We perform a comprehensive analysis of the most common early- and late-Universe solutions to the $H_0$, Ly-$α$, and $S_8$ discrepancies. When considered on their own, massive neutrinos provide a natural solution to the $S_8$ discrepancy at the expense of increasing the $H_0$ tension. If all extensions are considered simultaneously, the best-fit solution has a neutrino mass sum of $\sim 0.4$ eV, a dark energy equation of state close to that of a cosmological constant, and no additional relativistic degrees of freedom. However, the $H_0$ tension, while weakened, remains unresolved. Motivated by this result, we perform a non-parametric reconstruction of the evolution of the dark energy fluid density (allowing for negative energy densities), together with massive neutrinos. When all datasets are included, there exists a residual $\sim1.9σ$ tension with $H_0$. If this residual tension remains in the future, it will indicate that it is not possible to solve the $H_0$ tension solely with a modification of the late-Universe dynamics within standard general relativity. However, we do find that it is possible to resolve the tension if either galaxy BAO or JLA supernovae data are omitted. We find that \textit{negative} dark energy densities are favored near redshift $z\sim2.35$ when including the Ly-$α$ BAO measurement (at $\sim 2σ$). This behavior may point to a negative curvature, but it is most likely indicative of systematics or at least an underestimated covariance matrix. Quite remarkably, we find that in the extended cosmologies considered in this work, the neutrino mass sum is always close to $0.4$ eV regardless of the choice of external datasets, as long as the $H_0$ tension is solved or significantly decreased.
We are at an interesting juncture in cosmology. With new methods and technology, the accuracy in measurement of the Hubble constant has vastly improved, but a recent tension has arisen that is either signaling new physics or as-yet unrecognized uncertainties.
We study the global agreement between the most recent observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background temperature and polarization anisotropies angular power spectra released by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Planck satellite in various cosmological models that differ by the inclusion of different combinations of additional parameters. By using the Suspiciousness statistic, we show that the global "CMB tension" between the two experiments, quantified at the Gaussian equivalent level of $\sim 2.5\,σ$ within the baseline $Λ$CDM, is reduced at the level of $1.8σ$ when the effective numbe…
In this work, we study the cosmological constant problem and Hubble tension in the void-dominated cosmology scenario \cite{Yusofi:2022hgg}. For this goal, we will first consider the cosmic voids in the cosmic web as interconnected ideal spherical bubbles at the early Planck scale and late large scale. By heuristic calculations for each cosmic void, we obtain particular mass density and cosmological constant that are the same order of magnitude as the entire universe on any scale. The values obtained for the cosmological constant vary from scale to scale. As a result, it will be shown that ther…
We propose a new intuitive metric for evaluating the tension between two experiments, and apply it to several data sets. While our metric is non-optimal, if evidence of tension is detected, this evidence is robust and easy to interpret. Assuming a flat $Λ$CDM cosmological model, we find that there is a modest $2.2σ$ tension between the DES Year 1 results and the ${\it Planck}$ measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). This tension is driven by the difference between the amount of structure observed in the late-time Universe and that predicted from fitting the ${\it Planck}$ data, …
Recently Risaliti \& Lusso [Nature Astron. 3 (2019) 3 272] reported new measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe by constructing the Hubble diagram of 1598 quasars in the redshift range $0.5<z<5.5$. It is claimed a $4σ$ tension with the standard concordance $Λ$CDM concerning both the fractionary matter density $Ω_{m0}$ and the dark energy equation of state parameter $w_{de}$ standard values. In this work we promote an independent analysis of the same data set using a model-independent estimator for cosmic acceleration. Our results corroborate that the source of such tension can be re…
Since the public release of Planck data, several attempts have been made to explain the observed small tensions with other data-sets, most of them involving an extension of the ΛCDM Model. We try here an alternative approach to the data analysis, based on separating the constraints coming from the different epochs in cosmology, in order to assess which part of the Standard Model generates the tension with the data. To this end, we perform a particular analysis of Planck data probing only the early cosmological evolution, until the time of photon decoupling. Then, we utilise this result to see …
Cosmological tensions in the era of precision cosmology: Insights from Tensions in Cosmology 2025
University of Sheffield（谢菲尔德大学）；University of Malta（马耳他大学）；National Observatory of Athens（雅典国家天文台）；University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）；Universidad Católica del Norte（天主教主教大学）
Current tensions in cosmology, including $H_0$ and $σ_8$, provide one of the strong reasons to suspect the existence of physics beyond the standard model of cosmology ($Λ$CDM). In this paper, we investigate if there is a relation between these tensions and beyond cold dark matter scenarios. To model non-CDM, we assume a decaying dark matter (DDM) which is unstable and may decay into two daughter particles, a combination of cold dark matter, warm dark matter, and dark radiation, to explore a vast era of possibilities. We checked our model against CMB data and could show that decaying dark matte…
The recent local measurement of Hubble constant leads to a more than $3σ$ tension with Planck + $Λ$CDM (Riess {\it et al} 2018). In this article we study the $H_0$ tension in non-flat QCDM cosmology, where Q stands for a minimally coupled and slowly-or-moderately rolling quintessence field $ϕ$ with a smooth potential $V(ϕ)$. By generalizing the QCDM one-parameter and three-parameter parametrizations in Huang {\it et al} 2011 to non-flat universe and using the latest cosmological data, we find that the $H_0$ tension remains above $3.2σ$ level for this class of model.
