Reconstructing quintessence

Abstract

Next to a cosmological constant ($\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ in $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}C\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}D\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}M$), quintessence is the simplest concept for a physical source of cosmic acceleration which has been studied theoretically by a wide array of models. Here the authors take a ``data first'' approach, using numerous measurements, from CMB to galaxy lensing, to reconstruct a family of quintessence models via effective field theory (EFT) exclusively from the data and without any assumptions for the potential for the quintessence field.