Astronomers may have found exciting evidence that dark energy, the mysterious force that is accelerating the expansion of our universe, could be linked to black holes.
Dark energy makes up nearly 70% of our universe and is thought to have been the driving force behind the growth of the universe since the Big Bang about 13.8 billion years ago. However, the exact origin of this mysterious force is unclear.
According to a fundamental theory proposed by astronomers in recent years, dark energy could originate from the heart of supermassive black holes, rather than being scattered throughout space. However, others found this theory strange.
Now, a new study published Oct. 28 in the Journal of Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics claims to have found the first signs of a connection between two seemingly unrelated phenomena: the correlation between increasing dark energy density and increasing mass of black holes as the universe ages. Gregory Tarle, co-author of the study and professor of physics at the University of Michigan, said in a statement.
If you ask yourself where in the universe we see gravity as strong as it was at the beginning of the universe, the answer is the center of black holes. What happened during inflation may be reversed, so that the matter of massive stars turns into dark energy during gravitational collapse. This process is similar to the mini-Big Bang in reverse.
To search for clues linking dark energy to black holes, the researchers used the Dark Energy Spectroscopy Instrument (DESI) on the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope in Arizona, which shows the monthly locations of millions of galaxies to examine how the universe has expanded to date. This enables astronomers to infer the dark energy density over the lifetime of the universe from the rate at which the universe is expanding outward.
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Researchers have made interesting observations by comparing data indicating dark energy with black hole growth at different stages of the universe’s life. Duncan FarahOne of the authors of the research and a professor of physics at the University of Hawaii says:
The two phenomena were compatible with each other. As new black holes were born following the deaths of massive stars, the universe’s amount of dark energy also increased. Thus, it became more likely that black holes are the source of dark energy.
If the above hypothesis is proven, it can help solve a big mystery in cosmology. Astronomers have known for years that the universe appears to be expanding at different rates depending on where you look at it. This problem is known as “Hubble tension”. Some measurements confirm our current best understanding of the universe, while others threaten to violate it.
However, astronomers say more observations with DESI and other instruments are needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. Tarle says: “Essentially, whether black holes are dark energy and connected to the universe they live in is no longer a theoretical question, but now an empirical one.”
