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Just a thought – could the existence of something like dark matter actually be causing the differences in the rate of time in different parts of the universe? I
by dazzaji 2y ago
Just a thought – could the existence of something like dark matter actually be causing the differences in the rate of time in different parts of the universe? If dark matter affects gravity in ways we don't fully understand, maybe it's also influencing time dilation across the cosmic web. That might reconcile these two ideas – with dark matter being the underlying cause of the time variations that timescape cosmology talks about. I'm curious if anyone has explored this connection or if it's completely off base?
Come to think of it, another angle to consider – could it work the other way around? Instead of dark matter causing time dilation, could time dilation itself be a root cause that leads to the accumulation or creation of something like dark matter? If time moves differently in certain regions, maybe it affects how matter and energy interact over cosmic timescales, creating the conditions we interpret as dark matter. Just wondering if this has been explored or if it’s way out there as an idea? I’m definitely not a cosmologist!
- cryptonector 2y agoThe idea here (timescapes) is specifically about dark energy, not dark matter. EDIT: But, yes, if there's lots of dark matter not uniformly distributed in the universe, then that dark matter would have differing effects on time dilation in different parts of the universe. Questions: Do the great voids contain much dark matter? What about non-void areas that also have very little DM somehow?
- schiffern 2y agoTo me it sounds like they understood that, but they're asking how dark matter (and its gravity) might interact with this model.
- cryptonector 2y agoI see no way in which timescapes deals with DM, and the authors don't seem to think so either.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- dazzaji 2y agoThanks for clarifying that timescape cosmology focuses on dark energy, not dark matter—makes sense they’re addressing different puzzles. That said, I’m curious: could there be any indirect connection between the two? For instance, if dark matter’s influence on gravity shapes the 'lumpiness' of the universe, could that, in turn, amplify the time dilation effects discussed in timescapes? I realize the authors didn’t delve into dark matter, but wondering if anyone has explored how these two phenomena might interact. Definitely out of my depth here, but this potential connection is what sprung to mind and on rare occasions my ill-informed intuitive curiosities turn out to have unexpected merit, so I’m asking if there could be anything to it?
- cryptonector 2y ago> could there be any indirect connection between the two? Unlikely. DE and DM are very different problems, sharing only a word in their casual names: dark :) The galaxy rotation problem requires either modified gravity (MOND, etc.), actual dark matter, finding that the measurements and/or their interpretation are wrong, or something else. There are some GR effects to consider, mainly frame dragging, but frame dragging doesn't seem to be anywhere near enough because the frame dragging effect diminishes with the same proportion as gravity: inverse square distance.