Space: Expansion of the universe could be a mirage

[bystander]

Expansion of the universe could be a mirage
Space.com | Robert Lea | 2023 Jun 21

New research looking at the cosmological constant problem suggests the expansion of the universe could be an illusion.

Astronomers use the light from distant stars, such as the Helix Nebula seen here, to measure the apparent expansion of the universe. New research suggests there may be more to the picture that we're not seeing. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSC)

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The expansion of the universe could be a mirage, a potentially controversial new study suggests.

This rethinking of the cosmos also suggests solutions for the puzzles of dark energy and dark matter, which scientists believe account for around 95% of the total energy and matter in the universe but remain shrouded in mystery. ...

In Lombriser's mathematical interpretation, the universe isn't expanding but is flat and static, as Einstein once believed. The effects we observe that point to expansion are instead explained by the evolution of the masses of particles — such as protons and electrons — over time.

In this picture, these particles arise from a field that permeates space-time. The cosmological constant is set by the field's mass and because this field fluctuates, the masses of the particles it gives birth to also fluctuate. The cosmological constant still varies with time, but in this model that variation is due to changing particle mass over time, not the expansion of the universe. ...

Cosmology in Minkowski Space ~ Lucas Lombriser

• Classical and Quantum Gravity (online 02 Jun 2023) DOI: 10.1088/1361-6382/acdb41