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DESI Data Suggests Dark Energy May Be Weakening, Challenging Cosmological Models

New findings from the largest 3D map of the universe indicate dark energy's energy density might have decreased over time, potentially reshaping our understanding of the cosmos and its fate.

DESI maps distant objects to study dark energy. The instrument is installed on the Mayall Telescope, shown here beneath star trails.
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Image
View of M74, otherwise known as the Phantom Galaxy, taken by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, in this handout image released August 29, 2022. NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Overview

  • The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has found evidence that dark energy, the force driving the universe's accelerated expansion, may have weakened by 10% over the past 4.5 billion years.
  • This potential evolution of dark energy challenges the Lambda-CDM model, which assumes dark energy is a constant, and could necessitate revisions to the standard cosmological framework.
  • DESI's findings are based on three years of data from nearly 15 million galaxies, combined with other datasets such as supernovae and cosmic microwave background radiation.
  • While the evidence has reached a statistical significance of up to 4.2 sigma, it does not yet meet the 5-sigma threshold required for a confirmed discovery, with further data expected to refine the results.
  • The weakening of dark energy could have profound implications for the universe's future, raising possibilities such as a 'Big Crunch' or a constant expansion rate, depending on its trajectory.