Queensland Scientists Publish 2,884-Supernova Catalog Hinting at Variable Dark Energy
Updated
Updated · srpske.rs · Sep 8
Queensland Scientists Publish 2,884-Supernova Catalog Hinting at Variable Dark Energy
3 articles · Updated · srpske.rs · Sep 8
Summary
2,884 Type Ia supernovae in the new Unite catalog show a 2.5 to 3.1 sigma deviation from the standard cosmology model, adding fresh evidence that dark energy may evolve over time.
The University of Queensland team built the dataset by consistently reprocessing roughly three decades of observations and merging the Pantheon+ and DES-SN5YR samples, correcting for supernova behavior, cosmic dust and host-galaxy mass.
Modeled with time-varying dark energy, the catalog yields w0 of -0.861 and wa of -0.60, while its figure of merit rises to 315—about 30% tighter than earlier constraints.
The signal still falls short of physics' 5-sigma discovery bar, and the authors said a Bayesian analysis shows only weak preference for variable dark energy over the standard constant-energy model.
That leaves the result as a hint that aligns with independent DESI findings; researchers expect the DEBASS program to add several hundred nearby supernovae needed to confirm or rule it out.