Dark vitality is without doubt one of the best mysteries of the universe. This mysterious drive is considered accelerating the enlargement of the cosmos. But a brand new research challenges this long-held perception.
A workforce of physicists and astronomers on the University of Canterbury in New Zealand have proposed a radical new concept. This mannequin means that the universe isn’t increasing uniformly, however fairly in a extra “lumpy” style.
“Our findings present that we don’t want darkish vitality to clarify why the Universe seems to develop at an accelerating fee,” stated Professor David Wiltshire, the lead creator.
“Dark vitality is a misidentification of variations within the kinetic vitality of enlargement, which isn’t uniform in a Universe as lumpy because the one we truly reside in,” Wiltshire added.
Timescape mannequin
The workforce’s refined evaluation of supernovae gentle curves revealed a lumpy enlargement of the universe.
The researchers explored the “timescape mannequin.” This mannequin challenges the usual cosmological mannequin by suggesting an alternate clarification for the universe’s accelerated enlargement – one which doesn’t depend on darkish vitality.
According to the timescape mannequin, gravity slows down time. This signifies that “clocks” within the huge, empty voids of the universe tick quicker than these in dense areas like galaxies.
As a outcome, these voids expertise extra time, permitting for extra enlargement. This could make it seem as if the universe is accelerating its enlargement, even with out the necessity for darkish vitality.
According to the mannequin, the passage of time is considerably slower throughout the Milky Way, roughly 35 % slower than within the huge, empty voids of the universe.
Scientists initially concluded the universe’s enlargement is accelerating based mostly on supernova observations. However, latest findings problem this conclusion, indicating that the present enlargement fee won’t be as speedy as beforehand thought.
More observations required
Recent observations, such because the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and knowledge from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), problem the normal understanding of the universe’s enlargement.
These findings spotlight discrepancies with the usual cosmological mannequin, notably the Hubble rigidity and the habits of darkish vitality.
These inconsistencies counsel that the simplified Friedmann equation assumes a uniform enlargement.
However, the precise universe is way extra advanced, with galaxies organized right into a cosmic net of filaments and clusters, interspersed with huge empty voids.
“We now have a lot knowledge that within the twenty first century we will lastly reply the query – how and why does a easy common enlargement regulation emerge from complexity?” stated Wiltshire.
“A easy enlargement regulation according to Einstein’s common relativity doesn’t must obey Friedmann’s equation,” he added within the press launch.
While the timescape mannequin affords a compelling various, extra analysis is required to verify its validity. The European Space Agency’s Euclid satellite tv for pc, launched in 2023, will play a vital position in testing this idea.
The Euclid satellite tv for pc can probably distinguish between the normal Friedmann equation and the timescape mannequin. However, this requires a major quantity of high-quality supernova knowledge, not less than 1,000 observations.
Leveraging the in depth Pantheon+ catalog of 1,535 supernovae, the researchers discovered robust help for the timescape mannequin. This mannequin may probably resolve the Hubble rigidity and different cosmic enlargement anomalies.
Additional observations from the Euclid and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescopes are essential to additional solidify the timescape mannequin.
The findings have been printed within the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters.
