Evolution of Cosmological Parameters and Fundamental Constants in a Flat Quintessence Cosmology: A Dynamical Alternative to ΛCDM

Abstract

The primary purpose of this work is the provision of accurate, analytic, evolutionary templates for cosmological parameters and fundamental constants in a dynamical cosmology. A flat quintessence cosmology with a dark energy potential that has the mathematical form of the Higgs potential is the specific cosmology and potential addressed in this work. These templates, based on the physics of the cosmology and potential, are intended to replace those parameterizations currently used to determine the likelihoods of dynamical cosmologies. Acknowledging that, unlike ΛCDM, the evolutions are dependent on both the specific cosmology and the dark energy potential, the templates are referred to as specific cosmology and potential (SCP) templates. The requirements set for the SCP templates are that they must be accurate, analytic functions of an observable, such as the scale factor or redshift. This is achieved through the utilization of a modified beta function formalism that is based on a physically motivated dark energy potential to calculate the beta function. The methodology developed here is designed to be adaptable to other cosmologies and dark energy potentials. The SCP templates are essential tools in determining the relative likelihoods of a range of dynamical cosmologies and potentials. The ultimate purpose is the determination of whether dark energy is dynamical or static in a quantitative manner. It is suggested that the SCP templates calculated in this work can serve as fiducial dynamical templates in the same manner as ΛCDM serves for static dark energy.