According to Einstein’s theory, the universe is deformed by matter, like a large, flexible foil. These deformations – also known as gravitational potentials – are caused by the gravitational force of celestial bodies, the University of Geneva wrote in a press release on Monday. Light is bent by these indentations, just like a glass lens.
Using the Dark Energy Survey, a project that maps the shape of hundreds of millions of galaxies, the University of Geneva researchers, together with the University of Toulouse, investigated the distribution of matter in the universe. Galaxies at four different points in time in the past were analysed.
More
More
Zurich, a magnet for Nobel winners
This content was published on
When Albert Einstein lived in Zurich, he used to prepare the groundwork for his revolutionary theories while sitting in a café. Many other Nobel Prize winners chose to spend time in the city for work, as an exhibition shows. A past laureate takes a guess at why.
Six and seven billion years ago, the depth of the depressions matched Einstein’s predictions exactly. In the near past, 3.5 and five billion years ago, the depressions were somewhat shallower than predicted. During this period, the expansion of the universe also began to accelerate.
The researchers deduced from the results that the explanation for the acceleration of the universe and the gravitational potential could be the same. Gravity could function on a large scale according to different physical laws than those predicted by Einstein.
However, the discrepancy discovered with Einstein’s theories is not large enough to invalidate his theory. More precise measurements are essential to confirm or refute the results and to find out whether this theory is still valid in our universe at very large distances. Such a more precise analysis will be possible thanks to new data from the Euclid space telescope, launched a year ago. It is expected to observe around 1.5 billion galaxies over a six-year mission.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss oddities
Mennonite movement turns 500 in Zurich, where it all began
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
This content was published on
The Fête de l'Epouvantail (scarecrow festival) is celebrating its 30th anniversary and returns to Denens in canton Vaud for its seventh edition from July 10-20.
This content was published on
A 35-year-old man has died in a work accident at the valley station of the Heimwehfluh toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken, canton Bern.
This content was published on
The Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opened on Sunday after being closed on June 20 owing to the unstable situation in the country.
This content was published on
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and her youngest daughter Princess Ariane attended the Netherlands' women's European Championship football match against Wales in Switzerland on Saturday.
Swiss want to better protect military airfields from spying
This content was published on
Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister says he wants to better protect Swiss military airfields against espionage activities.
Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
This content was published on
A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.
More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative
This content was published on
A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Swiss accident prevention group sees federal targets at risk
This content was published on
The Swiss government's target for accident figures is at risk, reckons Mario Cavegn, member of the executive board of the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention.
Feminicide: Swiss justice minister calls for electronic monitoring
This content was published on
Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans has called for electronic monitoring and an ankle bracelet warning system for perpetrators of violence against women.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.