Posted on 12/05/2018 9:02:07 AM PST by ETL
Scientists at the University of Oxford may have solved one of the biggest questions in modern physics, with a new paper unifying dark matter and dark energy into a single phenomenon: a fluid which possesses 'negative mass." If you were to push a negative mass, it would accelerate towards you. This astonishing new theory may also prove right a prediction that Einstein made 100 years ago.
Our current, widely recognised model of the Universe, called LambdaCDM, tells us nothing about what dark matter and dark energy are like physically. We only know about them because of the gravitational effects they have on other, observable matter.
This new model, published today in Astronomy and Astrophysics, by Dr. Jamie Farnes from the Oxford e-Research Centre, Department of Engineering Science, offers a new explanation. Dr. Farnes says: "We now think that both dark matter and dark energy can be unified into a fluid which possesses a type of 'negative gravity," repelling all other material around them. Although this matter is peculiar to us, it suggests that our cosmos is symmetrical in both positive and negative qualities."
The existence of negative matter had previously been ruled out as it was thought this material would become less dense as the Universe expands, which runs contrary to our observations that show dark energy does not thin out over time. However, Dr. Farnes' research applies a 'creation tensor," which allows for negative masses to be continuously created. It demonstrates that when more and more negative masses are continually bursting into existence, this negative mass fluid does not dilute during the expansion of the cosmos. In fact, the fluid appears to be identical to dark energy.
Dr. Farnes's theory also provides the first correct predictions of the behaviour of dark matter halos. Most galaxies are rotating so rapidly they should be tearing themselves apart, which suggests that an invisible 'halo' of dark matter must be holding them together. The new research published today features a computer simulation of the properties of negative mass, which predicts the formation of dark matter halos just like the ones inferred by observations using modern radio telescopes.
Albert Einstein provided the first hint of the dark universe exactly 100 years ago, when he discovered a parameter in his equations known as the 'cosmological constant," which we now know to be synonymous with dark energy. Einstein famously called the cosmological constant his 'biggest blunder," although modern astrophysical observations prove that it is a real phenomenon. In notes dating back to 1918, Einstein described his cosmological constant, writing that 'a modification of the theory is required such that "empty space" takes the role of gravitating negative masses which are distributed all over the interstellar space." It is therefore possible that Einstein himself predicted a negative-mass-filled universe.
Dr. Farnes says: "Previous approaches to combining dark energy and dark matter have attempted to modify Einstein's theory of general relativity, which has turned out to be incredibly challenging. This new approach takes two old ideas that are known to be compatible with Einstein's theorynegative masses and matter creationand combines them together.
"The outcome seems rather beautiful: dark energy and dark matter can be unified into a single substance, with both effects being simply explainable as positive mass matter surfing on a sea of negative masses."
Proof of Dr. Farnes's theory will come from tests performed with a cutting-edge radio telescope known as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an international endeavour to build the world's largest telescope in which the University of Oxford is collaborating.
Dr. Farnes adds: "There are still many theoretical issues and computational simulations to work through, and LambdaCDM has a nearly 30 year head start, but I'm looking forward to seeing whether this new extended version of LambdaCDM can accurately match other observational evidence of our cosmology. If real, it would suggest that the missing 95% of the cosmos had an aesthetic solution: we had forgotten to include a simple minus sign."
Explore further: Dark matter clusters could reveal nature of dark energy
More information: J. S. Farnes. A unifying theory of dark energy and dark matter: Negative masses and matter creation within a modified LambdaCDM framework, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2018). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201832898 , https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.07962
Bizarre 'dark fluid' with negative mass could dominate the universe what my research suggests
Journal reference: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy & Astrophysics
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my point exactly
There was a big “may” in there.
He was pissed because you threw him off his “lecture stride”. He couldn’t think on his feet fast enough to come up with an answer. So he just didn’t know & didn’t want to admit it.
I suggest reading up on Vera Rubin. The 4% Universe is a good start.
Dr Rubin showed that there is definitely an effect there.
The cause is still in question, but, it is known that gravity without pressure will act as a repellent force. This is basically the effect Einstein’s Cosmic Constant is there for. He didn’t like that part of the equation.
The graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51 appear like a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space. They are actually long lanes of stars and gas laced with dust. Such striking arms are a hallmark of so-called grand-design spiral galaxies. In M51, also known as the Whirlpool galaxy, these arms serve an important purpose: they are star-formation factories, compressing hydrogen gas and creating clusters of new stars.
Some astronomers think that the Whirlpools arms are particularly prominent because of the effects of a close encounter with NGC 5195, the small, yellowish galaxy at the outermost tip of one of the arms. The compact galaxy appears to be tugging on the arm, the tidal forces from which trigger new star formation. Hubbles clear view shows that NGC 5195 is passing behind M51. The small galaxy has been gliding past the Whirlpool for hundreds of millions of years.
In Hubbles captivating image of M51, the red represents infrared light as well as hydrogen within giant star-forming regions. The blue color can be attributed to hot, young stars while the yellow color is from older stars.
