Search for Quintessence-Like Pseudoscalar Dark Energy Effects on $^{56}\text{Fe}$ Nuclear Transition Energies in Supernova 1991T

Abstract

The nature of dark energy remains one of the most important unanswered problems in physics. Here we use gamma-ray spectra from the Type Ia supernova 1991T to constrain the recent evolution of a dynamical pseudoscalar quintessence-like field $Q(t)$. We found that the 1991T gamma rays emitted by the $^{56}\text{Fe}$ nuclei observed by COMPTEL aboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory were slightly shifted to lower energies with respect to terrestrial values, with the average fractional energy shift of both the first and second excited states found to be $\delta E/E = -0.006\pm0.008$ including statistical and systematic errors. Assuming that this energy shift is caused by a dynamical QCD axion-like pseudoscalar field $Q(t)$, we find that observed energy deviations are consistent with a fractional rate of change of the pion mass given by $\delta \dot{m_{\pi}}/m_{\pi}=-(6\pm9)\times10^{-11}\text{ yr}^{-1}$. The observed energy deviation was also used to determine the rate of change of the quintessence-like field ($\dot{Q}_0$) for tracking models: $\dot{Q}_{0,max} = (3\pm 4)\times10^7 \text{ GeV/yr}$. Our findings are consistent with the cosmological constant ($\dot{Q}_0 =0$). Furthermore, we have demonstrated how nuclear spectra produced by astrophysical events can be used to inform the nature and behavior of dark energy.