Bound dark energy: Particle origin of dark energy with DESI BAO and DES supernova data
Phys. Rev. D 113, 023538 – Published 23 January, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/rfkh-xqst
Abstract
The recent findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) indicate a preference for dynamical dark energy at a significance level above , with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) combined with cosmic microwave background (CMB) data and type Ia supernovae (SNe) data, favoring a time-dependent equation of state rather than the cosmological constant (). We introduce the bound dark energy (BDE) model, in which dark energy arises from the lightest meson field in a dark SU(3) gauge group, developing dynamically through nonperturbative interactions. Governed by an inverse power law potential , BDE features no dark energy free parameters: one less than and three less than the models. By integrating DESI BAO measurements, CMB data and Dark Energy Survey SN Ia distance data collected during the fifth year, BDE demonstrates a reduction of 42% and 37% in the reduced as well as lower AIC and BIC values compared to the and models, respectively, while maintaining a comparable fit for both type Ia supernovae and the cosmic microwave background data. Although the () contour in BDE is 10,000 times smaller than that found in the model, the BDE model suggests a dynamical dark energy scenario with precise values of and while providing a consistency on the six Planck and derived parameters at the level between BDE, and models. The critical parameters—condensation energy scale and epoch —are consistent with predictions from high-energy physics. Through a detailed analysis of our results, which are consistent with current observational data, the BDE model effectively elucidates the origins and dynamics of dark energy without free parameters in the dark energy sector, providing an interpretation from contemporary astrophysical experiments within a particle physics framework.