According to scientists from Oxford University, dark energy and dark matter are one and the same substance that exhibits negative mass effects.
Scientists from the University of Oxford have found a likely answer to one of the most important questions of modern physics. In a new article published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, they combine dark matter and dark energy into one phenomenon: they say it is a liquid with "negative mass." If you had to push negative mass, it would accelerate towards you. This new theory could also provide evidence for Einstein's prediction 100 years ago.
The current generally accepted model of the universe, known as the Lambda-CDM (ΛCDM), says nothing about what dark matter and dark energy are physically. We know about them only because of their gravitational effect on the observed matter.
The model presented by Dr. Jamie Farnes of Oxford offers a new explanation for these phenomena.
“We believe that dark matter and dark energy can be combined into a liquid that has some type of 'negative energy' that repels all other material away from itself. Although this substance is unusual for us, it suggests that the cosmos is symmetrical in both positive and negative qualities,”says Dr. Farns.
Simulation showing the formation of a 45,000 negative mass halo around a 5,000 positive mass galaxy.
Previously, the existence of negative matter was ruled out, since it was believed that this material would lose density during the expansion of the universe, which contradicts observations indicating the constancy of dark matter over time. However, Dr. Farnes's work uses the "tensor of creation", which implies the constant occurrence of negative masses. This shows that with the constant appearance of negative masses, a liquid with a negative mass does not dilute during the expansion of space. Moreover, it is identical to dark energy.
Dr. Farnes's theory also provides the first accurate predictions of the behavior of dark matter halos. Most galaxies rotate so fast that they have to fall apart. This, in turn, suggests that an invisible "halo" of dark matter keeps them from decaying. The new study also includes simulations of negative mass properties that predict the formation of dark matter halos - similar to those suggested by modern radio telescopes.
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Albert Einstein first suggested a "dark universe" 100 years ago when he discovered in his equations a parameter known as the "cosmological constant", which is now generally considered synonymous with dark energy. It is known that Einstein called the cosmological constant his "biggest mistake", although modern astrophysical observations prove that this is a real phenomenon. In the notes of 1918, describing the cosmological constant, the scientist reasoned that the theory must be modified so that this empty space plays the role of attracting negative masses that are distributed throughout interstellar space. Thus, Einstein may have predicted a universe filled with negative masses.
“Previous approaches to combining dark energy and dark matter have tried to modify Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which has proven incredibly challenging. The new approach takes two old ideas consistent with Einstein's theory - negative masses and the creation of matter - and combines them, explains Farns. "The result is beautiful: dark energy and dark matter can be combined into a single substance, and both effects are easily explained by the transfer of matter with a positive mass to a sea of negative masses."
Dr. Farnes's theory will be tested using the advanced radio telescopes of the SKA (Square Kilometer Array) observatory, with which the University of Oxford collaborates.
Vladimir Guillen