Current cosmological constraints on the scalar spectral index of primordial fluctuations $n_{\rm s}$ in the $Λ$CDM model have excluded the minimal scale-invariant Harrison-Zel'dovich model ($n_{\rm s}=1$; hereafter HZ) at high significance, providing support for inflation. In recent years, however, some tensions have emerged between different cosmological datasets that, if not due to systematics, could indicate the presence of new physics beyond the $Λ$CDM model. In the light of these developments, we evaluate the Bayesian evidence against HZ in different data combinations and model extensions…
Hubble tension in k-essence: Evidence for robust tension alleviation
Botswana International University of Science and Technology（博茨瓦纳国际科学与技术大学）；University of Cape Town（开普敦大学）；North-West University（西北大学）；Omdurman Islamic University（恩图曼伊斯兰大学）
We study the fit of cosmological models with two additional free parameters $N_\mathrm{eff}$ and $ξ_e$ in addition to the parameters of $Λ$CDM. We introduce extra radiation components such as hot axions or sterile neutrinos in addition to the energy density of neutrinos with large neutrino degeneracy. Then, a larger $N_\mathrm{eff}$ is allowed without spoiling Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), as positive neutrino degeneracy $ξ_e$ could improve BBN fit. By analysing the data from Planck, baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), BBN and type-Ia supernovae (SNeIa), it can be seen that the Hubble tension…
We wish to investigate whether there is an extension to the base $Λ$CDM cosmology that can resolve the tension between the Planck observation of the cosmic microwave background anisotropies and the local measurement of the Hubble constant. We consider various plausible extended models in this work, and we use the Planck 2015 observation, combined with the baryon acoustic oscillation data, the JLA type Ia supernovae data, and the local measurement of the Hubble constant (by Riess et al. in 2016), to make an analysis. We find that the holographic dark energy plus sterile neutrino model can reduc…
We consider some background tests of standard cosmology in the context of Horava gravity with different scaling dimensions for space and time, which has been proposed as a renormalizable, higher-derivative, Lorentz-violating quantum gravity model without ghost problems. We obtain the "very strong" and "strong" Bayesian evidence for our two cosmology models A and B, respectively, depending on the choice of parametrization based on Horava gravity, against the standard, spatially-flat, LCDM cosmology model based on general relativity. An MCMC analysis with observational data, including BAO, shows…
We study brane-world models and demonstrate that such models do not admit self-similar solutions through the matter collineation approach. By introducing the hypothesis of variable brane tension, $λ,$ we outline the new effective field equation (EFE) in the most simple case (symmetric embedding) under the assumption that the fundamental constants in 5D are constants. In this case, we find the exact form that each physical quantity may take in order that the EFE become invariant under scale transformations. By taking into account such assumptions, we find that in 4D, the gravitational constant …
Non-canonical cosmology with an uplifted Higgs vacuum expectation value (Higgs-VEV) in the early universe is believed to provide the solution for existing tensions within the $Λ$CDM regime. We recently proposed a theoretical model called axi-Higgs to explore this framework. The axi-Higgs model features an ultralight axion with mass $m_a \sim 10^{-29}$ eV, which couples to the Higgs field such that the Higgs-VEV is driven by the axion background evolution. Phenomenologically, the axi-Higgs model is equivalent to $Λ$CDM+$m_e$+$ω_a$ which is defined as $Λ$CDM with electron mass variation and the …
We explore the complementarity between terrestrial neutrino oscillation experiments and astrophysical/cosmological measurements in probing the existence of sterile neutrinos. We find that upcoming accelerator neutrino experiments will not improve on constraints by the time they are operational, but that reactor experiments can already probe parameter space beyond the reach of Planck. We emphasize the tension between cosmological experiments and reactor antineutrino experiments and enumerate several possibilities for resolving this tension.
