@article{b582f61242c3466e81ce886d13ee45d7,
title = "Rapidly descending dark energy and the end of cosmic expansion",
abstract = "If dark energy is a form of quintessence driven by a scalar field φ evolving down a monotonically decreasing potential V (φ) that passes sufficiently below zero, the universe is destined to undergo a series of smooth transitions. The currently observed accelerated expansion will cease; soon thereafter, expansion will come to end altogether; and the universe will pass into a phase of slow contraction. In this paper, we consider how short the remaining period of expansion can be given current observational constraints on dark energy. We also discuss how this scenario fits naturally with cyclic cosmologies and recent conjectures about quantum gravity.",
keywords = "cyclic universe, dark energy, quantum gravity, quintessence, supernovae",
author = "Cosmin Andrei and Anna Ijjas and Steinhardt, {Paul J.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank A. Sneppen and C. L. Steinhardt for providing the supernova plot in Fig. 3 and for useful discussions. We also thank A. Bedroya and P. Agrawal for helpful comments. The work of A.I. is supported by the Simons Foundation Grant 663083. P.J.S. is supported in part by the Department of Energy Grant DEFG02-91ER40671 and by the Simons Foundation Grant 654561. Funding Information: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We thank A. Sneppen and C. L. Steinhardt for providing the supernova plot in Fig. 3 and for useful discussions. We also thank A. Bedroya and P. Agrawal for helpful comments. The work of A.I. is supported by the Simons FoundationGrant663083.P.J.S.issupportedinpartbytheDepartmentof Energy Grant DEFG02-91ER40671 and by the Simons Foundation Grant 654561. Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2022 the Author(s).",
year = "2022",
month = apr,
day = "12",
doi = "10.1073/pnas.2200539119",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "119",
journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",
issn = "0027-8424",
publisher = "National Academy of Sciences",
number = "15",
}