100 million galaxies studying Einstein’s theory of gravity

The rapid expansion of the universe is the most baffling mystery in physics.

To unravel this cosmic puzzle, scientists are turning to the fundamental laws of physics, including Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

A team of scientists compared Einstein’s theory of general relativity with data from the Dark Energy Survey. They discovered a ‘minor discrepancy’ in the behavior of gravity at different cosmic times.

This means that this theory may not hold true for all parts of the universe.

The study says the gravitational distortions observed in distant galaxies show subtle discrepancies with the predictions of Einstein’s theory.

Distortion of spacetime

Einstein’s theory of general relativity fundamentally changed our understanding of gravity.

He proposed that massive objects warp the fabric of spacetime, much as a heavy ball bends a rubber sheet.

These depressions in spacetime, caused by the gravity of massive celestial bodies, are known as gravity wells.

When massive objects, such as galaxies or black holeswarping of the fabric of gravitational lensing in spacetime occurs. This curvature bends the path of light passing nearby, similar to how a glass lens bends light.

This phenomenon allows scientists to study distant objects and gain insight into the structure and expansion of the universe.

The observation of the 1919 solar eclipse confirmed Einstein’s theory of general relativity. It showed that light bends twice as much as predicted by Newton’s theory due to the combined effects of distorted space and time.

Analysis of distant galaxies

The Dark Energy Survey seeks to investigate the underlying causes of the accelerating expansion of the universe. This astronomical research has mapped hundreds of millions of galaxies, which helped the team with this new research.

“In our research, we used this data to directly measure the distortion of time and space, allowing us to compare our findings with Einstein’s predictions,” said Camille Bonvin, associate professor at the University of Geneva.

The team analyzed 100 million galaxies at different times in the history of the universe – specifically 3.5, 5, 6 and 7 billion years ago. This analysis allowed them to study the evolution of gravity wells over time.

‘We discovered that in the distant past – 6 to 7 billion years ago – the depth of the wells matched Einstein’s predictions well. But closer to today, 3.5 to 5 billion years ago, they are slightly shallower than predicted by Einstein,” explains Isaac Tutusaus, an assistant astronomer at Paul Sabatier University.

This suggests that gravity could behave differently than predicted on large cosmic scales Einstein’s theory.

”Our results show that Einstein’s predictions have a 3 sigma incompatibility with measurements. In the language of physics, such an incompatibility threshold piques our interest and calls for further investigation. But this incompatibility is not great enough at this stage to disprove Einstein’s theory, says Nastassia Grimm, a postdoctoral researcher at UNIGE, in the press release.

Researchers are now working to examine data from the Euclid Space Telescope.

Euclid’s precise measurements of gravitational lensing and his observation of 1.5 billion galaxies will enable a more precise understanding of spacetime distortions. It will help better test Einstein’s general theory of relativity on a universal scale.

The findings were published in the journal Nature communication.