The prior dependence of the DESI results

In this short contribution, we explore the prior dependence of the recent DESI results, according to which a Bayesian comparison of \(\Lambda\)CDM with \(w_0w_a\)CDM cosmologies favors dynamical dark energy. It is a simple exercise to show that extending the prior lower bound of the dark energy para...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2024-10
Main Authors: Patel, Vrund, Chakraborty, Amlan, Amendola, Luca
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bayesian analysis
Dark energy
Lower bounds
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In this short contribution, we explore the prior dependence of the recent DESI results, according to which a Bayesian comparison of \(\Lambda\)CDM with \(w_0w_a\)CDM cosmologies favors dynamical dark energy. It is a simple exercise to show that extending the prior lower bound of the dark energy parameters tilts the preference in favor of \(\Lambda\)CDM. Adopting the PantheonPlus supernovae catalog, for instance, a shift of the lower bound for \(w_0,w_a\) from \(-3\) to beyond \(-4.6\) and \(-5\), respectively, is sufficient to favor \(\Lambda\)CDM. This calls for caution when interpreting DESI results in the Bayesian context.
ISSN:2331-8422