Beyond Two Parameters: Revisiting Dark Energy with the Latest Cosmic Probes

Abstract: Dark energy (DE) models with many free parameters are often considered excessive, as constraining all parameters poses a significant challenge. On the other hand, such models offer greater flexibility to probe the DE sector in more detail. With the rapid advancement of astronomical surveys and the availability of diverse datasets, it is timely to examine whether current combined observations can effectively constrain an extended parameter space in DE models. This article investigates a four-parameter dynamical dark energy (DDE) model that spans a broad region of the universe's expansion history through four key parameters: the present-day value of the DE equation of state ($w_0$), its initial value ($w_m$), the scale factor depicting transition from $w_m$ to $w_0$ occurs ($a_t$), and the steepness of this transition ($Δ_{\rm de}$). We constrain the model using CMB data from Planck, BAO from DESI DR2, and three distinct compilations of Type Ia Supernovae: PantheonPlus, DESY5, and Union3. Our results show that constraining all four parameters remains difficult: $a_t$ is not constrained by any dataset, while the remaining three parameters can be constrained only when all observational probes are combined (with the exception of DESY5). The results further show that DE has a quintessential nature at present ($w_0 > -1$), while $w_m$ is negative, indicating a phantom-like behaviour at early times. Interestingly, despite its larger parameter space, the proposed DDE model is preferred over the $Λ$CDM scenario, based on both $Δχ^2$ and Bayesian evidence, for certain combined datasets, particularly CMB+BAO+DESY5 and CMB+BAO+Union3.