  Dark energy is one of the greatest scientific mysteries of today. The idea
that dark energy originates from quantum vacuum fluctuations has circulated
since the late '60s, but theoretical estimations of vacuum energy have
disagreed with the measured value by many orders of magnitude, until recently.
Lifshitz theory applied to cosmology has produced the correct order of
magnitude for dark energy. Furthermore, the theory is based on well-established
and experimentally well-tested grounds in atomic, molecular and optical
physics. In this paper, we confront Lifshitz cosmology with astronomical data.
We find that the dark-energy dynamics predicted by the theory is able to
resolve the Hubble tension, the discrepancy between the observed and predicted
Hubble constant within the standard cosmological model. The theory is
consistent with supernovae data, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and the Cosmic
Microwave Background. Our findings indicate that Lifshitz cosmology is a
serious candidate for explaining dark energy.
