New theoretical study suggests that the expansion of our universe is driven by the merging with ‘baby universes’

The universe is expanding faster and faster, but not all scientists agree that dark energy is the cause. Perhaps, instead, our universe keeps colliding with and absorbing smaller ‘baby universes,’ a new theoretical study suggests.

A new theoretical study has put forward an intriguing explanation for the ever-accelerating expansion of our universe. According to this study, our universe may be expanding because it continuously collides with and absorbs “baby” parallel universes. This idea challenges the prevailing theory of cosmic evolution, known as the Standard Cosmological Model, which relies on the existence of dark energy to explain the expansion.

Dark energy, however, remains elusive and unobservable in any other form. Therefore, scientists have been exploring alternative causes for the universe’s expansion. The recent study, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, suggests that the merging with other universes could be the driving force behind the accelerated expansion. Lead study author Jan Ambjørn, a physicist at Copenhagen University, explained that their work provides a simple and intuitive explanation for the expansion, which may fit the data better than the standard cosmological model.

Swallowing cosmic ‘babies’

This study presents a novel approach to the concept of multiple universes interacting with our own. By developing a mathematical model, the researchers aim to investigate the potential effects of such interactions on the evolution of our universe. According to their calculations, the merging of universes would result in an increase in the volume of our universe, which could be detected as an expansion through our instruments.

Additionally, the scientists utilized their theory to compute the rate of expansion of the universe. Remarkably, their calculations align more closely with observations of the universe compared to the traditional Standard Cosmological Model, as stated by the researchers.

The problem of cosmological inflation, which refers to the rapid expansion of the universe in its early stages, is also addressed by the theory proposed by the authors.

Previously, physicists suggested that this expansion was caused by a hypothetical field called “the inflaton,” which drove an extremely rapid expansion shortly after the Big Bang. However, the authors of the new study propose a different explanation, suggesting that this super-rapid early expansion could have occurred because our young universe was absorbed by a larger universe.

In their paper, the researchers state, “The fact that the Universe has expanded rapidly in a very short time invites the suggestion that this expansion was caused by a collision with a larger universe, meaning that our Universe was actually absorbed by another ‘parent’ universe. Since we currently lack a detailed description of the absorption process, it is difficult to determine if such a scenario could effectively solve the problems that inflation was intended to address. However, one interesting aspect of this scenario is that it eliminates the need for an inflaton field.”

According to the scientists, after being absorbed, our newly enlarged universe continued to collide with other “baby universes” and assimilate them as well.

While the authors’ theory offers potential solutions to significant problems in modern cosmology, it is important to note that only observational data can validate their hypothesis. Numerous experiments are currently underway to study the properties of the microwave background, which may provide answers to these fundamental questions in the near future.

Yoshiyuki Watabiki, a physicist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, stated that the current expansion of our Universe deviates from the standard cosmological predictions. To determine the most accurate model describing this expansion, we anticipate that data gathered from the Euclid telescope and the James Webb telescope will provide conclusive evidence.

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