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The cosmological dark sector remains an enigma, offering numerous
possibilities for exploration. One particularly intriguing option is the
(non-minimal) interaction scenario between dark matter and dark energy. In this
paper, to investigate this scenario, we have implemented Binned and Gaussian
model-independent reconstructions for the interaction kernel alongside the
equation of state; while using data from BAOs, Pantheon+ and Cosmic
Chronometers. In addition to the reconstruction process, we conducted a model
selection to analyze how our methodology performed against the standard
$\Lambda$CDM model. Our results revealed a slight indication for some
oscillatory dynamics in the interaction kernel and, as a by-product, also in DE
and DM. A consequence of this outcome is the possibility of a sign change in
the direction of the energy transfer between DE and DM and a possible
transition from a negative DE energy density in early-times to a positive one
at late-times. While our reconstructions provided a better fit to the data
compared to the standard model, the Bayesian Evidence showed an intrinsic
penalization due to the extra degrees of freedom. Nevertheless these
reconstructions could be used as a basis for other physical models with lower
complexity but similar behavior.
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