Cosmic glitch in the behavior of gravity casts doubt on Einstein's theory of relativity

Scientists plan to adjust the physical theory of space-time

Researchers from the University of Waterloo suggest that on cosmic scales, when it comes to distances amounting to billions of light years, Einstein's general theory of relativity there may be spaces. They describe this phenomenon as a «cosmic glitch.» This discovery paved the way for a possible revision of the theory based on these observations.

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Since its inception in 1915, Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, which describes gravity as the effect of curvature of space-time, has been largely confirmed by experiment. This theory successfully predicted phenomena such as black holes and gravitational waves. But an anomaly called a «cosmic glitch,» in which the force of gravity is about 1 percent weaker than predicted by theory, may point to Einstein's inaccuracy.

For decades, researchers have been trying to create a mathematical model that would help general relativity overcome its inconsistencies, and applied mathematicians and astrophysicists at the University of Waterloo have been key developers in this quest.

Scientists are now proposing adjustments to the standard cosmological model , in particular, by changing the gravitational constant to eliminate inconsistencies without calling into question the success of relativity in other areas. This approach involves expanding the theory, but does not cancel it.

However, like Newton's theory of gravity, which it surpassed, general relativity does not provide a complete picture of the mysterious cosmic interactions.

«This model of gravity was necessary for everything — from theorizing the Big Bang to photographing black holes, — explains Robina Wen from the Mathematical Physics Program at the University of Waterloo. — But when we try to understand gravity on a cosmic scale, at the scale of galaxy clusters and beyond, we encounter obvious discrepancies with the predictions of general relativity.

A cosmic glitch would require changes to the gravitational constant values. This change may occur as a calculation of the «superhorizon» approach, or the maximum distance light can travel since the beginning of the universe.

According to the team, this adjustment can be made by adding one addition to the standard cosmological model. This model is known as the lambda model of cold dark matter. Once completed, the extension should resolve inconsistencies in measurements at cosmological scales that do not affect existing methods for successfully using general relativity.

This need for revision is not unprecedented. Einstein himself was forced to change his theory soon after it was first formulated, adding a so-called «cosmological constant» to predict a static universe, which was a popular hypothesis at the time. After this constant was eliminated, it was revised and later reintroduced to explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe, discovered at the end of the 20th century.

Future observations of the large-scale structure of the Universe and the cosmic microwave background may confirm this hypothesis of “ cosmic failure.» This achievement represents a significant step in understanding the Universe, indicating that even in the most fundamental areas of physics, adjustments are still needed to reconcile theory and observations.