‘Dark Fluid’ Could Bridge the Gap Between Dark Matter and Dark Energy

The topic of dark matter and dark energy has been unraveling for years, as 95% of the universe is made up of the unknown, invisible material that astrophysicists are not able to fully understand.

In a new study from astrophysicist, Jamie Farnes, from Oxford’s e-Research Centre at the University of Oxford and published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, there may be a modification to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, bringing both dark matter and dark energy into one fluid, negative mass.

Farnes explains that even though dark matter is invisible, it employs a gravitational force on nearby matter that can then be measured. Dark energy on the other hand is a repulsive force that counteracts gravity and makes the universe expand at a much greater rate.

The new study details that the two negative masses can theoretically be created continuously through a unified material called “dark fluid.”

Farnes’ model also shows that the force from dark fluid can keep a galaxy together.

“The gravity from the positive mass galaxy attracts negative masses from all directions, and as the negative mass fluid comes nearer to the galaxy it in turn exerts a stronger repulsive force onto the galaxy that allows it to spin at higher speeds without flying apart. It therefore appears that a simple minus sign may solve one of the longest standing problems in physics,” Farnes explained in Live Science.

Whether the theory ends up being true, Farnes said, “the adventure does not end here.”

For more on space news, read all of the pop culture references that NASA used to name their newest gamma-ray constellations, including Hulk, Thor’s Hammer, and the Starship Enterprise, and check out these beautiful images of Jupiter taken with NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

Jessie Wade is a news writer for IGN and still wishes dark matter was the aether that went into Jane in Thor: The Dark World. Follow her on Twitter @jessieannwade if you so please.