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Has physicist's gravity theory solved 'impossible' dark energy riddle?
www.theguardian.com ^ | Sat 25 Jan 2020 06.40 EST | Hannah Devlin Science correspondent

Posted on 01/27/2020 6:34:00 AM PST by Red Badger

Prof Claudia de Rham’s ‘massive gravity’ theory could explain why universe expansion is accelerating

Cosmologists don’t enter their profession to tackle the easy questions, but there is one paradox that has reached staggering proportions.

Since the big bang, the universe has been expanding, but the known laws of physics suggest that the inward tug of gravity should be slowing down this expansion. In reality, though, the universe is ballooning at an accelerating rate.

Scientists have come up with a name – dark energy – for the mysterious agent that is allowing the cosmos to expand so rapidly and which is estimated to account for 70% of the contents of the universe. But ultimately nobody knows what the stuff actually is.

“It’s the big elephant in the room,” says Prof Claudia de Rham, a theoretical physicist at Imperial College. “It’s very frustrating.”

Change could be afoot. De Rham has pioneered a radical theory that could hold the key to why the universe is expanding faster and faster and explain the nature of dark energy. The theory, known as massive gravity, modifies Einstein’s general relativity, positing that the hypothetical particles (gravitons) that mediate the gravitational force themselves have a mass. In Einstein’s version, gravitons are assumed to be massless.

If gravitons have a mass, then gravity is expected to have a weaker influence on very large distance scales, which could explain why the expansion of the universe has not been reined in.

“One possibility is that you may not need to have dark energy – or rather, gravity itself fulfils that role,” says De Rham.

The work marks a breakthrough in a century-long quest to build a working theory of massive gravity....

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Business/Economy; History; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; claudiaderham; darkenergy; darkforce; darkmatter; einstein; gravitons; gravity; massivegravity; physics; science; speedofdark; stringtheory; universe
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To: ocrp1982
... if this man’s theory is proven correct.

doh!

21 posted on 01/27/2020 6:57:33 AM PST by edwinland
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To: Red Badger
the hypothetical particles (gravitons) that mediate the gravitational force themselves have a mass. In Einstein’s version, gravitons are assumed to be massless.

Gravitons carry discrete amount of energy and energy has mass.

22 posted on 01/27/2020 6:58:10 AM PST by mjp ((pro-{God, reality, reason, egoism, individualism, natural rights, limited government, capitalism}))
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To: Red Badger
yes, but WHY?

If I knew that I'd be in the physics business figuring out how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

23 posted on 01/27/2020 6:59:42 AM PST by from occupied ga (Your government is your most dangerous enemy)
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To: Red Badger; Uversabound; SaveFerris; PROCON; FredZarguna; mylife; Lil Flower; Corky Ramirez; ...
Just give up sex and you can do anything. Even learn Portuguese!


24 posted on 01/27/2020 7:00:12 AM PST by Gamecock (Ironically, the insistence that doctrines do not matter is really a doctrine itself. (TK))
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To: Quality_Not_Quantity

ok....maybe a balloon expanding would have been a better example....hmmm


25 posted on 01/27/2020 7:00:12 AM PST by reed13k (For evil to triumph it is only necessary that good men do nothing)
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To: Red Badger

Gravitons themselves have mass? No, I don’t think so.


26 posted on 01/27/2020 7:00:35 AM PST by Crucial
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To: null and void
Gravity may be the weakest, but it is still pretty powerful. It keeps us tied down................🤓
27 posted on 01/27/2020 7:01:22 AM PST by Red Badger (Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.......... ..)
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To: edwinland

“This man” is a a pretty attractive female..


28 posted on 01/27/2020 7:03:18 AM PST by Thommas (The snout of the camel is in the tent..)
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To: 6SJ7; AdmSmith; AFPhys; Arkinsaw; allmost; aristotleman; autumnraine; bajabaja; ...
Thanks Red Badger.

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29 posted on 01/27/2020 7:03:31 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: Red Badger

Change could be afoot. De Rham has pioneered a radical theory that could hold the key to why the universe is expanding faster and faster and explain the nature of dark energy.

...

If your theory isn’t doing well with other scientists, go to mass media.


30 posted on 01/27/2020 7:04:23 AM PST by Moonman62 (Charity comes from wealth.)
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To: Red Badger

“Dark Energy”, “Dark Matter”....,,,,whenever you hear the word “dark” in a scientific context, you should immediately be suspicious. Those are just placeholders put n to explain why observations do not match our latest theory. Maybe.....just maybe.....the theory has some things wrong. Einstein obviously got a lot right. It was an advance over Newton who was an advance over superstition and dogma, but....maybe General Relativity is not a complete explanation.


31 posted on 01/27/2020 7:04:32 AM PST by FLT-bird
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To: Red Badger

There is no edge.


32 posted on 01/27/2020 7:07:19 AM PST by DivineMomentsOfTruth ("There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily." -GW)
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To: ConservativeDude
As it stands now it is merely a construct to attempt to explain what they do not understand”

Also known as “science of the day”

Or .. "fudge factor" :)

33 posted on 01/27/2020 7:07:50 AM PST by The Duke (President Trump = America's Last, Best Chance)
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To: Gamecock

That hasn’t worked for me so far...


34 posted on 01/27/2020 7:09:21 AM PST by null and void (The government wants to disarm us after 243 yrs 'cuz they plan to do things we would shoot them for!)
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To: DivineMomentsOfTruth
Which brings up the question, "If the Universe is everything there is, and it's expanding, what is it expanding into?" ................🤔
35 posted on 01/27/2020 7:13:07 AM PST by Red Badger (Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.......... ..)
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To: null and void

Greta just tweeeted that the world has only 11.5 billion lights years left


36 posted on 01/27/2020 7:14:39 AM PST by RonnG (')
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To: Red Badger
That, young grasshopper, is beyond our human ability to comprehend.. It's best that way.. for now. 😉
37 posted on 01/27/2020 7:18:51 AM PST by DivineMomentsOfTruth ("There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily." -GW)
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To: Red Badger
Prof Claudia de Rahm:


38 posted on 01/27/2020 7:19:48 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's alias | "Islam": Allah's useful idiots | Brennan & 0b0z0: Islam's useful idiots)
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To: TXnMA
She can keep me after school anytime!!!!!!!..........😉
39 posted on 01/27/2020 7:21:02 AM PST by Red Badger (Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.......... ..)
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To: Crucial

I think they are all connected................


40 posted on 01/27/2020 7:22:05 AM PST by Red Badger (Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.......... ..)
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