We explore the dynamics of assisted quintessence, where more than one scalar field is present with the same potential. For potentials with tracking solutions, the fields naturally approach the same values—in the context of inflation this leads to the assisted inflation phenomenon where several fields can cooperate to drive a period of inflation though none is able to individually. For exponential potentials, we study the fixed points and their stability confirming results already in the literature, and then carry out a numerical analysis to show how assisted quintessence is realized. For inverse power-law potentials, we find by contrast that there is no assisted behavior—indeed those are the unique (monotonic) potentials where several fields together behave just as a single field in the same potential. More generally, we provide an algorithm for generating a single-field potential giving equivalent dynamics to multifield assisted quintessence.

• Received 9 June 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.72.043506