There is no such thing as dark energy and there are ups and downs in the universe, according to new research

Dark energy, which is today considered by physics to be responsible for almost 70% of the energy content of the Universe, is explained by a variety of physical models, all of which are speculative. This means we still don’t know exactly what happened.

Now, a team of physicists and astronomers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand have decided to “kick the bucket” and state categorically that dark energy does not actually exist. In one explanation, the authors note that the Universe is expanding more diversely, “with ups and downs.”

“Dark energy is a mischaracterization of variations,” said research leader Professor David Wiltshire. in the kinetic energy of non-uniform expansion in a Universe as irregular as the Universe we actually inhabit.”.

The illusion of acceleration is not due to dark energy

According to the current Lambda-CDM model (cold dark matter), based on measurements of the distances of supernova explosions (which are farther away than they should be), dark energy is a weak anti-gravity force that acts independently of matter and explains this. acceleration of the expansion rate of the cosmos.

Instead, the new study supports a model called “timescape.” This thesis proposes that the observed differences in the stretching (redshift) of light from supernovae are due to the way we measure time and distance in different regions of the cosmos, not to the accelerated expansion of the Universe.

Supporting Einstein’s concept that gravity slows down time, the authors suggest that a clock in the Milky Way would be 35% slower than in large cosmic voids. This means that, over billions of years, such large gaps will grow and dominate the Universe. creating the illusion of acceleration that does not depend on the presence of dark energy.

New observations about the expansion of the universe

New observations, such as those carried out by the American Dark Energy Spectral Instrument (DESI) project, have called into question the rate of expansion of the universe. They point to limitations in the current understanding of expansion, arguing that the Lambda-CDM model does not fit well with scenarios where dark energy is assumed to “evolve” over time.

These anomalies challenge the Friedmann equation, which assumes that the universe is expanding evenly. However, “the current universe actually contains a complex network of cosmic galaxy clusters arranged in sheets and filaments, surrounding and spanning vast voids,” a statement reads.

According to Wiltshire, all this data available in the 21st century allows us to answer the question: How and why does a simple law of mean expansion emerge from complexity? In other words; “A simple expansion law consistent with Einstein’s theory of general relativity need not obey the Friedmann equation”, concludes.

The research was published in the Monthly Notices of Letters of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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