Interacting Chaplygin gas revisited

Abstract

The implications of considering interaction between Chaplygin gas and a barotropic fluid with constant equation of state have been explored. The unique feature of this work is that assuming an interaction $Q \propto H\rho_d$, analytic expressions for the energy density and pressure have been derived in terms of the Hypergeometric $_2\text{F}_1$ function. It is worthwhile to mention that an interacting Chaplygin gas model was considered in 2006 by Zhang and Zhu, nevertheless, analytic solutions for the continuity equations could not be determined assuming an interaction proportional to $H$ times the sum of the energy densities of Chaplygin gas and dust. Our model can successfully explain the transition from the early decelerating phase to the present phase of cosmic acceleration. Arbitrary choice of the free parameters of our model through trial and error show at recent observational data strongly favors $w_m=0$ and $w_m=-\frac{1}{3}$ over the $w_m=\frac{1}{3}$ case. Interestingly, the present model also incorporates the transition of dark energy into the phantom domain, however, future deceleration is forbidden.