According to data gathered from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration, dark energy, long thought to be a “cosmological constant,” might be evolving over time in unexpected ways. The analysis supports the group’s previous datasets.
Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, leading the study, presented early evidence of evolving dark energy during a 2024 physics conference. The analysis combines DESI data with measurements from cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), supernovae, and gravitational lensing, further supporting the idea that dark energy’s impact might be weakening.
Scientists believe dark energy plays a major role in the universe’s rapid expansion, even though its nature is unclear. New data from the DESI project and other observations, such as ancient cosmic light (CMB), exploding stars (supernovae), and warped light from distant galaxies, suggest that dark energy’s influence may be decreasing.
This could mean we must revise our understanding of the universe.
Scientists emphasize that the idea of evolving dark energy hasn’t yet reached the highest standard of proof in physics, known as five sigma. However, analyses combining DESI data with other measurements, like CMB, supernovae, and gravitational lensing, show significance levels between 2.8 and 4.2 sigma.
At 4.2 sigma, Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki believes we’re nearing a critical turning point. He noted that the growing evidence is fascinating because it comes from multiple independent datasets, further strengthening their findings about the potential evolution of dark energy.
Reflecting on decades of research into cosmic acceleration, Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki expressed excitement about the growing evidence for evolving dark energy, stating that it could have a monumental impact on physics and cosmology.
The DESI project is one of the most ambitious efforts to explore the universe. Using advanced instruments, it observes the light from galaxies—capturing data from up to 5,000 galaxies at once.
In its fourth year, DESI will study around 50 million galaxies and quasars by the project’s end. So far, the analysis includes three years of observations, covering nearly 15 million galaxies and quasars.
This massive effort is supported by several institutions and funding organizations globally, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other international contributors.
Research is conducted atop Kitt Peak, a site sacred to the Tohono O’odham Nation, whose support the collaboration greatly respects. DESI’s groundbreaking work continues to advance our understanding of the cosmos.
Alexie Leauthaud-Harnett, co-spokesperson for DESI and a professor at UC Santa Cruz, said, “What we are seeing is deeply intriguing. It is exciting to think that we may be on the cusp of a major discovery about dark energy and the fundamental nature of our universe.”
Andrei Cuceu, a postdoctoral researcher at Berkeley Lab and co-chair of DESI’s Lyman-alpha working group, which uses the distribution of intergalactic hydrogen gas to map the distant universe said, “We’re in the business of letting the universe tell us how it works, and maybe the universe is telling us it’s more complicated than we thought it was. It’s interesting and gives us more confidence to see that many different lines of evidence point in the same direction.”
The collaboration shared their findings today in multiple papers that will be posted on the online repository arXiv and in a presentation at the American Physical Society’s Global Physics Summit in Anaheim, California.
Source: Tech Explorist
