Fifth Force Coined ‘Chameleon’ Explains Universal Expansion

Scientists are making advances on understanding how the dark energy is causing the universe to expand at an ever-increasing rate through the theory of a ‘chameleon’ force that changes its characteristics depending on its surroundings.

There are currently four recognised forces (gravitational, strong, weak, and electromagnetic), however the introduction of the ‘chameleon’ could result in a fifth. This new force appears to alter its properties according to the density of its environment in the same way chameleon’s change colour; hence it would be weak in high density settings e.g. Earth, and far more compelling and far-reaching in the low-density environment of space.

A chameleon field would explain how we have an ever-increasing expansion of the universe, yet Earth remains the same size.

However, astrophysicist Jianhua He explains that the force on Earth is “very, very tiny. That’s the most difficult part.”

Therefore, Jianhua He and his associates created a detector to identify the elusive force using plastic film on a wheel. This rotates by another film that above graphite raised above the surface using a magnetic force. The wheel should exert a recurring force on the other film, causing it to raise and dip.

The researchers intend to enhance their findings in the future by freezing their instrument to enable more accurate readings.

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