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Early dark energy, the Hubble-parameter tension, and the string axiverse

Canonical reference. 90% of citing Pith papers cite this work as background.

15 Pith papers citing it
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abstract

Precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum are in excellent agreement with the predictions of the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model. However, there is some tension between the value of the Hubble parameter $H_0$ inferred from the CMB and that inferred from observations of the Universe at lower redshifts, and the unusually small value of the dark-energy density is a puzzling ingredient of the model. In this paper, we explore a scenario with a new exotic energy density that behaves like a cosmological constant at early times and then decays quickly at some critical redshift $z_c$. An exotic energy density like this is motivated by some string-axiverse-inspired scenarios for dark energy. By increasing the expansion rate at early times, the very precisely determined angular scale of the sound horizon at decoupling can be preserved with a larger Hubble constant. We find, however, that the Planck temperature power spectrum tightly constrains the magnitude of the early dark-energy density and thus any shift in the Hubble constant obtained from the CMB. If the reionization optical depth is required to be smaller than the Planck 2016 $2\sigma$ upper bound $\tau\lesssim 0.0774$, then early dark energy allows a Hubble-parameter shift of at most 1.6 km~s$^{-1}$~Mpc$^{-1}$ (at $z_c\simeq 1585$), too small to fully alleviate the Hubble-parameter tension. Only if $\tau$ is increased by more than $5\sigma$ can the CMB Hubble parameter be brought into agreement with that from local measurements. In the process, we derive strong constraints to the contribution of early dark energy at the time of recombination---it can never exceed $\sim2\%$ of the radiation/matter density for $10 \lesssim z_c \lesssim 10^5$.

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UNVERDICTED 15

representative citing papers

Evolving Dark Energy Is Vacuum Energy After All

astro-ph.CO · 2026-06-18 · unverdicted · novelty 6.0

A QCD-vacuum-based model of dynamical dark energy fits Planck+ACT+SPT, DESI DR2, and supernova data while reproducing the late-time evolution favored by DESI.

Primordial Neutron Stars

astro-ph.CO · 2026-04-09 · unverdicted · novelty 6.0

Large initial baryon asymmetry allows Hubble patches to collapse into primordial neutron stars arrested by nuclear pressure, requiring later entropy dilution to match observed Y_B and BBN.

The Hubble tension: A decade review

astro-ph.CO · 2026-06-18 · unverdicted · novelty 2.0

A review summarizing the Hubble tension as a persistent crisis and discussing resolutions via interacting dark energy models that combine early-time and late-time modifications.

The Hubble Tension and Early Dark Energy

astro-ph.CO · 2022-11-08 · unverdicted · novelty 2.0

The Hubble tension between local and early-universe expansion-rate measurements may be resolved by early dark energy that speeds up expansion before recombination while satisfying existing constraints.

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