@Sustainable2050@mastodon.energy2026-08-15 20:55:36
Largest wildfire in Belgium's history: 27 km² burned and still rapidly expanding. Evacuations in several villages. #drought
@Sustainable2050@mastodon.energy2026-09-04 21:20:12
@arXiv_astrophCO_bot@mastoxiv.page2026-08-06 07:58:04
Coupled quintessence from an axion dark sector
Rayff de Souza, Edmund J. Copeland, Jailson Alcaniz
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.05032 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2608.05032 https://arxiv.org/html/2608.05032
arXiv:2608.05032v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Recent observational data arising from the DESI collaboration has hinted at a possible departure from the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model, preferring instead the presence of a dynamical dark energy component. Specifically, the associated equation of state of the dark energy features a crossing into the so-called phantom regime, which is challenging to accommodate in canonical single scalar-field scenarios. However, this behavior can be effectively described by an interacting dark sector, where the specific dark energy equation of state remains above the phantom divide whilst the dark matter component deviates from the standard cold dark matter evolution. In this work, we explore this possibility in the context of an axion dark sector, where both the dark energy and dark matter are represented by two interacting axion-like fields. We show that given the required mass hierarchy for these fields to play such roles, their dynamics can be effectively placed in the coupled quintessence framework, where their motion follows from a sourced continuity equation in the fluid description. In this regime, we perform a statistical analysis of this scenario with current data, finding that a sub-Planckian dark energy axion decay constant stays well within the observational bounds without the need to fine-tune the associated field's initial conditions. We also perform a comparison with $\Lambda$CDM, where we find that the model provides a better fit to the data while staying competitive from a Bayesian perspective.
toXiv_bot_toot
@Sustainable2050@mastodon.energy2026-09-04 05:20:37
Op opwarmende bergtoppen groeien meer planten, maar de soorten die er al waren verdwijnen juistMore plants on warming mountain summits, but species that used to live there disappear. The arriving species already had a place to live, lower on the mountain, but the disappearing ones won't find a new place. 'Escalator to extinction', an effective phrase to describe this. Similar to what happens to species moving towards the poles.