Dark matter isn’t so cold after all ⚡ экспресс
Astrophysicists have taken a fresh look at dark matter, considering a model where it possesses a tiny negative pressure (a parameter called w₂), alongside three different descriptions of dark energy. By merging clues from the cosmic microwave background, baryon acoustic oscillations, and supernova flashes, they consistently spotted a signal favoring negative w₂. This finding suggests that dark matter doesn't act like perfectly cold dust, but more like a medium with a subtle negative tension—oddly enough, a trait we usually associate with dark energy. Though the Hubble constant tension persists, the result's independence from the dark energy model strongly indicates a real departure from the standard framework, urging us to rethink dark matter's very nature.
The enigma of dark matter was already studied by Fritz Zwicky and Vera Rubin. For decades, it was depicted as a cold, listless skeleton that only draws galaxies together. A fresh look at data from supernovae, dark energy, and measurements of the universe’s expansion hints that this skeleton not only holds but also flexes gently, pushing itself apart. This effect—negative pressure—is billions of times weaker than the familiar gravitational attraction of particles, yet it reshapes the notion of dark matter’s passive nature. Researchers emphasize that the finding doesn’t depend on the chosen dark energy model. Maybe the standard cosmological model will soon embrace new physics, even though the mystery of the universe’s differing expansion rates remains unsolved.
🎯 Negative pressure is a minuscule self-repulsion, billions of times weaker than the gravitational pull we're used to.
🎬 Sci-fi writers have long exploited negative pressure for space jumps; now it turns out dark matter itself contains this ingredient, albeit in tiny doses.