Study Suggests Universe Rapidly Expanding by Absorbing ‘Baby Universes’

In recent research led by physicist Jan Ambjørn from Copenhagen University, a novel explanation for the accelerated expansion of the universe, attributed to the enigmatic dark energy, has been proposed. The study suggests that this phenomenon could result from our universe merging with other smaller, nascent universes. This idea aligns more closely with observational data than the conventional Standard Cosmological Model, according to the findings reported by LiveScience.

The study employs mathematical models to explore the impact of such mergers on the universe’s growth, suggesting that amalgamating with other universes could cause ours to expand. This theory also provides a closer match to the observed expansion rate of the universe compared to predictions based on the Standard Cosmological Model, which posits that dark energy fills the universe and fuels its expansion.

Furthermore, the research addresses the puzzle of cosmological inflation, the theory that the universe underwent a period of exceedingly rapid expansion shortly after the Big Bang. Traditionally, this sudden growth has been attributed to a hypothetical entity known as the inflaton. However, the new study posits that this rapid expansion could have resulted from our young universe colliding and merging with a larger universe, effectively being absorbed into a ‘parent’ universe.

The researchers speculate that, following this initial absorption, our universe continued to expand by colliding with and incorporating other ‘baby universes.’ They note that this model eliminates the need for an inflaton field to explain early universe expansion, although a detailed mechanism of this absorption process and its ability to address the issues inflation aimed to solve remains to be fully understood.