A new scientific paper predicts that the expected lifespan of the universe is much shorter than previously thought — and that the universe will begin to die in just 10 billion years. However, this is just one possible theory, and no one really knows when the universe will end.
See also: When did the planets of our solar system form?
There are two dominant theories about how the universe might die: the "Big Freeze" theory, which holds that the universe will continue to expand until all the stars lose their energy and cool to absolute zero; and the "Big Crunch" theory, which holds that the expansion of the universe is temporary and will at some point begin to contract, ultimately leading to collapse via a reverse Big Bang.
Scientists are struggling to decide which theory is more likely, as recent observations have revealed uncertainties about how fast the universe is expanding — a phenomenon that has been labeled a "cosmological crisis."
One possible solution to this crisis is to determine the true value of the cosmological constant — a theoretical “magic number” used to calculate the expansion of the universe. But to do that, we must first uncover the enigmatic nature of dark energy — the mysterious force or substance that seems to be pushing the universe to expand.
To that end, in a new study uploaded June 30 to the arXiv preprint server, researchers examined recent data from the Dark Energy Survey and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, which suggest that dark energy may be composed of axions.
See also: Did our universe begin inside a black hole?
Axions are hypothetical, extremely light particles that rarely interact with matter. If they do exist, then the cosmological constant has a negative value, which the researchers say will lead to a Big Crunch. Their calculations even show that this could happen sooner than expected.
Using their new model for the Big Bang, the researchers estimate that the total lifespan of the universe is about 33 billion years. Given that the universe is currently thought to be about 13.8 billion years old, this means that it has already passed more than a third of its total lifespan.
If the new timeline is correct, then the universe will stop expanding in about 10 billion years and begin to contract rapidly — much faster than previous models predicted, as Space.com recently reported .Other models predict that the Big Crunch won't happen for hundreds of billions of years.
See also: James Webb spotted the Milky Way's lost "twin"
However, the true nature of dark energy remains unknown, meaning this new model remains purely theoretical.
Source: livescience
