Scale-Invariant Unparticles and Cosmic Expansion
Science Time · 2024
"The accelerating expansion of the universe, traditionally attributed to the Cosmological Constant, may be driven by "unparticles" — a theoretical form of scale-invariant matter that behaves as a macroscopic fluid defying standard particle physics."
In the late 1990s astronomers discovered the universe isn't just expanding but accelerating. The driver is placeholder-named "Dark Energy," roughly 68% of the observable universe, standardly explained by the Cosmological Constant — an inherent energy of empty space. But that model faces severe mathematical tension: quantum mechanics predicts vacuum energy vastly larger than what's actually observed. An alternative: a bizarre, undiscovered state of matter called "unparticles" might be the real engine pushing galaxies apart.
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Cosmological Cannibalism and Baby Universes
"The rapid expansion of the universe — traditionally explained by cosmic inflation and dark energy — can alternatively be modeled as our universe systematically colliding with and absorbing smaller "baby universes" within a larger multiverse framework."