Mysterious 'dark fluid' with negative mass forms 95 percent of universe, study says

dark matter
Composite image of the Perseus galaxy cluster using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, ESA’s XMM-Newton and Hitomi, a Japanese-led X-ray telescope. X-ray: NASA/CXO/Fabian

A top expert at the University of Oxford has suggested that more than 95 percent of the universe is made up of a dark fluid with negative mass. Until now, the theoretical model put forward by scientists could explain only 5 percent of the universe, and the remaining 95 percent of the invisible matter was described 'dark matter' or 'dark energy' by experts.

The new study published in the latest edition of journal Astronomy and Astrophysics reveal that this 95 percent of unknown matter is actually a single unified dark fluid of negative masses. Researchers who took part in the study also revealed that negative masses are a hypothetical form of matter with negative gravity which repels all other materials around them.

The new concept of dark fluid is expected to solve two baffling mysteries of space; why galaxies hold together and why the universe expands at an accelerating space every time.

"Negative masses are not a new idea in cosmology. Just like normal matter, negative mass particles would become more spread out as the universe expands – meaning that their repulsive force would become weaker over time. However, studies have shown that the force driving the accelerating expansion of the universe is relentlessly constant," wrote Jamie Farnes, the lead researcher of the study, The Conversation reports.

James Farnes also added that powerful telescopes like the Square Kilometer Array could be used to test the new 'dark fluid' theory.

"The largest telescope to ever be built – the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) – will measure the distribution of galaxies throughout the history of the universe. I'm planning to use the SKA to compare its observations to theoretical predictions for both a negative mass cosmology and the standard one – helping to ultimately prove whether negative masses exist in our reality," added Farnes.

A few months back, a team of researchers at the had revealed that they are planning to use an advanced instrument at the National Institute of Nuclear Physics near Rome to detect the mysterious 95 percent matter in the universe.

Scientists revealed that using the instrument named Positron Annihilation into Dark Matter Experiment (PADME), they could unveil all the mysteries that are loaded in the darkest sector of the universe.

This article was first published on December 7, 2018
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