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The problem for me is that I don't really understand the concept of "dark energy" (does anyone?), and the statistical analysis presented is WAY beyond my level of comprehension, so I'm totally reliant on the popular scientific press to get an interpretation that I can comprehend. (And I'm by no means certain that the modern popular scientific press is up to the job of understanding this sort of material!)
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Robert,
No one fully understands what dark energy is, only an inkling of what it might be.
As you know in quantum mechanics particles such as electrons exist in discrete (quantum) energy levels in an atom.
This idea can be extended further by applying special relativity to quantum mechanics.
Like the electron, the surrounding electric field can also exist in discrete energy levels.
From a classical physics perspective the field is a product of the presence of the electron, in quantum field theory it's the other way around.
In fact if you remove the electron the field is still there.
This leads to the subject of vacuum energy which frequently crops up in discussions in what dark energy might be.
Since a field can exist in quantum states, the lowest energy state associated with a field is a vacuum.
So once again we have a deviation from the classical physics definition where a vacuum is associated with "nothingness" to a field with the lowest energy state.
It has been shown in laboratory conditions that vacuums can exert pressure by the
Casimir effect which is a vindication of the quantum field definition of a vacuum.
This is where things get interesting. There are vacuums and then there are
false vacuums.
A false vacuum has an energy state higher than a true vacuum state and is not necessarily stable.
The instability of a false vacuum in analogous to the old physics party trick of trying to balance a chair on one leg. While it is difficult it is possible.
A chair balanced on one leg is said to be in an unstable equilibrium. The slightest disturbance rebalances the chair on all four legs. In the process of rebalancing energy is released in the process.
It is theorized a false vacuum existed in the early history of the Universe. Like the chair balanced on one leg it was unstable and when subjected to some disturbance went to the lower vacuum energy level releasing dark energy in process.
While this non mathematical description might sound plausible, the cold hard facts are when the maths is done the amount of dark energy predicted by the transition from a false vacuum to vacuum state is out by a whopping factor of 10^120 to the amount of dark energy "observed".
There is alot of work to be done to understand what the hell is going on.
Steven
My point or rather the point of a shrinking ruler model is ...if shrinking our observations would suggest expansion and probably an accelerating expansion.
where's the emoji that stirs a pot?
