In a recent preliminary article, two physicists put forward a proposal that could revolutionize our understanding of the Universe. Their bold theory suggests that our cosmos could be governed by hypothetical particles called tachyons that always travel faster than light.
The tachyon hypothesis
In the fascinating world of theoretical physics where the frontiers of knowledge are constantly pushed back, the quest to understand the mysteries of the Universe is incessant. Recently, two physicists, for example, made a bold proposal that could potentially transform our fundamental vision of the Universe: the hypothesis of tachyons. According to the theory, these are hypothetical particles that always move faster than light.
Although their existence is widely disputed and contradicted by the principles of special relativity, which says that no particle with mass can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum, tachyons continue to attract interest. researchers because of their potential to push the boundaries of our understanding.
How could their presence change the world?
More specifically, the researchers put forward the bold hypothesis that tachyons could play a fundamental role in our understanding of the composition of the Universe. In this model, these particles could indeed be the key to explaining two mysterious phenomena: dark matter and dark energy. The first is an invisible substance that makes up the majority of the mass of the observable Universe, but whose exact nature remains largely unknown. Dark energy is responsible for the accelerated expansion of the universe. More specifically, the researchers suggest that tachyons could be the true identity of dark matter.
Concerning dark energy, remember that astronomers can measure the intrinsic luminosity of type Ia supernovae, which allows them to determine their distance from Earth. By comparing this apparent luminosity to the expected intrinsic luminosity of a standard Type Ia supernova, they can calculate the distance of the supernova and thus estimate the distance of the host object (usually a galaxy).
By combining the distance measurements of many such supernovae at different distances, astronomers can then trace the relationship between distance and the expansion rate of the Universe. As part of this study on tachyons, the researchers applied their alternative cosmological model to data observed on these supernovae. It then turned out that the latter was equally consistent with these observations.
By integrating tachyons into their model, physicists suggest that these particles could thus provide a unified explanation for these two complex cosmological phenomena.
What are the limits of this theory?
Despite its revolutionary potential, tachyon theory faces many limitations. First of all, their very existence is highly improbable according to current knowledge of physics. Indeed, the notion of traveling faster than light raises fundamental questions about causality and the principles of relativity. Furthermore, although this cosmological model can explain some observations, it still requires rigorous experimental testing to be validated.
The study of tachyons opens up intriguing perspectives on the understanding of our Universe, particularly with regard to dark matter and energy. However, despite the appeal of this hypothesis, it still falls within the speculative domain and raises major challenges for current models of physics. Future research and experimental testing will need to determine whether this theory can actually come to fruition or whether it will remain a theoretical curiosity in humanity’s never-ending quest to unravel cosmic mysteries.
The team’s research was published in the pre-print database arXiv in March.
