Current constraints on the epoch of cosmic acceleration

The cosmographic expansion history of the universe is investigated by using the 557 type Ia supernovae from the Union2 Compilation set along with the current estimates involving the product of the CMB acoustic scale ℓA and the BAO peak at two different redshifts. Using a well-behaved parameterization for the deceleration parameter, q(z) = q0 + q1z/(1 + z), we estimate the accelerating redshift zacc = −q0/(q0 + q1) (at which the universe switches from deceleration to acceleration) and investigate the influence of a non-vanishing spatial curvature on these estimates. We also use the asymptotic value of q(z) at high-z to place more restrictive bounds on the model parameters q0 and q1, which results in a more precise determination of the epoch of cosmic acceleration.

► The epoch at which the universe switches from a decelerated to an accelerating phase is estimated.
► The influence of a non-vanishing spatial curvature on these estimates is also discussed.
► Our analyses provide independent evidence for a dynamical model in which a deceleration/acceleration transition happened at z ≃ 1.