Wednesday, September 13, 2017

New supernova analysis reframes dark energy debate

Dark  is usually assumed to form roughly 70% of

the present material content of the Universe. However, this mysterious quantity is essentially a place-holder for unknown physics.
Current models of the Universe require this  term to explain the observed acceleration in the rate at which the Universe is expanding. Scientists base this conclusion on measurements of the distances to supernova explosions in distant galaxies, which appear to be farther away than they should be if the Universe's  were not accelerating.
However, just how statistically significant this signature of cosmic acceleration is has been hotly debated in the past year. The previous debate pitted the standard Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) cosmology against an empty universe whose expansion neither accelerates nor decelerates. Both of these models though assume a simplified 100 year old cosmic expansion law—Friedmann's equation.
Friedmann's equation assumes an expansion identical to that of a featureless soup, with no complicating structure. However, the present Universe actually contains a complex cosmic web of galaxy clusters in sheets and filaments that surround and thread vast empty voids.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-09-supernova-analysis-reframes-dark-energy.html#jCp