Observational constraints on the time-dependence of dark energy

One of the most important questions nowadays in physics concerns the nature of the so-called dark energy. It is also a consensus among cosmologists that such a question will not be answered on the basis only of observational data. However, it is possible to diminish the range of possibilities for this dark component by comparing different dark energy scenarios and finding which models can be ruled Out by current observations. In this paper, by assuming three distinct parametrizations for the low-redshift evolution of the dark energy equation of state (EOS), we consider the possibility of discriminating between evolving dark energy and ACDM models from a joint analysis involving the most recent radio sources gravitational lensing sample, namely, the Cosmic all Sky Survey (CLASS) statistical data and the recently published gold SNe la sample. It is shown that this particular combination of observational data restricts considerably the dark energy parameter space, which enables possible distinctions between time-dependent and constant EOSs. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.