Gamma-ray bursts in 1.8 < z < 5.6 suggest that the time variation of the dark energy is small

The Hubble Diagram: Jump from Supernovae to Gamma-ray Bursts

The Hubble diagram (HD) is a plot that contains a luminous distance modulus presented with respect to the redshift. The distance modulus–redshift relation of the most well-known “standard candles”, the type Ia supernovae (SN), is a crucial tool in cosmological model testing. In this work, we use the SN Ia data from the Pantheon catalogue to calibrate the Swift long gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) as “standard candles” via the Amati relation. Thus, we expand the HD from supernovae to the area of the Swift LGRBs up to z∼8. To improve the quality of estimation of the parameters and their errors, we implement the Monte-Carlo uncertainty propagation method. We also compare the results of estimation of the Amati parameters calibrated by the SN Ia, and by the standard ΛCDM model and find no statistically significant distinction between them. Although the size of our LGRB sample is relatively small and the errors are high, we find this approach of expanding the cosmological distance scale promising for future cosmological tests.

A Confront between Amati and Combo Correlations at Intermediate and Early Redshifts

I consider two gamma-ray burst (GRB) correlations: Amati and Combo. After calibrating them in a cosmology-independent way by employing Beziér polynomials to approximate the Observational Hubble Dataset (OHD), I perform Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations within the Λ CDM and the wCDM models. The results from the Amati GRB dataset do not agree with the standard Λ CDM model at a confidence level ≥ 3 – σ . For the Combo correlation, all MCMC simulations give best-fit parameters which are consistent within 1– σ with the Λ CDM model. Pending the clarification of whether the diversity of these results is statistical, due to the difference in the dataset sizes, or astrophysical, implying the search for the most suited correlation for cosmological analyses, future investigations require larger datasets to increase the predictive power of both correlations and enable more refined analyses on the possible non-zero curvature of the Universe and the dark energy equation of state and evolution.

Dark matter and dark energy interactions: theoretical challenges, cosmological implications and observational signatures

Models where dark matter and dark energy interact with each other have been proposed to solve the coincidence problem. We review the motivations underlying the need to introduce such interaction, its influence on the background dynamics and how it modifies the evolution of linear perturbations. We test models using the most recent observational data and we find that the interaction is compatible with the current astronomical and cosmological data. Finally, we describe the forthcoming data sets from current and future facilities that are being constructed or designed that will allow a clearer understanding of the physics of the dark sector.