On the self-interaction of dark energy in a ghost-condensate model

Abstract

In a ghost-condensate model of dark energy the combined dynamics of the scalar field and gravitation is shown to impose non-trivial restriction on the self-interaction of the scalar field. Using this restriction we show that the choice of a zero self-interaction leads to a situation too restrictive for the general evolution of the universe. This restriction, obtained in the form of a quadratic equation of the scalar potential, is demonstrated to admit real solutions. Also, in the appropriate limit it reproduces the potential in the phantom cosmology.