[시공간의 역사 14] 암흑 물질과 암흑 에너지: 우주의 미스터리 | Dark Matter and Dark Energy: The Mysteries of the Universe

Dark Matter and Dark Energy: The Mysteries of the Universe "Let us journey into the secrets of the vast universe Invisible to the eye and untouchable by the hand, mysterious entities dominate the cosmos Did you know that most of the matter and energy in the universe is made up of dark matter and dark energy, which we cannot directly observe? What exactly are these enigmatic forces? Join us as we explore the captivating world of dark matter and dark energy " 1 Dark Matter: The 27% of the Universe We Cannot See Dark matter is matter shrouded in 'darkness ' As the name implies, this substance neither absorbs nor reflects light, making it impossible to observe directly We discovered its existence indirectly by studying how galaxies move In the 1930s, astronomer Fritz Zwicky noticed that galaxies within galaxy clusters were moving much faster than expected To explain this, a massive unseen substance had to be present between the galaxies Later, Vera Rubin's studies on the rotation curves of stars within galaxies showed similar results These phenomena couldn’t be explained by ordinary matter alone, leading scientists to theorize the existence of dark matter exerting gravitational effects What is dark matter made of? One leading hypothesis is that it consists of WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) These particles interact so minimally with ordinary matter that detecting them is incredibly challenging Another possibility is axions, extremely lightweight particles However, the exact composition of dark matter remains unknown 2 Dark Energy: The Mysterious Force Driving the Universe’s Expansion Dark energy is even more enigmatic than dark matter In the late 1990s, observations of supernovae revealed that the universe's expansion is accelerating Typically, one would expect the rate of expansion to slow down over time However, the opposite was observed, and dark energy was identified as the cause of this accelerated expansion Dark energy makes up about 68% of the universe's total energy and is considered an intrinsic property of space itself The reason for its existence and its nature remains a profound mystery Scientists have proposed several theories to explain dark energy One is Einstein’s cosmological constant, which suggests that space inherently contains energy, and this energy density remains constant as the universe expands Another theory involves scalar fields, which propose that dark energy could change over time However, these ideas are still hypotheses, and research into the nature of dark energy continues 3 The Impact of Dark Matter and Dark Energy on the Universe Dark matter and dark energy significantly influence the universe’s structure and fate Dark matter shapes galaxies and galaxy clusters, holding them together through gravity In contrast, dark energy counteracts gravity, driving the accelerated expansion of the universe The interplay between these two forces determines the universe's future If dark energy continues to accelerate the universe's expansion, galaxies may eventually drift so far apart that they become unobservable, leading to a state of 'heat death ' On the other hand, if dark matter becomes dominant, the universe might reverse its expansion and collapse Currently, dark energy appears to be the prevailing force 4 The Future of Research into Dark Matter and Dark Energy Efforts to uncover the secrets of dark matter and dark energy are ongoing worldwide Underground laboratories aim to directly detect dark matter particles, while space telescopes and other observational tools collect data to better understand dark energy's effects Prominent projects include Europe’s Euclid Telescope and the U S -based Dark Energy Survey These initiatives aim to uncover the properties of dark matter and dark energy, providing deeper insights into the origin and fate of the universe "Dark matter and dark energy expand the boundaries of what we know about the universe, sparking endless curiosity and imagination These invisible forces hold the key to connecting the universe’s past and future, presenting scientists with one of their greatest challenges Will future research unravel these mysteries? Let us all follow this journey to uncover the universe’s secrets and marvel at its infinite wonders Thank you "