In recent years, researchers have been seeking to explain the mysterious ‘cosmic glitch’ that occurs at the edge of the expanding universe, where gravity appears to weaken by about one percent. While our current understanding of gravity is based on Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which has been extensively verified through experiments and observations, it falls apart when applied to phenomena on a cosmic scale.
Astronomers discovered over a century ago that the universe is expanding, leading some to propose that this expansion could be attributed to a weakening of gravity at extreme distances. However, as galaxies move farther away, they appear to accelerate, violating the predictions of general relativity. To address these inconsistencies within general relativity, physicists and astronomers have spent over two decades developing a new mathematical framework.
Robin Wen, a graduate student in mathematical physics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, describes this new model as an extension of Einstein’s theory that offers a potential resolution to the discrepancies observed at cosmic distances without negating the validity of general relativity. The model represents a modification to Einstein’s formulae that becomes relevant only on large cosmic scales.
Niayesh Afshordi, an astrophysics professor at the University of Waterloo, suggests that this model might provide the first step in unraveling a cosmic puzzle that spans space and time. It sheds light on the fundamental nature of gravity in the universe and could pave the way for further discoveries in astrophysics.