A team of international scientists has been studying the growth of the universe over 11 billion years. Their latest findings support Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which describes how gravity behaves at large scales. The researchers used data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to analyze the structure of the cosmic web, a network of galaxy clusters and vast areas of space.
Einstein’s theory predicts that massive objects curve the fabric of space-time, influencing the motion of nearby matter. According to Dragan Huterer, co-leader of the working group, Einstein’s model is “one of the most successful physical theories we have.” However, the discovery of an accelerating universe in 1998 raised doubts about the theory.
The new DESI findings provide evidence that gravity behaves as predicted by Einstein’s theory. The study focused on the growth of the cosmic structure from when the universe was 20% of its current age. It also showed that dark energy may not be a fixed force, but rather one that can change over time.
The researchers used DESI observations of almost 6 million galaxies and their centers to make their findings. The study’s results support the standard model of cosmology, which includes Einstein’s theory of general relativity. The team of more than 900 scientists from over 70 organizations worldwide worked together on this project, overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The universe is composed of ordinary matter and dark matter, with dark energy making up about 68% of its mass. Dark energy is responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe, but its physical nature remains unknown. The new findings provide valuable insights into the behavior of gravity and the structure of the cosmic web, shedding light on the mysteries of the universe.
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