Dark matter, this mysterious force that causes the expansion of the universe, does not manifest itself in the Solar System. Recently, a NASA scientist suggested that we may have misunderstood what it is and that it is not worth looking for it here at all, or at least that we need to take a completely new approach to detecting it.
Significant inconsistency
Dark energy is a mysterious force that does not interact with matter or radiation, yet it causes the universe to expand. It should not be confused with dark matter, which is also invisible but can theoretically influence the shape of galaxies through the gravitational force.
Recently, a NASA scientist suggested that we may have misunderstood dark energy altogether. In general, scientists have long had questions about the current theory of dark energy. In particular, they question the assertion that it acts uniformly throughout the universe, including on Earth and in the Solar System.
There is a significant discrepancy between observations of intergalactic space, which clearly indicate its presence, and observations made in our own Solar System. This is usually attributed to the fact that it is too weak for this purpose.
However, scientists have long been receiving signals from our spacecraft, which have flown billions of kilometers away from Earth. We can determine the accuracy of transmissions in time down to millionths of a second. However, no signs of the expansion of the universe within tens of astronomical units around us have been detected so far.
What dark energy really is
So it is possible that dark energy is not actually a constant present everywhere, but simply a fifth fundamental force which, unlike electromagnetism, gravity, and strong and weak nuclear interactions, for some reason acts where there is no matter, rather than where there is a lot of it. But why?
There are two possible assumptions here. The first can be conditionally called “chameleon”. It consists of the fact that reducing its intensity in areas of increased density is its own fundamental property. However, it can still be measured in a thin shell around a massive point object, such as the Sun.
The second possibility is that the fifth interaction is suppressed by gravity. But then the picture should be completely different. There should be a certain radius around a massive body within which the fifth interaction is not felt at all.
The only problem is that, according to calculations, even for the Sun, it should be 400 light-years. This means that our entire galaxy should be a continuous zone without fifth interaction. How can we be sure that this is the case?
In fact, each theory has its own predictions that can be tested through missions targeting deep space. However, they can only be reliably verified if indisputable evidence is found in the Solar System.
Provided by: phys.org
