New “map” of dark matter in the universe could mislead Einstein

The largest and most complete “map” of dark matter to date universe, of invisible matter estimated to make up about 25% of the total universe, compared to 5% of visible matter and 70% of dark energy, scientists at the large international Dark Energy Survey (DES) consortium have presented.

It is noteworthy that the distribution of dark matter appears to be such that, according to at least some scientists, raises some doubts about the correctness of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

The 400 researchers from seven countries used the dark energy camera – one of the most powerful in the world with a resolution of 570 megapixels – which is located in the four-meter diameter telescope “Victor Blanco” in Chile, to analyze – with the help of artificial intelligence – 226 million galaxies, thus revealing a “patchwork” with huge dark circles of very low density matter (where gravity can behave differently) and brighter areas (where dark and visible matter are concentrated).

As AMPE points out, invisible dark matter – so named precisely because it is invisible – has an effect on visible matter, distorting the light that reaches it. Earth from distant stars and galaxies. The greater the distortion, the greater the presumed concentration of dark matter in a galaxy or other part of the universe. The gravitational force of darkness holds galaxies together in cosmic “tissue” structures.

Researcher Dr Niall Jeffrey of the Ecole Normale Superieure School in Paris and the University College London (UCL) told the BBC that the new “map” was “a real problem for physics” because shows that “maybe Einstein was wrong”. He added that “you may think this is a bad thing, that maybe physics is collapsing. But for a physicist it is something very exciting. It means we can discover something really new about what the Universe is like. “

Professor Carlos Frank of the British University of Durham, who contributed to the development of modern cosmological theory based on his work Einstein, said he has mixed feelings listening to the news. “I spent my life working on this theory and my heart says I do not want to see it collapse. But my brain tells me that the measurements made are correct and so on we have to explore the possibility of a new physics “, reported. “This is something that makes me very nervous and scared, because we are entering a completely unknown territory and who knows what we are going to find,” he added.

As Jeffrey noted, the map clearly shows that galaxies (including ours) are part of a wider invisible structure due to dark matter. So far, scientists have come up with an accurate idea for the distribution of matter, beginning 400,000 years before the Big Bang creation of the universe, thanks to the European Space Agency (ESA) orbital plank telescope, which measured the remnants of cosmic background microwave radiation, also known as the “twilight of creation”.

Combining Planck’s data with Einstein’s theories, astronomers like Frank developed a model that predicts what matter should be like in the 13.8 billion years that have passed since then. The official announcement of the DES consortium states that the new “map” is in line with the theoretical predictions. Some researchers, however, pointed out that, based on new observations and the DES “map”, there is a small deviation, as matter actually appears to be slightly (by a few percentage points) more evenly distributed than expected based on Einstein and the predictions of the dominant cosmological model.

“Perhaps we have discovered something really fundamental to the web of the universe. The current theory is based on very imperfect sand pillars. “And what we can see now is the collapse of one of these pillars.”

But others, such as UCL Professor Ofer Lahab, appeared more restrained and reluctant to mislead Einstein, at least not yet. As the professor said, “The big question is whether Einstein’s theory is perfect. He seems to pass every test, but with some deviations here and there. Maybe the astrophysics of galaxies needs some tweaking. In the history of cosmology there are examples where problems were solved, as well as examples that changed the way of thinking. “It will be interesting to see if the new ‘intensity’ in cosmology will lead to a new revolutionary scientific change.”