Solving one of nature's great puzzles
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 @ 11:23:31 UTC Topic: Science
Via ScienceDaily.com: Solving one of nature's great puzzles: What drives the accelerating expansion of the universe?
UBC physicists may have solved one of nature's great puzzles: what causes the accelerating expansion of our universe?
PhD student Qingdi Wang has tackled this question in a new study that tries to resolve a major incompatibility issue between two of the most successful theories that explain how our universe works: quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity.
The study suggests that if we zoomed in-way in-on the universe, we would realize it's made up of constantly fluctuating space and time.
"Space-time is not as static as it appears, it's constantly moving," said Wang...
... When physicists apply the theory of quantum mechanics to vacuum energy, it predicts that there would be an incredibly large density of vacuum energy, far more than the total energy of all the particles in the universe. If this is true, Einstein's theory of general relativity suggests that the energy would have a strong gravitational effect and most physicists think this would cause the universe to explode. ... (more)
Story Source: https://news.ubc.ca/2017/05/15/solving-one-of-natures-great-puzzles-what-drives-the-accelerating-expansion-of-the-universe/
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