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Dark energy may have switched direction sometime in the distant past — and this violent modulation may excuse why cosmogonical reflection are n’t add up up , researchers propose in a new paper .

The advanced picture of the evolution of the universe is bang as ΛCDM ( or lambda - CDM ) , fordark energy(represented by the Greek alphabetic character Λ ) and stale dark matter . dour vigour is the deep force push back the speed up expansion of the universe , and colddark matterrefers to the mystic , invisible substance that provides most of the wad of almost every individual galaxy .

an illustration with two grids, one of which is straight and the other of which is distorted. Galaxies are floating in the middle of the two grids.

An illustration of galaxies curving the fabric of space-time in an expanding universe. A new theoretical paper proposes that cosmic expansion may not be a given — it can abruptly reverse and change strength.

This model has explained a wide kind of notice , such as the deportment of galaxies and cluster , the growth oflarge - scale structures , and the appearance of the cosmic microwave oven background signal . But in recent years , two troubling tensions have popped up .

One such job , known asthe Hubble tension , is a departure in value the present - solar day expansion pace of the cosmos , a numeral known as the Hubble constant . investigation of the distant , early universe seem to be giving estimates significantly blue than probe of the nearby , tardy universe do .

refer : After 2 year in outer space , the James Webb scope has break-dance cosmology . Can it be fixed ?

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument maps the night sky from the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope in Arizona.

pertain to this issuance is the 2d problem , bang as the sigma-8 tension . This is a step of how clumpy matter is in the universe , and once again , dissimilar investigation are yield different results .

A cosmic slowdown

Something in the ΛCDM model has to be wrong , but we ’re not sure what . One speculation is that dark zip might be more dynamical than we originally think . In the usual ΛCDM picture , dark energy is a cosmological constant . It stays the same through cosmic history .

But in a recent example that ’s been gain ground pursuit , dark energy changes . And not by a little ; it undergoes a complete stage transition , from decelerating the universe to accelerating the universe .

Now , adding a twist to that theory , a research team has explored the possibility that the phase angle change is even more spectacular . In a paper posted to the preprint serverarXiv in Februarybut not yet peer - refresh , dark energy does n’t just switch signs ; it also deepen strong suit , so that it power an speedup differently than it powers a retardation .

An abstract illustration of lines and geometric shapes over a starry background

Then , the research worker tested their framework against a blanket kind of observance and datasets . These included the Planck place observatory ’s measurements of the cosmic microwave oven screen background , theoldest light source we can seein the cosmos ; a measurement of a phenomenon called the baryon acoustic oscillation , a pattern in the agreement of galaxies at very with child scales ; the Pantheon dataset of supernova aloofness measure ; and a weak lensing map that provides details account for the effect of colored matter .

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an illustration of outer space with stars whizzing by

— Something inconspicuous and ' fuzzy ' may mill around at the Milky Way ’s shopping centre , Modern research suggests

They found that the new model alleviated some of the Hubble and sigma-8 tension , and thus they contend that this approach path might be a promising way forward .

That said , the researcher noted that this model is n’t exactly base in have a go at it physics . It ’s just a toy , a way to search the physical outcome of a model without be intimate the underlie physical science . But because it seems like a promising guidance , this attack could motivate theorists to come up with mechanisms to explain how dark energy might switch like this .

An illustration of a spinning black hole with multicolor light

No matter what , it appears that the universe — peculiarly morose free energy — is more complicated than we assume .

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an illustration of the Milky Way in the center of a blue cloud of gas

A pixellated image of a purple glowing cloud in space

An illustration of lightning striking in spake

An artist�s interpretation of a white dwarf exploding while matter from another white dwarf falls onto it

On the left is part of a new half-sky image in which three wavelengths of light have been combined to highlight the Milky Way (purple) and cosmic microwave background (gray). On the right, a closeup of the Orion Nebula.

A false-color image taken with MegaCam on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) as part of the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS) shows a zoomed-in view of the newly discovered Andromeda XXXV satellite galaxy. A white ellipse, that measures about 1,000 light-years across its longest axis, shows the extent of the galaxy. Within the ellipse�s boundary is a cluster of mostly dim stars, ranging in hues from bright blues to warm yellows.

Three-dimensional rendering of an HIV virus

an illustration of Mars

three prepackaged sandwiches

Tunnel view of Yosemite National Park.

A scuba diver descends down a deep ocean reef wall into the abyss.

Remains of the Heroon, a small temple built for the burial cluster of Philip II at the Museum of the Royal Tombs inside the Great Tumulus of Aigai (Aegae)