Uniqueness of current cosmic acceleration

Abstract

One of the strongest arguments against the cosmological constant as an explanation of the current epoch of accelerated cosmic expansion is the existence of an earlier, dynamical acceleration, i.e. inflation. We examine the likelihood that acceleration is an occasional phenomenon, putting stringent limits on the length of any accelerating epoch due to minimally coupled dark energy between recombination and the recent acceleration; such an epoch must last less than 0.05 e-fold (at z>2) or the matter power spectrum is modified by more than 20%. © 2010 The American Physical Society.