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In astronomy and cosmology, dark fluid is an alternative theory to both dark matter and dark energy and attempts to explain both phenomena in a single framework.[1][2][dubious ]
Dark fluid proposes that dark matter and dark energy are not separate physical phenomena as previously thought, nor do they have separate origins, but that they are strongly linked together and can be considered as two facets of a single fluid. At galactic scales, the dark fluid behaves like dark matter, and at larger scales its behavior becomes similar to dark energy. Our observations within the scales of the Earth and the Solar System are currently insufficient to explain the gravitational effects observed at such larger scales.[citation needed]
A simple dark fluid with negative mass proposed in 2018 by astrophysicist Jamie Farnes from the University of Oxford has been shown to have the properties required to explain both dark matter and dark energy.[3][4]
Overview
Two major conundrums have arisen in astrophysics and cosmology in recent times, both dealing with the laws of gravity. The first was the realization that there aren't enough visible stars or gas inside galaxies to account for their high rate of rotation. The hypothesis of dark matter was created to explain this phenomenon. It postulates that the galaxies (including our own Milky Way) are spinning as fast as they are because there is more matter in those galaxies than can be seen by summing only the mass of stars and gas, and that this unseen (dark) matter is invisible because it doesn't interact with the electromagnetic force from which all forms of light come. The hypothesized dark matter was subsequently extended to clusters of galaxies, and found useful for cosmological calculations and for interpreting gravitational lensing by galaxies.
The second conundrum came from the observations of a very specific kind of supernova, known as a Type Ia supernova used as a standard candle: When they were compared in distant vs. nearby galaxies, it was found that the distant supernova were fainter than expected, and thus farther away than expected. This implied that the Universe was not only expanding, but accelerating its expansion. Hypothesizing dark energy can explain this phenomenon.
The traditional approach to modeling the effects of gravity assumes that general relativity is as valid at cosmological scales as it is in the Solar System, where its predictions have been more accurately tested. Not changing the rules of gravity, however, implies the presence of dark matter and dark energy in parts of the Universe where the curvature of the spacetime manifold is far less than that in the Solar System. It is phenomenologically possible to alter the equations of gravity in regions of low spacetime curvature such that the dynamics of the spacetime causes what we assign to the presence of dark matter and dark energy.[5] Dark fluid theory hypothesizes that the dark fluid is a specific kind of fluid whose attractive and repulsive behaviors depend on the local energy density. In this theory, the dark fluid behaves like dark matter in the regions of space where the baryon density is high. The idea is that when the dark fluid is in the presence of matter, it slows down and coagulates around it; this then attracts more dark fluid to coagulate around it, thus amplifying the force of gravity near it. The effect is always present, but only becomes noticeable in the presence of a very large mass such as a galaxy. This description is similar to theories of dark matter, and a special case of the equations of dark fluid reproduces dark matter.[citation needed]
On the other hand, in places where there is relatively little matter, as in the voids between galactic superclusters, this hypothesis predicts that the dark fluid relaxes and acquires a negative pressure. Thus dark fluid becomes a repulsive force, with an effect similar to that of dark energy.
Dark fluid goes beyond dark matter and dark energy in that it predicts a continuous range of attractive and repulsive qualities under various matter density cases. Indeed, special cases of various other gravitational theories are reproduced by dark fluid, e.g. inflation, quintessence, k-essence, f(R), Generalized Einstein-Aether f(K), MOND, TeVeS, BSTV, etc. Dark fluid theory also suggests new models, such as a certain f(K+R) model that suggests interesting corrections to MOND that depend on redshift and density.[citation needed]
Simplifying assumptions
Dark fluid is not analyzed like a standard fluid mechanics model, because the complete equations in fluid mechanics are as yet too difficult to solve. A formalized fluid mechanical approach, like the generalized Chaplygin gas model, would be an ideal method for modeling dark fluid, but it currently requires too many observational data points for the computations to be feasible, and not enough data points are available to cosmologists. A simplification step was undertaken by modeling the hypothesis through scalar field models instead, as is done in other alternative approaches to dark energy and dark matter.[2][6]
References
- ^ Arbey, Alexandre (2005). "Is it possible to consider Dark Energy and Dark Matter as a same and unique Dark Fluid?". arXiv:astro-ph/0506732. Bibcode:2005astro.ph..6732A. Cite journal requires
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(help) - ^ a b Arbey, Alexandre (2006). "Dark Fluid: a complex scalar field to unify dark energy and dark matter". Physical Review D. 74 (4): 043516. arXiv:astro-ph/0601274. Bibcode:2006PhRvD..74d3516A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.74.043516. S2CID 119383364.
- ^ Farnes, J. S. (2018). "A Unifying Theory of Dark Energy and Dark Matter: Negative Masses and Matter Creation within a Modified ΛCDM Framework". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 620: A92. arXiv:1712.07962. Bibcode:2018A&A...620A..92F. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201832898. S2CID 53600834.
- ^ Farnes, Jamie (December 17, 2018). "Bizarre 'Dark Fluid' with Negative Mass Could Dominate the Universe".
- ^ Exirifard, Q. (2011). "Phenomenological covariant approach to gravity". General Relativity and Gravitation. 43 (1): 93–106. arXiv:0808.1962. Bibcode:2011GReGr..43...93E. doi:10.1007/s10714-010-1073-6. S2CID 119169726.
- ^ Arbey, A.; Mahmoudi, F. (2007). "One-loop quantum corrections to cosmological scalar field potentials". Physical Review D. 75 (6): 063513. arXiv:hep-th/0703053. Bibcode:2007PhRvD..75f3513A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.75.063513. S2CID 18310820.
External links
- Arbey, A. (2008). "Cosmological constraints on unifying Dark Fluid models". The Open Astronomy Journal. 1 (1): 27–38. arXiv:0812.3122. Bibcode:2008OAJ.....1...27A. doi:10.2174/1874381100801010027. S2CID 7195044.
- Guo, Zong-Kuan; Zhang, Yuan-Zhong (2007). "Cosmology with a Variable Chaplygin Gas". Physics Letters B. 645 (4): 326–329. arXiv:astro-ph/0506091. Bibcode:2007PhLB..645..326G. doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2006.12.063. S2CID 14416599.
- Halle, Anaelle; Zhao, HongSheng; Li, Baojiu (2008). "Perturbations in a non-uniform dark energy fluid: equations reveal effects of modified gravity and dark matter". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 177: 1–13. arXiv:0711.0958. doi:10.1086/587744. S2CID 14155129.
- O’Dowd, Matt (January 9, 2019). "Are Dark Matter And Dark Energy The Same?". PBS Space Time – via YouTube.