We propose a new coupled three-form dark energy model to relieve the Hubble tension in this paper. Firstly, by performing a dynamical analysis with the coupled three-form dark energy model, we obtain four fixed points, including a saddle point representing a radiation dominated Universe, a saddle point representing a matter dominated Universe, and two attractors representing two saturated de Sitter Universes. Secondly, by confronting the coupled three-form dark energy model and the $Λ$ cold dark matter model (the $Λ$CDM model) with cosmic microwave background (CMB), baryonic acoustic oscillati…
We analyze the claimed tension between redshift space distorsions measurements of $f(z)σ_8(z)$ and the predictions of standard $Λ$CDM (Planck 2015 and 2018) cosmology. We consider a dataset consisting of 17 data points extending up to redshift $z=1.52$ and corrected for the Alcock-Paczynski effect. Thus, calculating the evolution of the growth factor in a $w$CDM cosmology, we find that the tension for the best fit parameters $w$, $Ω_m$ and $σ_8$ with respect to the Planck 2018 $Λ$CDM parameters is below $2σ$ in all the marginalized confidence regions.
Inflation produces super-horizon sized perturbations that ultimately return within the horizon and are thought to form the seeds of all observed large scale structure in the Universe. But inflationary predictions can only be compared with present day observations if, as conventional wisdom dictates, they remain unpolluted by subsequent sub-horizon causal physical processes and therefore remain immune from the vicissitudes of unknown universal dynamics in the intervening period. Here we demonstrate that conventional wisdom need not be correct, and as a result cosmological signatures arising fro…
We investigate the origin of $Λ$CDM parameter constraints in weak lensing, with a focus on the Hubble constant. We explain why current cosmic shear data are sensitive to the parameter combination $S_8 \propto σ_8 Ω_m^{0.5}$, improving upon previous studies through use of the halo model. Motivated by the ongoing discrepancy in measurements of the Hubble constant from high and low redshift, we explain why cosmic shear provides almost no constraint on $H_0$ by showing how the lensing angular power spectrum depends on physical length scales in the dark matter distribution. We derive parameter cons…
We use cosmology-independent measurements of the expansion history in the redshift range 0.1 < z <1.2 and compare them with the Cosmic Microwave Background-derived expansion history predictions. The motivation is to investigate if the tension between the local (cosmology independent) Hubble constant H0 value and the Planck-derived H0 is also present at other redshifts. We conclude that there is no tension between Planck and cosmology independent-measurements of the Hubble parameter H(z) at 0.1 < z < 1.2 for the LCDM model (odds of tension are only 1:15, statistically not significant). Consider…
Addressing $H_0$ and $S_8$ tensions within $f(Q)$ cosmology
University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU（巴斯克大学）；National Technical University of Athens（雅典国立技术大学）；National Observatory of Athens（雅典国家天文台）；IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science（伊克尔巴斯克，巴斯克科学基金会）；CAS Key Laboratory for Researches in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学院星系与宇宙学重点实验室，中国科学技术大学天文系）；Universidad Católica del Norte（北天主教大学）
We explore the implications of a rapid appearance of dark energy between the redshifts ($z$) of one and two on the expansion rate and growth of perturbations. Using both Gaussian process regression and a parameteric model, we show that this is the preferred solution to the current set of low-redshift ($z<3$) distance measurements if $H_0=73~\rm km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}$ to within 1\% and the high-redshift expansion history is unchanged from the $Λ$CDM inference by the Planck satellite. Dark energy was effectively non-existent around $z=2$, but its density is close to the $Λ$CDM model value today, …
Focus Point on Tensions in Cosmology from Early to Late Universe: Part II: New Directions in the Light of Observations from the Most Modern Astronomical Facilities
We present a fully relativistic framework to evaluate the impact of stochastic inhomogeneities on the prediction of the Hubble-Lemaître diagram. In this regard, we relate the fluctuations of the luminosity distance-redshift relation in the Cosmic Concordance model to the intrinsic uncertainty associated to the estimation of cosmological parameters from high-redshift surveys (up to z = 4). Within this framework and according to the specific of forthcoming surveys as Euclid Deep Survey and LSST, we show that the cosmic variance associated with the measurement of the Hubble constant will not exce…
An effective fluid description, for a brane world model in five dimensions, is discussed for both signs of the brane tension. We found several cosmological scenarios where the effective equation differs widely from the bare equation of state. For universes with negative brane tension, with a bare fluid satisfying the strong energy condition, the effective fluid can cross the barrier $ω_{eff} =-1$.
