The controversial model is capable of challenging the foundations of cosmology.
The universe can be filled with an invisible fluid that has negative gravity. That is, it does not attract, but repels.
This theory was published in the pages of Astronomy and Astrophysics by Jamie Farnes of the University of Oxford. If it corresponds to reality, it means that we have found an explanation for two of the most mysterious cosmic phenomena: dark energy and dark matter.
Astronomers measuring space say that visible material like stars and gas makes up only about five percent of the universe. For example, the rotation of galaxies shows the gravitational effect of so much matter, which is five times more than what we see. It is an invisible entity called dark matter.
And galaxies are moving away from each other at an increasing rate. The source of energy for this inexplicable and accelerating expansion is called dark energy.
After the discovery of dark matter and dark energy, many different theories have appeared, but none of them can satisfactorily explain these phenomena. Farnes's theory is of great interest because it provides one solution to two problems, claiming the existence of a repulsive dark liquid.
This liquid explains the essence of dark energy, because it pushes galaxies away from each other. It also explains the essence of dark matter. If the repulsive fluid surrounds the galaxy, it essentially compresses it, pushing the stars towards the center of the galaxy just as the additional mass inside the galaxy would do.
Farnes liked the symmetry of the solution because it gives gravity the opposite polarity, allowing it to both attract and repel. This is very similar to the bipolarity of electromagnetic forces.
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Farnes notes, "So it looks like a simple minus sign will help solve one of the oldest problems in physics."
Farnes believes that the idea of negative mass is not as crazy as it might seem - for example, the bubble behaves as if it has that mass. However, this theory is by no means proven.
Krzysztof Bolejko, a physicist at the University of Tasmania in Australia, says Farnes is fine with his mathematical calculations, but notes that his theory of a dark liquid poses a complication.
“Farnes introduces the concept of matter with negative mass, but to explain the accelerated expansion of space, this matter must be created constantly,” he says.
The constantly created fluid hypothesis contradicts the most successful space model to date, known as the Lambda-CDM model. In this model, dark energy is a property of space, and the expansion of space is the result of changes in the shape and curvature of the universe.
Farnes notes that his theory needs significant improvement, since it is necessary to study all the consequences of the theory of repulsive dark liquid. It is not yet clear whether she will be able to better explain the universe than the Lambda-CDM model. Problems will arise if the two theories give different predictions. The one that will be more consistent with the observed behavior of the Universe will prevail.
Boleiko believes that the difference will be able to show cosmic voids or voids, as they call huge spaces, in which hundreds of thousands of galaxies can be located, but only a few are located.
“We are starting to study space voids. There are so many processes in galaxies that it is difficult to tell which is caused by matter and which is caused by the dark sector,”he says.
"Inside the space voids, the signal will be clearer, and therefore it will be easier for us to identify the difference between the processes caused by dark energy and constantly created matter with negative mass."
Phil Dooley
