Scientists unveiled a new, more accurate map of all matter in the universe on Tuesday, indicating that something is missing from the standard cosmological modelwhich is based on the principle that the Universe is homogeneous on a large scale.
The work, described in three articles published in the specialized journal Physical Review D., involved more than 150 researchers.
The study is based on data collected by the Dark Energy Survey astronomy project, which deals with the dynamics of the expansion of the Universe – and by the South Pole Telescope, in Antarctica – which aims to measure the diffuse emission of the cosmic microwave background (radiation from the beginning of the Universe).
According to a statement from the University of Chicago, in the United States, which participated in the study, the analysis of the data indicates that the matter is not as populated as the current model of the Universe predictshinting more strongly that “there may be something missing” in the standard cosmological model.
The scientists admit that more studies will be needed to consolidate the data. When the Universe was born, an estimated 13.8 billion years ago, matter was expelled and gradually formed planets, stars and galaxies (the so-called visible matter).
By “piecing together” a map of all matter, researchers “can try to understand the forces that shaped the evolution of the Universe,” made up of 5% visible matter and 85% dark matter, which is not directly observable but inferred from the gravitational effect exerted on visible matter.
Source: Observadora
