Israeli cosmologists from Ariel University have suggested that the accelerating expansion of the Universe may be caused by a mysterious form of matter called “non-particle”. The study was published in the scientific journal broadcasting Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP).
Scientists accept that the Universe is expanding, but the reason for this process remains unclear. Until recently, the popular explanation remained dark energy; was a hypothetical entity that caused space to open up in all directions at a constant speed. However, recent astronomical observations have refuted this hypothesis and led experts to develop new theories.
In a new paper, researchers propose that dark energy consists of a hypothetical form of matter (non-particle) that does not obey the standard laws of physics. Cosmologists have found that this theory fits observational results best.
“In fundamental physics we often discuss fields such as the electric field, where particles are excitations of that field. Photons, for example, are particles of an electric field. Particles almost always have a clearly defined mass and momentum.
Non-particle matter is also the result of the interaction of fields, but their mass and momentum cannot be determined precisely. Therefore, they behave like liquids at the macroscopic level. A particular consequence of this property is that the equations of state that describe the relationship between the pressure they exert and their energy density depend on temperature,” explained lead study author Ido Ben-Dayan.
There is currently no experimental evidence to support this theory. But the authors are confident that in the next decade the accuracy of astronomical measurements will increase so much that it will be possible to determine whether the non-particle theory is correct.
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Source: Gazeta
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