Is the dynamics of scaling dark energy detectable?

We highlight the unexpected impact of nucleosynthesis and other early universe constraints on the detectability of scaling quintessence dynamics at late times, showing that such dynamics may well be invisible until the unveiling of the Stage-IV dark energy experiments (DUNE, JDEM, LSST, SKA). Nucleosynthesis strongly limits potential deviations from ΛCDM. Surprisingly, the standard Chevallier–Polarski–Linder parametrization, w(z) = w0+waz/(1+z), cannot match the nucleosynthesis bound for minimally coupled scaling fields. Given that such models are arguably the best-motivated alternatives to a cosmological constant these results may significantly impact future cosmological survey design and imply that dark energy may well be dynamical even if we do not detect any dynamics in the next decade.