Alleviating $H_0$ and $S_8$ Tensions Simultaneously in K-essence Cosmology

Abstract

The present work begins by examining the early-Universe inflationary epoch of a special K-essence model, which incorporates a linear coupling term between the scalar field potential and the canonical Lagrangian. For the power law potential, we both numerically and analytically prove that the inflationary parameters such as the spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio are compatible with the recent BICEP/Keck observations. Continuing this work, our analysis based on comparing early-Universe observations with late-Universe measurements indicates that the tension on the Hubble parameter $H_0$ and the growth of structure parameter $S_8$ can be alleviated simultaneously. More precisely, compared to the standard $\Lambda$CDM model, our model can reduce $H_0$ tension to roughly $2.2 \sigma$ and the $S_8$ discrepancy diminishes to $0.82\sigma$.