Researchers have conducted one of the most exact tests of Albert Einstein ’s theory of General Relativity to date while looking at vast cosmic distance – and likeall the testsbefore , the theory has fleet it with flying colour . The current agreement of gravity , at the floor of precision we have , seems to be the correct one . The test has of import upshot for a major cosmogonical mystery : the nature of non-white vigor .
Over two decades ago , astronomers discovered that the universe is experiencing an accelerated expansion . The source of this acceleration remains unknown – the lead guess is known as dark get-up-and-go , an Energy Department field across clip and quad that exerts a repulsive pressure like some sort of antigravity . We do n’t have much solid grounds on what dark vigour does , so alternative ideas put forrader the view that possibly our theory of gravitational attraction is incomplete , and that gravity might be slightly dissimilar at large scales .
The international Dark Energy Survey releaseda reportexamining distances of up to 5 billion light - years to study galaxies and determined the subtle distortion created by gravity as it warps space - time . This effect , called weak gravitative lensing , allow the squad to determine the strength of gravity in the past times . As far as they can differentiate , they do not get any evidence of physics beyond our current mannequin of the Universe .
While this is an significant test , it is not the last word on the matter . It would n’t be science if it was . The European Space Agency will institutionalise a new observatory call Euclid to distance in 2023 for a six - yr mission . Euclid will force this analysis up to 8 billion wakeful - year aside . And by 2027 , NASA will have theNancy Grace Roman Space Telescopein quad that will look at light gravitational lensing even further , up to 11 billion light - years away .
“ There is still room to challenge Einstein ’s hypothesis of gravity , as measurements get more and more precise , ” co - author Agnès Ferté , who conducted the research as a postdoctoral researcher at JPL , say in astatement . “ But we still have so much to do before we ’re ready for Euclid and Roman . So it ’s indispensable we carry on to collaborate with scientists around the world on this problem as we ’ve done with the Dark Energy Survey . ”
There are a lot of dubiety about the nature of dark zip and the equally mysterious dark matter . But for now , they continue to be the extend hypothesis .
