Wormholes could be driving universal expansion, study finds

Recent astronomical observations show that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, something that defies our understanding of general relativity.

Einstein's theory suggests that if only known particles and radiation filled the universe, the rapid expansion of space would be impossible. This leaves scientists searching for an explanation, and one of the most debated concepts in modern astrophysics is the existence of dark energy—a mysterious force driving this accelerated expansion.

Dark energy, first introduced to solve this puzzle, remains enigmatic. It weakly interacts with other forms of matter and energy, making it extremely difficult to observe directly. This mysterious substance is believed to permeate the universe, yet its structure or origin remains unknown. It’s thought to be responsible for about 68% of the total energy in the cosmos. But despite its significant influence, scientists are still struggling to fully understand what dark energy is.

One approach to tackling this mystery involves introducing a positive cosmological constant (Λ), a simple way of explaining the acceleration. However, this explanation presents the "cosmological constant problem"—quantum field theory predicts a value for Λ that is 120 orders of magnitude larger than observed. This enormous discrepancy has forced scientists to rethink the origins of dark energy.

Two broad paths are being explored. First, dark energy could be treated as a dynamic entity, changing over time rather than remaining constant, within the framework of general relativity. Second, modifications to our current understanding of gravity might offer solutions.

One notable area of investigation is holographic dark energy, a concept rooted in quantum gravity, which considers the universe as having an underlying quantum framework. These possibilities offer avenues for bridging the gaps in our current cosmological models.

In an attempt to resolve these issues, scientists are also looking into quantum gravity—the theoretical framework that seeks to unify general relativity with quantum mechanics. Quantum gravity presents new, complex ideas about how the universe behaves on a fundamental level, and some researchers believe it could hold the key to understanding dark energy.

Recently, a bold new candidate for dark energy has been proposed: subatomic-size wormholes. These tiny tunnels, linking separate points in space, could be responsible for the universe's expansion. According to researchers, these microscopic wormholes are continuously created and destroyed in the vacuum of space due to quantum effects.

This phenomenon is comparable to particle generation at the event horizons of black holes, which leads to Hawking radiation, or the creation of electron-positron pairs by strong electric fields—a process known as the Schwinger effect.

However, these wormholes differ from those phenomena in significant ways. The mathematics describing their creation requires the inclusion of quantum effects in gravity, a task that is still poorly understood. The challenge of incorporating quantum gravitational phenomena has made it difficult for scientists to determine the exact rate at which these wormholes are formed.

Despite this, researchers have managed to develop an estimate using Euclidean quantum gravity, showing that if about 10 billion wormholes are created per cubic centimeter of space each second, their energy would be enough to drive the universe's accelerated expansion.

The findings were published in the journal Physical Review D, where Stylianos Tsilioukas, a doctoral student at the University of Thessaly and National Observatory of Athens, and his colleagues presented their model. According to Tsilioukas, the model they propose has observational advantages over the widely accepted Standard Cosmological Model, which assumes that dark energy remains constant over time.

"According to our proposal, dark energy can change as time flows," Tsilioukas said. This is significant because recent observations suggest that the rate of the universe's expansion has varied over its lifetime, challenging earlier assumptions.

Although this new theory holds potential, it still faces the hurdle of experimental verification. For now, the idea of wormholes driving dark energy remains untestable, but that could change as advancements in space-based experiments and observations improve our ability to measure the expansion rate and other aspects of dark energy.

As Tsilioukas noted, "The ever-increasing accuracy of space experiments and observations should enable astronomers to deduce the universe expansion rate in more detail, as well as to measure other observable manifestations of dark energy."

This breakthrough could also offer new insights into quantum gravity, often regarded as the Holy Grail of theoretical physics. If proven, the discovery of wormholes as a driver of cosmic expansion would not only solve the mystery of dark energy but also provide key information about how gravity operates on the smallest scales, potentially unifying it with the other fundamental forces.

The research team is already working on refining their calculations. "We are working right now on a model which calculates the rate of wormhole formation," said Tsilioukas. "The research seems promising, and we hope to publish the results very soon."

In the long term, understanding dark energy could revolutionize our grasp of the universe, its origins, and its ultimate fate. If wormholes are confirmed as the missing piece of this cosmic puzzle, they could open up entirely new avenues in the study of physics, revealing insights into the very fabric of space and time.

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