A recent study that poses new challenges to the existence of dark matter suggests that gravity can exist even in the absence of mass.
Although all life on Earth experiences its effects every day, gravity remains one of the great mysteries of modern physics. Now, a new study published by Dr. Richard Lieu of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) that the gravitational effects observed in galaxies and clusters could be the result of what he compares to topological defects in the universe, a theory that does not. There is no need to include dark matter to explain phenomena observed in our universe.
Dark matter, a hypothetical non-luminous material that many believe accounts for as much as 85% of the mass in the known universe, was initially coined to help explain gravitational effects that scientists currently cannot explain with Einstein’s general theory of relativity. First proposed in 1932 by Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, astrophysicists have continued to search for evidence of this mysterious invisible material, which remains unconfirmed.
However, not everyone is convinced that dark matter offers the best solution to the questions astrophysicists have about the cosmos. In his recent research, Lieu suggests an entirely new approach that could fundamentally change our current understanding of the universe’s mass and gravity.
“My own inspiration came from my search for another solution to the gravitational field equations of general relativity – the simplified version of which, applicable to the conditions of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, is known as the Poisson equation,” Lieu said recently. his unique approach.
Lieu, a leading professor of physics and astronomy at UAH, says his interpretation of the problem “yields finite gravity in the absence of any observable mass,” an approach he says grew out of his frustration with prevailing ideas about dark matter that still still lacking any direct evidence after more than a century since the idea was initially proposed.
According to Lieu, concentric structures consisting of shell-like topological defects could be responsible for the redundant gravitational flow models needed to bind galaxies or clusters. These structures likely arose in a cosmological phase transition – an event in which the state of matter throughout the universe changes – that occurred very early in the universe.
Lieu says such a phase transition could potentially generate gravitational effects without mass.
“Topological defects are compact regions in space with a very high matter density, usually in the form of cosmic strings or spherical shells,” Lieu said in a statement. These spherical shells would likely consist of an inner layer of positive mass surrounded by an outer layer composed of negative mass. The result would be a structure with a net mass of zero. Despite having essentially no mass, objects near these shells would still experience significant gravitational forces pulling them toward their centers.
According to Einstein’s theories, gravity warps space-time, creating interactions between objects regardless of their mass. Even massless photons are affected by gravity, for example when light is distorted as it passes by extremely dense celestial bodies.
For Lieu, observations of the deflection of light and the velocities of stellar orbits in galaxies could result from these hypothetical massless shells, which he believes could provide a better explanation than the theoretical existence of dark matter in these regions.
While Lieu does not currently offer an explanation for the formation of these massless garnets, he does say that his alternative theory could lead to new discoveries that could solve such long-standing questions or even help us discover the existence of dark matter. to confirm.
“The availability of a second solution, even if highly suggestive, is not sufficient to discredit the dark matter hypothesis,” Lieu says, adding that his research would at best be “just an interesting mathematical exercise.” can be.
However, if Lieu’s theory is proven through additional research, it could indeed provide evidence that gravity can exist without the need for mass. This discovery could potentially mark a significant advance in our understanding of the universe and one of its most enduring mysteries.
Lieu’s recent study, “The binding of cosmological structures by massless topological defects,” appeared in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Micah Hanks is editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micha@thedebrief.org. Follow his work michahanks.com and on X: @MichaHanks.