Is Dark Energy Getting Weaker? New Evidence Strengthens the Case
Recent findings from DESI indicate dark energy may be weakening, challenging the Lambda-CDM model. The results suggest evolving dark energy, potentially altering our understanding of the universe's fate and physics.
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Recent findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) suggest that dark energy, the force driving the universe's accelerated expansion, may be weakening. A team of nearly 1,000 cosmologists presented their analysis at the Global Physics Summit, revealing that their new data, which includes observations of 15 million galaxies, indicates a significant deviation from the previously accepted Lambda-CDM model of cosmology. This model assumes dark energy is a constant, but the new evidence points towards an evolving dark energy scenario. The results show a statistical significance of 4.2 sigma, suggesting a very low probability that the Lambda-CDM model is correct. If confirmed, this evolving dark energy could alter our understanding of the universe's fate, potentially leading to new physics beyond current theories. The findings align with those from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), which also reported evidence of changing dark energy. Both studies highlight a growing consensus among cosmologists that dark energy may not be a fixed entity, challenging long-held assumptions in cosmology. The implications of these findings could be profound, possibly indicating the presence of new particles or a need to revise Einstein's theory of gravity.
- New data suggests dark energy may be weakening, challenging existing cosmological models.
- The findings show a statistical significance of 4.2 sigma, indicating a low probability that the Lambda-CDM model is correct.
- Both DESI and DES report evidence of evolving dark energy, suggesting a shift in cosmological understanding.
- If confirmed, these results could lead to new theories in physics and alter predictions about the universe's fate.
- The research emphasizes the complexity of interpreting cosmological data due to the unique nature of the universe.
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4 commentsAnd if that turns out to be false, we need to remember the need to be humble and stop pretending we know everything!
I’ll give this a pass because this is a question that is capital-H hard to answer with certainty, so a shift in probability is newsworthy.
Say you have a waterbed made out of very stretchy material. It's bound by a hard frame, but the sides of the frame can slowly expand if enough pressure is applied. Without anyone on the bed, the system is in steady-state. The sides can just barely hold the waterbed bladder without expanding.
Now let's say a bunch of kids jump onto the waterbed. They make indentations in the surface which cause them to roll towards each other (gravity) but also the waterbed is trying to repel them (dark energy).
The extra force of the kids put on the waterbed's surface causes the sides of the waterbed to slowly expand. As the waterbed expands, the repellent force lessens and the expansion slows until it hits steady-state again (or the kids get bored and go outside to play).
Since the universe has no hard edge, it could be there is no steady-state, but the repellent force causing it to expand just gets weaker and weaker over time as matter gets more and more diluted.
I guess all this hinges on whether it's matter causing the repellent force, or if it just exists outside of matter.
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