Dark Energy as Future, Irreversible Selection as Present, and Dark Matter as Past: A Lagrangian Model with Implications for the BAO--CMB Tension

Dark Energy as Future, Irreversible Selection as Present, and Dark Matter as Past: A Lagrangian Model with Implications for the BAO--CMB Tension | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Dark Energy as Future, Irreversible Selection as Present, and Dark Matter as Past: A Lagrangian Model with Implications for the BAO--CMB Tension Everton Behenck This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9420049/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Cosmology of Time (CT) interprets dark energy, baryonic matter, and dark matter as three temporal roles---Future, Present, and Past---within a single irreversible information-processing cycle. In the effective realization studied here, the Future is represented by a scalar sector with potential $V(\phi)=\Vcc+V_1\tanh^2(\phi/M)$, the Present by a conformal coupling $A(\phi)=\exp[-\kappa,\mathrm{sech}^2(\phi/M)]$ to baryons, and the Past by a cold dark matter sector that backreacts through an effective dissipative Trail friction term $\mustar\rho_c\phidot$. The potential gradient and the coupling share the same field dependence, enforcing simultaneity between consumption of the Future and the catalytic role of the Present. The resulting dynamics freeze the field at high redshift and release it at intermediate redshift, producing a thawing equation of state with $w(0)=-0.938$ and $w\geq-1$ at all redshifts as a structural consequence.The model is confronted with DESI DR2 BAO (13 observables, official$13\times13$ covariance) and BOSS DR12 ($D_M$, $H$, $f\sigma_8$ at three redshifts), using CLASS for the sound horizon. At Planck fiducial parameters, the combined improvement is $\Delta\chi^2=-20.9$ for 22 observables with two free parameters ($\Delta\mathrm{AIC}=-16.9$). Under profile likelihood, CT accommodates the DESI BAO data at$h=0.680$ ($1.2\sigma$ from Planck), whereas $\Lcdm$ requires$h=0.685$ ($2.2\sigma$), providing a concrete mechanism for easing the BAO--CMB tension without phantom crossing. Fifth-force constraints are satisfied with a margin of $9\times$. The model is presented not as a microphysical completion, but as a falsifiable effective framework in which temporal structure functions as a construction principle with explicit observational consequences. Dark energy Cosmology of Time Coupled quintessence BAO Scalar field Irreversibility Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9420049","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":623700695,"identity":"23e3d449-742e-43f2-a419-d62bf5a7f3c7","order_by":0,"name":"Everton Behenck","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Independent Researcher","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Everton","middleName":"","lastName":"Behenck","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-14 23:53:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9420049/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9420049/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":109238114,"identity":"ea0b2c7c-452c-43a2-99da-252b5dd9412f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-14 05:41:20","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1021573,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"BehenckCTBAOCMB2026FINAL1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9420049/v1_covered_71276c26-a35d-43cb-a5bc-9d90c142aba4.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Dark Energy as Future, Irreversible Selection as Present, and Dark Matter as Past: A Lagrangian Model with Implications for the BAO--CMB Tension","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Dark energy, Cosmology of Time, Coupled quintessence, BAO, Scalar field, Irreversibility","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9420049/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9420049/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The Cosmology of Time (CT) interprets dark energy, baryonic matter, and dark matter as three temporal roles---Future, Present, and Past---within a single irreversible information-processing cycle. In the effective realization studied here, the Future is represented by a scalar sector with potential $V(\\phi)=\\Vcc+V_1\\tanh^2(\\phi/M)$, the Present by a conformal coupling $A(\\phi)=\\exp[-\\kappa\\,\\mathrm{sech}^2(\\phi/M)]$ to baryons, and the Past by a cold dark matter sector that backreacts through an effective dissipative Trail friction term $\\mustar\\rho_c\\phidot$. The potential gradient and the coupling share the same field dependence, enforcing simultaneity between consumption of the Future and the catalytic role of the Present. The resulting dynamics freeze the field at high redshift and release it at intermediate redshift, producing a thawing equation of state with $w(0)=-0.938$ and $w\\geq-1$ at all redshifts as a structural consequence.The model is confronted with DESI~DR2 BAO (13 observables, official$13\\times13$ covariance) and BOSS~DR12 ($D_M$, $H$, $f\\sigma_8$ at three redshifts), using CLASS for the sound horizon. At Planck fiducial parameters, the combined improvement is $\\Delta\\chi^2=-20.9$ for 22 observables with two free parameters ($\\Delta\\mathrm{AIC}=-16.9$). Under profile likelihood, CT accommodates the DESI BAO data at$h=0.680$ ($1.2\\sigma$ from Planck), whereas $\\Lcdm$ requires$h=0.685$ ($2.2\\sigma$), providing a concrete mechanism for easing the BAO--CMB tension without phantom crossing. Fifth-force constraints are satisfied with a margin of $9\\times$. 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