Transient Accelerated Expansion and Double Quintessence

Abstract

We consider Double Quintessence models for which the Dark Energy sector consists of two coupled scalar fields. We study in particular the possibility to have a transient acceleration in these models. In both Double Quintessence models studied here, it is shown that if acceleration occurs, it is necessarily transient. We consider also the possibility to have transient acceleration in two one-field models, the Albrecht-Skordis model and the pure exponential. Using separate conservative constraints (marginalizing over the other parameters) on the effective equation of state $w_{eff}$, the relative density of the Dark Energy $\Omega_{Q,0}$ and the present age of the universe, we construct scenarios with a transient acceleration that has already ended at the present time, and even with no acceleration at all, but a less conservative analysis using the CMB data rules out the last possibility. The scenario with a transient acceleration ended by today, can be implemented for the range of cosmological parameters $\Omega_{m,0}\gtrsim 0.35$ and $h\lesssim 0.68$.Comment: Version accepted in Phys. Rev. D, 22 pages, 10 figures, 4 table