暗能量實驗挑戰愛因斯坦的宇宙理論

Scientists are currently investigating a mysterious force known as Dark Energy, which is responsible for pushing galaxies away from one another. This force is behaving in unexpected ways, leading researchers to believe that their understanding of the Universe may need to be revised. Some scientists feel they are on the brink of making a groundbreaking discovery that could alter our fundamental perceptions of time and space. This early finding contradicts the existing theories that were partly developed by the renowned physicist Albert Einstein. While more data is required to validate these results, even the most cautious and respected researchers, such as Professor Ofer Lahav from University College London, are becoming increasingly excited by the accumulating evidence. He stated, 'It is a dramatic moment. We may be witnessing a paradigm shift in our understanding of the Universe. ' The discovery of Dark Energy in 1998 was itself a shocking revelation. Prior to this, the prevailing belief was that after the Big Bang, which created the Universe, its expansion would gradually slow down due to the force of gravity. However, observations made by scientists from the United States and Australia revealed that the expansion of the Universe was actually accelerating. They were unsure of what was driving this acceleration, so they named it Dark Energy to reflect their lack of understanding. Although the nature of Dark Energy remains a mystery, astronomers can measure its effects and determine whether it is changing by observing the acceleration of galaxies moving away from each other at various points in the Universe's history. To investigate this further, several experiments have been established, including the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) located at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. DESI is equipped with 5,000 optical fibers, each functioning as a robotically controlled telescope that scans galaxies at high speeds. Last year, researchers using DESI detected hints that the force exerted by Dark Energy might have changed over time. Initially, many scientists believed this was merely a temporary anomaly in the data that would eventually resolve itself. However, a year later, this anomaly has intensified. Professor Seshadri Nadathur from the University of Portsmouth remarked, 'The evidence is stronger now than it was. ' He also noted that they have conducted numerous additional tests since the first year, which have bolstered their confidence that the results are not influenced by any unknown factors in the data. While the findings have not yet reached the level of being classified as a discovery, they have captured the attention of many astronomers, including Scotland's Astronomer Royal, Professor Catherine Heymans from Edinburgh University. She commented, 'Dark Energy appears to be even weirder than we thought. ' In 2024, the data was relatively new, and there was uncertainty surrounding it, with many believing that further investigation was necessary. However, with the accumulation of more data and rigorous scrutiny from the scientific community, there remains a possibility that this 'blip' in the data could lead to a significant discovery. So, what is causing these variations? Professor Lahav cheerfully admits, 'No one knows! ' If this new result is accurate, scientists will need to uncover the mechanism responsible for the variations, which could necessitate the development of an entirely new theory, making this an exhilarating prospect. DESI will continue to gather data over the next two years, with plans to measure approximately 50 million galaxies and other bright objects in an effort to definitively establish whether their observations are correct. Andrei Cuceu, a postdoctoral researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in California, stated, 'We're in the business of letting the Universe tell us how it works, and maybe it is telling us it's more complicated than we thought it was. ' Additional insights into the nature of Dark Energy will be obtained through the European Space Agency's new space telescope, which was launched in 2023 and is expected to provide even greater detail than DESI. The DESI collaboration involves over 900 researchers from more than 70 institutions worldwide, including Durham, UCL, and Portsmouth University from the UK.