REQUIEM FOR DARK MATTER?
It is perhaps a kind of synchronicity that on this anniversary of 9/11 that the title of today's blog is taken from the email header that accompanied the following article shared by L.G.L.R. Needless to say, when I see an email header like that that challenges one of the core assumptions of modern cosmological physics and its coronation of all things General Relativity and Albert Einstein, I tend to sit up and take notice. In this case, we are dealing with a paper that was submitted only a few days ago to the journal Universe, and as such we're dealing with a paper that is awaiting review. The paper was authored by Da-Ming Chen and Lin Wang. Here is the paper (though we will only briefly reference the abstract as the paper is quite long and technical in nature. for our purposes, the abstract says it all):
Quantum Effects on Cosmic Scales as an Alternative to Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Now note carefully what the abstract says:
The spin-torsion theory is a gauge theory approach to gravity that expands upon Einstein’s general relativity (GR) by incorporating the spin of microparticles. In this study, we further develop the spin-torsion theory to examine spherically symmetric and static gravitational systems that involve free-falling macroscopic particles. We posit that the quantum spin of macroscopic matter becomes noteworthy at cosmic scales. We further assume that the Dirac spinor and Dirac equation adequately capture all essential physical characteristics of the particles and their associated processes. A crucial aspect of our approach involves substituting the constant mass in the Dirac equation with a scale function, allowing us to
establish a connection between quantum effects and the scale of gravitational systems. This mechanism ensures that the quantum effect of macroscopic matter is scale-dependent and diminishes locally, a phenomenon not observed in microparticles. For any given matter density distribution, our theory predicts an additional quantum term, the quantum potential energy (QPE), within the mass expression. The QPE induces time dilation and distance contraction, and thus mimics a gravitational well. When applied to cosmology, our theory yields a static cosmological model. The QPE serves as a counterpart to the cosmological constant introduced by Einstein to balance gravity in his static cosmological model. The QPE also offers a plausible explanation for the origin of Hubble redshift (traditionally attributed to the universe’s expansion). The predicted luminosity distance–redshift relation aligns remarkably well with SNe Ia data from the cosmological sample of SNe Ia. In the context of galaxies, the QPE functions as the equivalent of dark matter. The predicted circular velocities align well with rotation curve data from the SPARC (Spitzer Photometry and Accurate Rotation Curves database) sample. Importantly, our conclusions in this paper are reached through a conventional approach, with the sole assumption of the quantum effects of macroscopic matter at large scales, without the need for additional modifications or assumptions. (Emphases added).
Translation (and the argument that one may glean from the abstract): (1) Spin and torsion, properties of "microparticles", is more than merely a quantum mechanic effect in evidence only at the scale of the very small particles themselves. (2) On the contrary, when one views this property "at cosmic scales" it becomes significant enough to influence systems, and thus (3) the quantum (microcosmic) and relativistic (macrocosmic) scales have been bridged via the concept of rotation and torsion, which involves simply substituting a scale function for mass in the equations of Paul Dirac. Considering the effect of spin and torsion at the macrocosmic scale means that such effects will be so minimal and negligible at the local scale that they don't appear at all, except in the microparticles themselves. At macrocosmic scales, one encounters a "quantum potential energy" as a component of mass itself, which is able to mimic a gravitational well by showing time dilation and length contraction effects exactly as predicted by general relativity. No additional modifications or additions to General relativity need be added, and hence, "dark matter" disappears since the quantum potential effect produces the effects alleged for dark matter, and because the spin-torsion effect at macrocosmic scales produces widespread systemic effects (like the rotation of galaxies).
Or to summarize my very clumsy attempt to summarize all of this even more simply (or perhaps, more simplistically): all of this is being produced by considering all the micro-spin effects as adding together to a kind of macro-torsion effect. This torsion effect is observable at the extreme ends of scale, at the very small or quantum level, and at the very large end of large systems such as galaxies. In the "middle" part of the spectrum of scale, torsion effects are not as strong.
My extrapolations of course are to be taken for what they're worth: as the attempts of a layman to express what appear to be the implications of this paper. I could be 100 percent wrong. I'm not a scientist after all. But that said, I am fascinated by the paper precisely because for some time my imagination has been captured by the idea of what happens to the observer effect at the macrocosmic scale, and when a group observer is involved. Will there be macrocosmic effects? Now along comes a theory in this paper which places torsion itself at the center of its unification effort and what seems to pop out of it is something very intriguing: namely, that at both ends of the "spectrum of scale," at the scale of the very small and very large, such torsion effects are observable and measurable, whereas at the level of the middle part of the spectrum of scale, that mean point that mankind himself occupies, the effect is diminished.
Time will tell, of course, if this paper and its approach to the problem of unification will be pursued, modified, or rejected. But for the moment, I must confess that I am fascinated by the linkages between torsion, scale, and observer effect implied by the authors of the paper.
See you on the flip side...
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