Scientist links the expansion of the universe to the quantum uncertainty of geometry
A physicist has proposed an explanation for the accelerated expansion of the universe through the quantum uncertainty of the geometry of space-time, abandoning the concept of dark energy.
The study by Brown University researcher Savvas Koushiappas was published in the journal Physical Review D.
According to the proposed hypothesis, the size of the universe and the rate of its expansion cannot be measured with absolute precision at the same time, and the resulting fundamental “blurriness” of the geometry of the cosmos manifests itself as accelerated expansion. This approach shifts the explanation from hypothetical dark energy to the properties of quantum gravity. In some versions of the model, a scenario of a “bounce” from a previously contracting universe instead of a Big Bang singularity is also allowed. The hypothesis is expected to be tested using upcoming astronomical surveys by the DESI and Euclid projects and the Vera Rubin Observatory.
