NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Matthee (ISTA), R. Mackenzie (ETH Zurich), D. Kashino (NAOJ), S. Lilly (ETH Zurich)
New study suggests that black holes may be the key to understanding dark energy and the accelerated expansion of the Universe.
The analysis indicates that, instead of slowing down, as expected, the expansion of the Universe is actually accelerating due to an enigmatic force called dark energy, which is believed to represent about 70% of the matter-energy in the Universe.
The authors of the propose that the black holes can contain or produce dark energy.
This theory, called cosmological coupling, suggests that black holes grow in synchronization with the expansion of the Universe.
The gravitational force found in black holes is similar to conditions shortly after the Big Bang, suggesting a possible link between black holes and cosmic inflation, the period of rapid expansion that followed the Big Bang.
In previous studies, researchers have observed the growth of supermassive black holes located in galaxies that no longer produce new stars or fuel the growth of black holes.
This observed expansion is not due to common mechanisms, but is consistent with cosmological coupling, reinforcing the idea that the Black holes can influence the expansion of the Universe.
The team further explored the role of black holes by studying how they form from the collapse of massive stars, highlights the .
They observed that the rate of black hole formation was correlated with the amount of dark energy, suggesting that black holes can generate dark energy as they are born, which would explain the missing normal matter and the continued acceleration of the Universe’s expansion.
According to physicist Gregory Tarlé of the University of Michigan, this question has evolved from a theoretical speculation into an experimental focus, making black holes a strong candidate in the search for answers about the accelerated growth of the Universe.
