Dark Energy Illusion? Giant Voids May Explain Universe’s Expansion
It is currently believed that a mysterious dark energy is driving the accelerating expansion of the universe.
But astrophysicists believe that dark energy does not actually exist, and that vast voids in space create the illusion that the cosmos is expanding at an accelerating rate under the influence of a mysterious force.
The study, published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, challenges the standard cosmological model of the evolution of the universe.
Astrophysicists analyzed data on type Ia supernovae, whose constant brightness allows them to measure distances in the Universe with incredible accuracy. Type Ia supernovae are explosions that end the lives of white dwarf stars, which are the remains of not very massive stars like the Sun.
The scientists then compared the data with information on regular supernovae (explosions that end the lives of massive stars), in particular how the spectrum of their light changes as the Universe expands.
Both sets of data helped to better understand the expansion of the Universe based on the distances to distant objects.
The results of the study show that what scientists perceive as the accelerated expansion of space is actually an illusion created by huge voids or intergalactic voids where the density of matter is lower.
The standard cosmological model, which describes the evolution of the universe, shows that it is homogeneous and isotropic on large scales. This means that the universe looks the same in all directions and from any vantage point. Thus, dark energy is needed to explain the expansion of the universe, according to this model.
But astrophysicists believe that the supposed accelerated expansion of space is actually a product of the influence of intergalactic voids on the Universe.
Although the standard cosmological model shows that such large-scale structures cannot have a strong influence on the evolution of the Universe.
Because the density of matter in cosmic voids is much lower, they are expanding faster than other parts of the universe, scientists say. The dominance of these voids in the cosmic landscape could explain the observed acceleration without the need for dark energy.
Astrophysicists say that gravity slows down time, meaning time passes faster in voids than in denser parts of space. This means more time passes in voids, allowing them to expand faster. This gives the impression that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.
Although the new discovery seems to change our understanding of the Universe, astrophysicists still believe that more data is needed to definitively show that dark energy does not exist.
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