Theory of Cosmic Tension–Compression (TCC–EFT): A Physical Interpretation of Dynamic Dark Energy Consistent with DESI-DR2 Findings

The Theory of Cosmic Tension–Compression (TCC–EFT) proposes that dark energy arises from the elastic response of the quantum vacuum, not from a fixed cosmological constant.
Formulated as an effective scalar–tensor theory with non-minimal coupling and a cosmic elasticity modulus, it predicts a smooth evolution of w(z)w(z)w(z) consistent with DESI-DR2 results.
Empirical tests on H₀ and structure growth (σ₈, fσ₈) confirm internal consistency and compatibility with current cosmological data.