The universe may be dotted with countless microscopic wormholes, tiny tunnels connecting distant points in space-time. This bold theory, proposed by an international team of researchers, could revolutionize our understanding of the expansion of the universe and enigmatic dark energy. Now I'll explain better, but in the meantime a premise.
What is the difference between wormholes and black holes?
Black holes and wormholes are distinct concepts in physics: Black holes are real, observable astronomical objects, formed by the gravitational collapse of massive stars, trapping matter and light with their intense gravity. In contrast, wormholes are hypothetical theoretical structures that could act as wormholes, connecting two distant points in the universe, but have not yet been observed or demonstrated. While black holes are a confirmed reality, wormholes remain a fascinating and untested hypothesis.
The theory of subatomic wormholes
A recent study published in the journal Physical Review D (I link it here) proposes an alternative explanation for the accelerating expansion of the universe. Instead of resorting to dark energy, researchers suggest that a huge number of subatomic wormholes could be responsible for this cosmic phenomenon.
According to the researchers' calculations, the expansion rate of the observed universe would be explainable with ten billion wormholes per cubic centimeter per second. This absurd density of microscopic wormholes could be enough to influence the structure of space-time on a cosmic scale.
In simpler words?
Imagine the universe as a huge slice of bread. Traditional dark energy theory suggests that this bread is swelling as if it were in an oven, expanding faster and faster.
Now, the new theory proposes a different idea. Instead of a bread that rises, imagine that this slice of bread is continuously punctured by tiny invisible insects. These “bugs” are microscopic wormholes. Incredibly small tunnels connecting different points in the bread. They appear and disappear so quickly that we can't see them, but they are so numerous (billions of these tunnels forming and vanishing in every breadcrumb every second) that their cumulative effect is to cause the bread to "puff up."
In other words? It would not be a mysterious force (dark energy) that makes the universe expand, but these tiny tunnels which, continually appearing and disappearing, create a sort of "sponge effect" in space-time, making it expand.
This is just a theory and requires a lot more research and evidence to confirm, but it offers an intriguing new way to think about how our universe works at incredibly small and incredibly large scales.
Implications for quantum physics
Stylianos Tsilioukas, a doctoral candidate at the University of Thessaly and co-author of the study, says: “Although our result was derived on the basis of Euclidean quantum gravity, it is likely that our modification could also apply to other theories of quantum gravity.” This statement suggests that the theory may have broader implications for our understanding of fundamental physics.
The team claims that their proposal aligns well with observations from the real universe. Tsilioukas adds: “According to our proposal, dark energy can change over time. This is an important advantage because recent observations suggest that the rate of expansion of the universe is different in recent times than it was in the early universe."
Limitations and future research
It is important to note that this remains a theory that requires further testing and research. The researchers themselves are aware of the need to further study. Tsilioukas said: “We are working right now on a model that calculates the rate of wormhole formation. The research looks promising and we hope to publish the results very soon.”
Wormhole, implications for cosmology
If confirmed, this theory could have profound implications for our understanding of the universe. It could offer an alternative explanation for dark energy, which has long been a puzzle to cosmologists. Furthermore, it could open up new avenues of research in theoretical physics and cosmology.
The theory of microscopic wormholes as the driver of the expansion of the universe is a fascinating example of how theoretical physics continues to challenge our conceptions of the universe. Of course, it remains a speculative theory: but it illustrates the ever-evolving nature of our cosmic understanding.
The possibility that tiny wormholes could influence the structure of the universe on a large scale is a concept that defies the imagination and underlines how much we still have to discover about the cosmos.
