Scientists have made a precise map of all the matter in the universe.
The new map represents one of the most
precise measurements of how all the stuff in the universe is distributed across
the universe.
It mostly fits with our existing
picture of the cosmos. But there are some intriguing differences that could
suggest we are wrong about the universe in certain important ways.
When the universe began, matter was
flung outwards, gradually forming the planets, stars and galaxies.
By carefully putting together a map of
that matter today, scientists can try to understand the forces that shaped the
evolution of the universe.
Combining
data from two major telescope surveys of the universe, the Dark Energy Survey
and the South Pole Telescope, the new analysis involved more than 150
researchers, including several with the University of Chicago and Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory.
The
research suggests matter is not as “clumpy” as would be expected based on the
current best model of the universe.
According
to the scientists, this adds to a body of evidence that there may be something
missing from the existing standard model of the universe.
By
analyzing the two sets of data, the scientists could infer where all the matter
ended up in the universe.
They
say it is more precise than previous measurements as it narrows down the
possibilities for where this matter wound up, compared with previous analyses.
The majority of the results fit perfectly with the currently accepted best theory of the universe.
But there are also signs of a crack - one that has been suggested in the past.
The new readings find the universe is
less clumpy, clustering in certain areas rather than evenly spread out.
The researchers say that if other studies continue to find the same results, it may mean there is something missing from the existing model of the universe.
But because the analysis yielded useful information from two very different telescope surveys the results are considered to be landmark findings.
The research has been published in Physical Review D. The three papers are available on preprint server arXiv and can be found here, here, and here.
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