of state of the scalar field asymptotically approaches that of the minimally coupled thawing quintessence.