The study suggests that the universe is twice as old as assumed

The universe is twice as old as current estimates suggest, according to a new study that challenges the dominant cosmological model and sheds new light on what is known as the impossible problem of the first galaxies.

For years, astronomers and physicists have calculated the age of the universe by measuring the time elapsed since the Big Bang and by studying the oldest stars, based on the redshift of light from the most distant galaxies.

Redshift light is a physical effect that describes a state in which the measured frequency of light seen by an observer is lower than the frequency the light had when it was projected from its source.

In 2021, thanks to new techniques and technological advances, the age of the universe was measured at 13.797 billion years using the Lambda-CDM concordance model of the event known as the Big Bang, in which the universe contains a cosmological constant denoted by the Greek letter Lambda () associated with dark energy and cold dark matter.

The model is based on the general theory of relativity as the correct theory of gravitation on a cosmological scale. The model emerged in the late 1990s as a concordance cosmology after a period in which different features of the universe appeared inconsistent and there was no broad agreement on the composition of the universe’s energy density.

However, many scientists have wondered about the existence of stars such as HD140283, a star located about 190 light years from the Earth, which is considered the oldest known to man (about 13.2 billion years), so much so that it has earned the name of Methuselah from the biblical figure who lived for 969 years according to the Bible.

In addition, stars that appear to be older than the estimated age of the universe have been discovered through the detection of the first galaxies in an advanced evolutionary state made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope.

These galaxies, which existed only about 300 million years after the Big Bang, appear to possess a level of maturity and mass typically associated with billions of years of cosmic evolution. Plus, they’re surprisingly small, adding an extra layer of mystery to cosmic questions.

American astronomer Dr. Edwin Hubble’s discovery of the redshift of light from distant galaxies led to the conclusion that galaxies are moving away from each other at a rate that increases the further they get away.

This conclusion forms the main basis for the Big Bang theory, which has been adopted as an explanation for the formation of the universe.

Swiss astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky objected to the cosmic expansion theory as calculations at the time showed too high an expansion rate compared to observations.

Soon after the findings were published in 1929, Zwicky came up with an alternative hypothesis instead of the new theory. He argued that light loses energy on its journey through space due to the gravitational interaction between light particles and massive bodies in space.

This idea was coined as “tired light”. Gupta found that by allowing this theory to exist in tandem with the expanding universe theory, the redshift phenomenon can be reinterpreted as a hybrid phenomenon, not just a result of spatial expansion.

In addition to Zwicky’s tired light theory, Gupta presented in his research the idea of ​​coupling constants (governing the interaction between particles), as postulated by British theoretical physicist Paul Dirac, who laid the foundations of quantum mechanics and was Nobel Prize winner in physics in 1933.

According to Dirac, these constants can change over time. By allowing time for development, it is possible to extend the time frame for the formation of the first galaxies observed by the James Webb Telescope from a few hundred million years to several billion years.

This provides a more plausible explanation for the advanced level of evolution and mass observed in these ancient galaxies. Furthermore, Gupta proposes in his research that the traditional interpretation of the cosmological constant, which represents the dark energy responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe, requires correction.

Instead, it suggests a constant that explains the development of coupling constants in the universe. This change in the cosmological model helps address the puzzle of small galaxies observed in the early universe and allows for more accurate observations.