Dark Dialogue: Gravitational Lenses Reveal an Exchange of Matter and Energy ⚡ экспресс
The standard cosmological model assumes dark matter and dark energy don’t interact. But a new study tests three models where energy can be exchanged, depending on the Universe’s expansion rate. Using gravitational lensing data (the bending of light by massive objects) from individual galaxies and the Abell 1689 cluster, astrophysicists found surprisingly strong constraints: the interaction is negative, pointing to energy flowing from dark energy into dark matter, and the switch to accelerated expansion happened much earlier than thought. These results turn lensing into a powerful tool for probing the hidden dynamics of the dark sector, complementing traditional methods.
The Universe is a vast city. In it, dark matter is the invisible framework of buildings, and dark energy is the force stretching the streets. For a long time they were considered independent, but new research has caught them in secret communication. Astronomers used gravitational lenses—massive clusters of galaxies that bend light like funhouse mirrors at a crossroads. The effect was predicted by Einstein, and Fritz Zwicky was the first to notice that clusters behave as if an invisible mass is hiding within them. The lenses weighed this mass over time and showed: in the past, dark matter was flowing into dark energy, slowing the acceleration. But the most unexpected part—the process wasn't constant. It changed direction several times over cosmic history, as if the city breathed, periodically rearranging its streets and framework.
The discovery equips us with a new way to study the expansion of the universe, which is accelerating for no obvious reason. If dark energy and matter really exchange properties, the cosmic mystery becomes a little clearer.
🎯 A gravitational lens can create multiple copies of the same galaxy in the sky—like a cosmic trick with mirrors.