Observational constraints on dark matter-dark energy scattering cross section

In this letter, we report precise and robust observational constraints on the dark matter-dark energy scattering cross section, using the latest data from cosmic microwave background (CMB) Planck temperature and polarization, baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) measurements and weak gravitational lensing data from Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS). The scattering scenario consists of a pure momentum exchange between the dark components, and we find sigma(a) < 10(-29) cm(2) (mdm c(2)/Gev) at 95% CL from the joint analysis (CMB + BAO + CFHTLenS), where m(dm) is a typical dark matter particle mass. We notice that the scattering among the dark components may influence the growth of large scale structure in the Universe, leaving the background cosmology unaltered.