새로운 연구는 우주의 나이를 267억년으로 두 배 늘립니다.

새로운 연구에 따르면 우주의 나이는 267억 년으로 널리 알려진 137억 년의 거의 두 배에 달합니다. Zwicky의 피곤한 빛 이론과 진화하는 Dirac 결합 상수를 통합한 새로운 모델은 빅뱅 이후 불과 3억년 후에 형성된 젊고 성숙한 은하의 존재를 설명하고 우주 상수에 대한 수정된 해석을 제안할 수 있습니다.

새로운 연구에서는 우주의 나이가 267억 년일 수 있다고 제안하여 Lambda-CDM 일치 모델을 기반으로 널리 받아들여지는 137억 년 추정에 도전합니다.

지배적인 우주론 모델에 도전하고 소위 “불가능한 초기 은하 문제”에 대해 새로운 빛을 비추는 새로운 연구에 따르면 우리 우주는 현재 추정치보다 두 배나 오래되었을 수 있습니다.

오타와 대학교 이과대학의 물리학과 조교수인 저자 라젠드라 굽타(Rajendra Gupta)는 말합니다.

“우리가 새로 고안한 모델은 은하 형성 시간을 수십억 년 연장하여 우주의 나이를 이전에 추정한 13.7년이 아닌 267억 년으로 만들었습니다.” Rajendra Gupta – 오타와 대학교 과학부 물리학과 조교수. 크레딧: 오타와 대학교

수년 동안 천문학자와 물리학자들은 우주가 탄생한 이래로 경과된 시간을 측정하여 우주의 나이를 계산해 왔습니다.[{” attribute=””>Big Bang and by studying the oldest stars based on the redshift of light coming from distant galaxies. In 2021, thanks to new techniques and advances in technology, the age of our universe was thus estimated at 13.797 billion years using the Lambda-CDM concordance model.

However, many scientists have been puzzled by the existence of stars like the Methuselah that appear to be older than the estimated age of our universe and by the discovery of early galaxies in an advanced state of evolution made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope. These galaxies, existing a mere 300 million years or so after the Big Bang, appear to have a level of maturity and mass typically associated with billions of years of cosmic evolution. Furthermore, they’re surprisingly small in size, adding another layer of mystery to the equation.

Zwicky’s tired light theory proposes that the redshift of light from distant galaxies is due to the gradual loss of energy by photons over vast cosmic distances. However, it was seen to conflict with observations. Yet Gupta found that “by allowing this theory to coexist with the expanding universe, it becomes possible to reinterpret the redshift as a hybrid phenomenon, rather than purely due to expansion.”

“Our newly-devised model stretches the galaxy formation time by several billion years, making the universe 26.7 billion years old, and not 13.7 as previously estimated.”

— Rajendra Gupta, Adjunct professor of physics in the Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa

In addition to Zwicky’s tired light theory, Gupta introduces the idea of evolving “coupling constants,” as hypothesized by Paul Dirac. Coupling constants are fundamental physical constants that govern the interactions between particles. According to Dirac, these constants might have varied over time. By allowing them to evolve, the timeframe for the formation of early galaxies observed by the Webb telescope at high redshifts can be extended from a few hundred million years to several billion years. This provides a more feasible explanation for the advanced level of development and mass observed in these ancient galaxies.

Moreover, Gupta suggests that the traditional interpretation of the “cosmological constant,” which represents dark energy responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe, needs revision. Instead, he proposes a constant that accounts for the evolution of the coupling constants. This modification in the cosmological model helps address the puzzle of small galaxy sizes observed in the early universe, allowing for more accurate observations.

On July 7, 2023, the study, “JWST early Universe observations and 𝚲CDM cosmology,” was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) by Oxford University Press.

Reference: “JWST early Universe observations and ΛCDM cosmology” by R Gupta, 7 July 2023, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad2032