Physics Geneva scientists question Einstein's theory
A team of researchers from Geneva and Toulouse has discovered a slight deviation in the deformation of matter that calls Einstein's theory of relativity into question.
11.11.2024, 11:04
SDA
An international research team consisting of scientists from the University of Geneva and the University of Toulouse has made a discovery that puts Albert Einstein's theory of relativity to the test. The researchers found a slight deviation in the way matter is deformed.
According to Einstein's theory, the universe is deformed by the presence of matter, much like a flexible film. These deformations, known as gravitational potentials, are caused by the gravitational pull of celestial bodies, the University of Geneva explained in a statement. Light is deflected by these gravitational fields, comparable to the effect of a glass lens.
As part of the Dark Energy Survey, a project to map the shapes of hundreds of millions of galaxies, the researchers analyzed the distribution of matter in the universe. Galaxies were examined at four different points in time in the past.
Six to seven billion years ago, the measured gravitational depressions corresponded to Einstein's predictions. However, in the more recent past, around 3.5 to five billion years ago, these depressions were shallower than expected. The accelerated expansion of the universe also began at this time.
The researchers suspect that the cause of the accelerated expansion of the universe and the observed gravitational potentials could be the same. It is possible that gravity behaves differently on large scales than Einstein assumed.
Despite the observed deviation, this is not sufficient to disprove Einstein's theory. More precise measurements are needed to confirm or refute the results and to clarify whether Einstein's theory is still valid at very large distances in the universe. These more precise analyses will be made possible by the new data from the Euclid space telescope, which was launched a year ago. It will observe around 1.5 billion galaxies over the next six years.
