Dark Energy: Constancy Questioned ⚡ экспресс
Astrophysicists have obtained compelling evidence that dark energy is not a cosmological constant (w = -1), but changes dynamically. Analysis of DESI, supernovae and cosmic microwave background data showed that its equation of state likely crosses -1 — the 'Quintom-B' scenario. It resembles a situation where the steady hum of an engine suddenly starts to waver. Constraints on neutrino mass have also been refined, and in some models the discrepancy with ΛCDM exceeds 3σ, hinting at possible cracks in the standard paradigm.
Previously, cosmologists imagined dark energy as a steady breeze, uniformly inflating the Universe like a balloon. The discovery of accelerated expansion, made by Adam Riess and Saul Perlmutter at the end of the 20th century, only reinforced this picture.
But a summary of fresh data—from supernova explosions to galaxy maps and echoes of the Big Bang—tells a different story. Studying the light of millions of galaxies (the DESI instrument, spectroscopy) revealed: the force inflating the balloon was pulsing. In the past, the pressure was slightly weaker, then strengthened, but now it may be weakening again.
🎯 If dark energy is indeed inconstant, the Universe's finale could be different: expansion isn't eternal—after trillions of years it might slow down, and galaxies will start approaching each other, triggering a reverse collapse.