Observations of the Universe do not agree with cosmological theories

Observations of the Universe do not agree with cosmological theories

The image shows the galactic cluster XLSSC 006. This is a composite image taken from a combination of smoothed x-ray data from a XXL review (purple) along with optical and IR observations from the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope.

Recent observations have created a new puzzle for astrophysicists: since the Big Bang, fewer galactic clusters have formed over time than expected. Over the next three years, scientists will analyze the data in more detail. It may be necessary to reconsider the cosmological theory familiar to the scientific world.

Almost 13.8 billion years ago, the Big Bang created the Universe. He formed space and time, as well as all that the Universe known to us consists of. From this point on, the space began to expand with terrifying speed and an almost uniform distribution of diffuse fog.

However, in some regions the fog turned out to be much denser than in others. As a result, these areas created a stronger gravitational pull and slowly attracted matter from the environment. Over time, the substance condenses at these points, emptying the space between them. More than 13 billion years ago, this process led to the creation of a spongy structure — large “holes” devoid of matter and separated by small areas dominated by thousands of galaxies — galactic clusters.

Six parameters to explain the Universe

The standard cosmological model describes the history of the Universe from the very first seconds after the Big Bang to the present day. Its beauty lies in the fact that only 6 parameters are used for the description, but it also faces limits. New observations indicate that reality does not fit the theory.

It all started with the measurements of Planck’s satellite launched by ESA to measure the CMB - the afterglow of the Big Bang. It contains important information on the distribution of matter, as it was 380,000 years after the Big Bang. Planck’s analysis shows that more galactic clusters should have appeared during this cosmic time than is observed today. The point is that the light removed from galactic clusters (in X-ray surveys) travels billions of years and shows us the formations as they were in the past. And neighboring clusters are observed due to the fact that they appeared in a recent period.

Measurements confirm that clusters are forming too slowly. This result contradicts the main predictions of the standard model. Despite the serious discrepancy between measurements and forecasts, statistical uncertainty is not yet complex enough to challenge the theory. But scientists expect to produce more accurate results over the next three years for further conclusions.

Is dark energy constant?

The study also touched upon the nature of dark matter. This mysterious component of the universe acts as an interstellar “yeast” that causes the expansion to accelerate. The “quantity” of dark energy must remain unchanged from the period of the Big Bang, at least, this is what the standard cosmological model considers. Many observations point in this direction. In the future it will turn out to get more accurate data.

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