Dark Energy as Global Information Settlement: Equation of State Running and Observational Tests

Abstract
The standard ΛCDM model faces two fundamental dilemmas in describing cosmic acceleration: the cosmological constant problem (a discrepancy of about 120 orders of magnitude between theory and observation) and the coincidence problem (why dark energy begins to dominate at the present epoch). Moreover, recent observations reveal a Hubble tension ( >5σ ) and a σ₈ tension (∼2−3σ), strongly suggesting that the standard model may be missing key physics. This paper proposes a minimal extension: the universe contains two information-carrying sectors-the material phase (Ξ) and the information phase (Ω)-with strict conservation of total information. Dark energy is interpreted as the intrinsic potential density of the material phase’s ground state, whose evolution is driven by global information settlement. Starting from the principle of least action incorporating both phases, we derive a modified Friedmann equation and predict that the dark energy equation of state parameter exhibits phantom behavior ( w<-1 ) and runs with redshift, with the running amplitude positively correlated with the cosmic star formation rate history. We provide the specific functional form w(z)=-1-ᾰ·SFR(z)/[3H(z)ρΛ(z)] and propose tests using next-generation survey data from LSST, Euclid, Roman, and CSST. This framework, together with the author’s previously proposed quantum measurement settlement model and black hole information settlement model, constitutes a unified "information-energy accounting" theoretical system.
Keywords: dark energy, equation of state, cosmological constant problem, information conservation, principle of least action, star formation rate