The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey. Early dark energy and Hubble constant from the cluster mass function
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The evolution of the mass function of massive galaxy clusters is a well-established cosmological probe. Using the eROSITA X-ray instrument on board the (SRG) mission, the western Galactic hemisphere of eROSITA's first All-Sky Survey (eRASS1) delivers a uniformly selected and securely confirmed sample of 5259 galaxy clusters spanning 0.1 < z < 0.8. When combined with overlapping weak lensing data from DES Year 3, KiDS, and HSC for mass calibration, this dataset enables precise tests of the standard Λ cold dark matter (łcdm) framework and beyond. In this work, we used the 0.1 < z < 0.45 subsample of the eRASS1 galaxy cluster catalog to place constraints on an axion-like early dark energy (EDE) scenario. Such models have been proposed as a possible mechanism to alleviate the tension between early- and late-Universe measurements of the Hubble constant. In this framework, a scalar field temporarily enhances the cosmic expansion rate around the epoch of recombination, after which its energy density rapidly dilutes at later times, leaving distinct imprints on the growth of structure. We leveraged these signatures across a redshift and scale range that have rarely been covered in the literature to present the first constraints on EDE derived from galaxy cluster number counts. Using eRASS1 number counts alone, we obtained an upper limit on the maximum EDE fraction of f_ < 0.3, consistent with results from primary cosmic microwave background (CMB) analyses. This demonstrates that the cluster mass function provides a powerful and complementary probe of the EDE parameter space. Combining our cluster analysis with primary CMB measurements, baryon acoustic oscillations, and CMB lensing, while notably excluding distance-ladder calibration data, yields results that are consistent with a nonzero EDE contribution and H_ , ^ Spectrum Roentgen Gamma EDE values compatible with late-Universe measurements. The most significant detection, at sim3.2σ, arises from the joint analysis of the eRASS1 cluster sample with the full set of external datasets. This yields f_ = , ^ EDE while placing competitive constraints on the critical redshift parameter, łogzc = łogzceRASSPACTLB, and leading to an inferred value of the Hubble constant: H_ =̋ZeroeRASSPACTLB ; ̊m km ̊m s -1 ̊m Mpc -1 .
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: J. Strunk, E. Artis, E. Bulbul, S. Grandis, N. Clerc, V. Ghirardini, M. Kluge, A. Liu, F. Balzer, J. Comparat, I. Chiu, Z. Ding, N. Malavasi, A. Merloni, T. Mistele, H. Miyatake, S. Miyazaki, K. Nandra, F. Kleinebreil, N. Okabe, M. E. Ramos-Ceja, J. S. Sanders, T. Schrabback, R. Seppi, S. Zelmer, X. Zhang
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,865
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State University, University of Chicago, University of Portsmouth, University College London, European Commission, University of Sussex, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Academia Sinica, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Università degli Studi di Padova, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft, Universität Hamburg, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, Toray Science Foundation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Russian Academy of Sciences, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, Integrated Electronics Engineering Center, Binghamton University, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Awards: G1166982692, Analyse neuer WHT, VLT und SOAR Beobachtungen: Bestätigung neuer Planck Galaxienhaufen & Massenkalibration hochrotverschobener SPT Haufen mittels des schwachen Gravitationslinseneffekts zwecks kosmologischer Messungen, G430552199, G5270947011, G6086701647, G6356452209, G6537452600
OpenAlex ID: W7212014443
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