Thermodynamics, Spectral Distribution and the Nature of Dark Energy

Abstract

Recent astronomical observations suggest that the bulk of energy in the Universe is repulsive and appears like a dark component with negative pressure ($\omega \equiv p_x/{\rho }_x<0$). In this work we investigate thermodynamic and statistical properties of such a component. It is found that its energy and temperature grow during the evolution of the Universe since work is done on the system. Under the hypothesis of a null chemical potential, the case of phantom energy ($\omega <-1$) seems to be physically meaningless because its entropy is negative. It is also proved that the wavelengths of the $\omega$-quanta decrease in an expanding Universe. This unexpected behavior explains how their energy may be continuously stored in the course of expansion. The spectrum and the associated Wien-type law favors a fermionic nature with $\omega$ naturally restricted to the interval $-1⩽\omega <-1/2$. Our analysis also implies that the ultimate fate of the Universe may be considerably modified. If a dark energy dominated Universe expands forever, it will become increasingly hot.

Comments: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Physics Letters B