Hubble tension is routinely presented as a mismatch between the Hubble constant $H_0$ determined locally and a value inferred from the flat $Λ$CDM cosmology. In essence, the tension boils down to a disagreement between two numbers. Here, assuming the tension is cosmological in origin, we predict that within flat $Λ$CDM there should be other inferred values of $H_0$, and that a "running of $H_0$ with redshift" can be expected. These additional determinations of $H_0$ may be traced to a difference between the effective equation of state (EoS) of the Universe within the Friedmann-Lemaître-Roberts…
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy encodes a lot of information about our Universe. In this paper we take the ground-based CMB observations (GCMB), including the South Pole Telescope (SPT), SPTpol and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol), as a new probe to the CMB anisotropy independent of two satellite observations, i.e. Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and Planck. The combination of current GCMB data is consistent with WMAP and Planck. In the spatially flat $Λ$CDM model, the Hubble constant is $H_0=69.72\pm 1.63$ km/s/Mpc at $68\%$ confidence level (CL). …
The success of present and future cosmological studies is tied to the ability to detect discrepancies in complex data sets within the framework of a cosmological model. Tensions caused by the presence of unknown systematic effects need to be isolated and corrected to increase the overall accuracy of parameter constraints, while discrepancies due to new physical phenomena need to be promptly identified. We develop a full set of estimators of internal and mutual agreement and disagreement, whose strengths complement each other. These allow to take into account the effect of prior information and…
Ningbo University（宁波大学）；Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)（中国科学院理论物理研究所）；Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP)（亚太理论物理中心）
Acoustic peaks in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature spectrum as observed by the Planck satellite appear to be smoother than our expectation from the standard model lensing effect. This anomalous effect can be also mimicked by a spatially closed Universe with a very low value of Hubble constant that consequently aggravates the already existing discordance between cosmological observations. We reconstruct a signature from the early Universe, a particular form of oscillation in the primordial spectrum of quantum fluctuations with a characteristic frequency, that solves all these a…
The recent NANOGrav finding of a common-spectrum process has invited interpretations as possible evidence of a primordial stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) stronger than predicted by standard inflation+LCDM. Such an SGWB would contribute an extra radiation component to the background Universe which may affect its expansion history. As such, it may help alleviate the current Hubble tension, a novel connection between gravitational waves and cosmology. We demonstrate this by considering a cosmological model, the "standard inflation + stiff amplification" scenario, with two componen…
We investigate a new possible solution to the Hubble constant tension. we propose a simple resolution to the problem assuming that a first-order phase transition related to H0 transition occurred in the early Universe. The early evolution of the Universe is a result of hybrid inflation that has lasted for a specific period until symmetry breaking takes place. Fitting our model to measurements from Planck and SH0ES data provides a key explanation of discrepancies of H0 measurements. The quantum fluctuations calculated in this model have significant results on the reheating parameters Nre and Tr…
We propose a modification of Einstein-Cartan gravity equations. The modified cosmology departs from the standard model of cosmology for small Hubble parameter. A characteristic Hubble scale h0, which is intrinsically related to cosmological constant, marks the boundary between the validity domains of the standard model of cosmology and modified cosmology. For large Hubble parameter, the standard model of cosmology is restored. In the opposite limit of small Hubble parameter, which is the case for present epoch, Lorentz-violating effects would manifest themselves. One of the implications is tha…
Calibrating Bayesian Tension Statistics using Neural Ratio Estimation
Astrophysics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge（卡文迪许实验室天体物理组）；Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge（剑桥卡弗里宇宙学研究所）；Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge（剑桥天文研究所）
Consistent observations indicate that some of the important cosmological parameters measured through the local observations are in huge tension with their measurements from the global observations (within the minimal $Λ$CDM cosmology). The tensions in those cosmological parameters have been found to be either weakened or reconciled with the introduction of new degrees of freedom that effectively increases the underlying parameter space compared to the minimal $Λ$CDM cosmology. It might be interesting to investigate the above tensions within the context of an emergent dark energy scenario propo…
