The ordinary matter we encounter every day only makes up about 5% of the universe’s density, according to the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (Lambda-CDM) model, which is the current accepted standard for how the universe began and evolved. Dark matter makes up 27% of the universe’s density, and the remaining 68% is made up of dark energy, a so far theoretical force driving the universe’s expansion.
However, a recent study has called into doubt the existence of dark energy altogether, citing computer simulations that revealed the gap in the theory that dark energy was supposed to fill vanishes when the changing structure of the cosmos is taken into consideration.
But a new study has questioned whether dark energy exists at all, citing computer simulations that found that by accounting for the changing structure of the cosmos, the gap in the theory, which dark energy was proposed to fill, vanishes.
Published in 1915, Einstein’s general theory of relativity forms the basis for the accepted origin story of the universe, which says that the Big Bang kicked off the expansion of the universe about 13.8 billion years ago.
Since dark energy has never been seen directly, its effects on other objects are the only way to study it. It serves as a temporary filler for gaps in existing models because both its existence and attributes are still entirely hypothetical.
Based on the observation of Type Ia supernovae, the enigmatic force was first proposed as the cause of the universe’s accelerated expansion in the 1990s.
These brilliant spots, sometimes referred to as “standard candles,” are known to glow at a constant peak brightness. By measuring the brightness of that light when it reaches Earth, astronomers may determine how far away the object is.
This research was instrumental in spreading acceptance of the idea that dark energy is accelerating the expansion of the universe, and it earned the scientists involved the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011. But other studies have questioned the validity of that conclusion, and some researchers are trying to develop a more accurate picture of the cosmos with software that can better handle all the wrinkles of the general theory of relativity.
A comparison of three models of universal expansion: top left, in red, is the Lambda-CDM model, including dark energy; middle, in blue, is the new Avera model, which accounts for the structure and doesn’t require dark energy; and right, in green, is the original Einstein-de Sitter model, which also doesn’t include dark energy (Credit: István Csabai et al)
“We do not contest the validity of the general relativity theory, which is essential to comprehending how the cosmos develops; rather, we contest the validity of the approximations. Our findings demonstrate how the development of complex structures of matter impacts the expansion and are based on a mathematical postulate that allows for the differential expansion of space, which is consistent with general relativity. Although previously disregarded, these problems can now be used to explain the acceleration without the use of dark energy “Dobos explains.
If the discovery holds up under inspection, it might shift the focus of physics research away from searching for the phantom of dark energy.