Discovered by Charles Messier in 1773, M51 is located 31 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and can be spotted with a small telescope most easily during May. The Whirlpool galaxys beautiful face-on view and closeness to Earth allow astronomers to study a classic spiral galaxys structure and star-forming processes.
For more information about Hubbles observations of M51, see:
http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2005-12
http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2011-03
http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2001-10
http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/1996-17
source:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-51-the-whirlpool-galaxy
That was from Oct 2017.
Dark energy and Dark matter are completely undetectable. But somebody’s calculation shows they should be there. So they conclude it’s undetectable.
Very similar to the search for Planet X. A mistake in calculations of observations of Neptune’s orbit predicted a planet would be there. Back then they figured out the calculation did not accurately describe observed reality. That was called the scientific method.
Today, this bunch of clowns would conclude that it’s obvious Planet X is invisible, and would get to work on theories explaining it’s invisibility.
Now I can take more time to agree or disagree with the premise of this article...
However anything Gauss, Levi-Civita, or Einstein says is OK with me... Although one of them was a soccer player, so I have to factor in some amount of disbelief in his statements......
“Space is a fabric.”
It is most certainly not. Please detail what this “fabric” is made of. If you say “time”, I will laugh at you.
It’s like fish discovering water.
We’re swimming in it, yet we think space is empty. It isn’t. It’s stuffed. We’re just not sensitive to what it is stuffed with except for that tiny part we are sensitive to. We call it light. If you can see a star, it means that every micron between the star and your eye contains the light it admits. It is both energy and matter. And space is stuffed with it.
BTW, not to make too small a point of it, God is light.
This guy has a tremendous future in climate change modeling.
That is a beautiful cartoon. Thank you.
“However, the theory is not nearly as weird as it may sound. Turns out that we cannot account for some very major observations given the physics as we know it.”
The problem is that in the scientific method, when observations do not match the experiment constructed to prove the theory, that used to falsify the theory.
Today we move straight into pseudo-science and sci-fi and decide the theory is correct, and that there is some kind of invisible matter, or a new dimension, etc. Bending the observation around to “prove” the theory isn’t science.
Dr Brian Green, Harvard, string theory. I recall he proffered Calibi Yao particles of 11 dimensions to achieve this propagating effect of light through a vacuum.
Dark matter, the non-baryonic form, is yet undetected, but they are trying.
__________
"Weakly interacting massive particles" (or WIMPs) are hypothetical particles that are thought to constitute dark matter.
There exists no clear definition of a WIMP, but broadly, a WIMP is a new elementary particle which interacts via gravity and any other force (or forces), potentially not part of the standard model itself, which is as weak as or weaker than the weak nuclear force, but also non-vanishing in its strength.
Direct detection
Direct detection refers to the observation of the effects of a WIMP-nucleus collision as the dark matter passes through a detector in an Earth laboratory.
While most WIMP models indicate that a large enough number of WIMPs must be captured in large celestial bodies for indirect detection experiments to succeed, it remains possible that these models are either incorrect or only explain part of the dark matter phenomenon.
Thus, even with the multiple experiments dedicated to providing indirect evidence for the existence of cold dark matter, direct detection measurements are also necessary to solidify the theory of WIMPs.
Although most WIMPs encountering the Sun or the Earth are expected to pass through without any effect, it is hoped that a large number of dark matter WIMPs crossing a sufficiently large detector will interact often enough to be seenat least a few events per year.
The general strategy of current attempts to detect WIMPs is to find very sensitive systems that can be scaled up to large volumes. This follows the lessons learned from the history of the discovery and (by now) routine detection of the neutrino.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weakly_interacting_massive_particles
__________
As for 'dark energy'...
"One explanation for dark energy is that it is a property of space.
Albert Einstein was the first person to realize that empty space is not nothing. Space has amazing properties, many of which are just beginning to be understood.
The first property that Einstein discovered is that it is possible for more space to come into existence.
Then one version of Einstein's gravity theory, the version that contains a cosmological constant, makes a second prediction: "empty space" can possess its own energy.
Because this energy is a property of space itself, it would not be diluted as space expands.
As more space comes into existence, more of this energy-of-space would appear.
As a result, this form of energy would cause the universe to expand faster and faster.
Unfortunately, no one understands why the cosmological constant should even be there, much less why it would have exactly the right value to cause the observed acceleration of the universe."
https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy
Or maybe the universe isn’t expanding, and redshift can have causes other than relative velocity. Really, it’s hard to express how far from genuine science one needs to get in order to assume “negative mass” can be a thing.
It breaks the very semantics of the word “mass” to attach “negative” to it. Mass is either zero (does not exist) or positive (does exist in some amount). Try to think of holding in your hand negative grains of sand. What would even qualify?
This is religious behavior - “save the gravity-driven view of the universe at all costs” - and not scientific behavior at all.
That was from Oct 2017.
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