Do we live in a shell universe?

The universe may not be what you think. Until recently, the Lambda model of cold dark matter seemed to have cosmology under control. Like previous models of the Big Bang, it assumes that the universe expanded from a hyperdense state and that the expansion of spacetime is behind the redshift of light observed by Hubble. Dark matter and dark energy are added to overcome problems with the cosmic microwave background and the unexpected darkness of distant supernovae.

But now cracks are beginning to appear in the model. JWST has revealed that mature galaxies formed far too early after the universe was supposed to begin. Other anomalies, such as the so-called “Hubble tension” and an apparently late entry of dark energy into the universe, have led to the idea that a cosmological crisis may be at hand.

Although there is still hope that the LCDM model can be improved to solve these problems, new discoveries in general relativity point in a radically different direction. In 2011, Jun Ni discovered a new class of solutions to the Einstein field equations of neutron stars. These solutions have been completed and generalized by Lubos Neslušan, Jorge deLyra, and others.

Ni-Neslušan-deLyra solutions have an atypical shell-like configuration and a central void of matter. A repulsive gravitational field centered on the origin causes the matter inside the shell cavity to be attracted to the shell. This also induces a gravitational redshift of light traveling from the shell to the center and a blueshift of light returning to the shell.

This goes against the standard picture of general relativity, which features a flat Minkowski spacetime inside a spherical shell of matter.

All the tensions in the LCDM model could be resolved if the matter of the observable universe – both ancient and recent – ​​were concentrated in a thick Ni shell, with the Milky Way located near the center in the KBC void.

Although this positioning contradicts the cosmological principle, anomalies in the counting of quasars and other observational “dipoles” do not contradict it. In a Ni-shell universe, the redshift observed by Hubble in the light of distant stars would come at least in part from the gravitational redshift induced by the outer shell.

The Hubble tension would then be explained by the changing derivative of ν(r), which causes the Hubble constant to decrease steadily as one moves from the center of the universe toward the shell. The dark energy of the LCDM model would no longer be necessary.

The dimming of the supernova would rather result from the redshift of nickel, which makes objects appear farther away from us than they actually are. Like Rajendra Gupta’s “CCC + TL” model, Ni solutions could be combined with the LCDM model in a hybrid approach.

But the Ni approach can go much further. With recent discoveries of surprisingly high mass densities at high redshifts, the Universe could have so much mass that it becomes a black hole.

In this case, a completely new cosmology could be at stake. Its only prerequisite is that spacetime consists of photon filaments interconnecting all masses, as I have proposed in my work on gravity and geophysics. These filaments could consist of superimposed pairs of photons, as described by Arto Annila and his colleagues.

In a black hole universe, all the radiation would be trapped in the inner cosmic space that we see. The CMB would have been created by gravitational energy released and then trapped during the formation of the shell. Over time, the CMB could have given rise to a cosmological cycle of gravity and a repulsive force analogous to Einstein’s cosmological constant Λ.

Gravity would result from the absorption of CMB photon energy in spacetime filaments, drawing the masses together, while the reverse Λ process returns the absorbed energy from the filaments to the photons, pushing the masses apart. This is consistent with the Ni solutions, since gravity and Λ would be driven by redshifted inward waves and blueshifted outward waves, respectively.

Regarding the Λ process, I had already found ample evidence consistent with it in the bolometric luminosities of neutron stars, white dwarfs, and supermassive black holes. On this basis, I even proposed a new theory of plate tectonics, in which heat emitted from the core fuels deep mantle plumes and a slow expansion of the upper mantle.

Our work is published in the journal Astronomy.

The problems of the so-called “tired light” cosmological models would not arise. The time dilation of supernovae would result from the gravitational redshift of the shell. The CMB would retain its characteristic blackbody spectrum at all points in space thanks to the distribution of photon energy with the photon energy of space-time.

The problem arises because stars closer to the center of the universe than we are should exhibit a systematic blueshift, which has never been observed. However, this can also be explained by the distribution of the energy of starlight and the energy of spacetime.

A Ni-shell black hole universe is also testable. The maximum CMB temperature would be only about 29 K inside the shell, while the lowest point, near the center, could be close to 0 K. The local CMB temperature of 2.73 K in this case could reflect a shift of the Milky Way from the origin. Probing CMB temperatures near our position therefore provides a clear and simple test of the model.

The structures of black holes can be reconstructed from a Ni-shell black hole universe. If all black holes have analogous shell structures and gravity/Λ cycles, they should all generate the same “maximum luminosity” as the universe — c⁵/4G — regardless of the mass of the black hole.

A small black hole has to fight gravity more effectively to keep from collapsing. In rapidly rotating black holes, the Ni shell would collapse into a torus, as perhaps illustrated by the spectacular photos of supermassive black holes.

At a deeper level, the gravity/Λ mechanism could be seen as a kind of quantum superposition of the Ni solutions, a possible step towards reconciling the perspectives of quantum gravity and general relativity.

Cosmologists will not be quick to endorse the existence of a shell universe. Much work remains to be done, for example, to match the Ni solutions to the observed universe. Dark matter and dark energy will not be dismissed lightly. But if I am right, the universe is not as you have always thought it.

Rather than expanding endlessly and disappearing into “heat death,” it would be a safe and perhaps even permanent home, not just for humanity but for life everywhere.

This article is part of Science X Dialog, where researchers can present the results of their published research papers. Visit this page for information about Science X Dialog and how to participate.

Matthew Edwards is a staff writer at the University of Toronto Library. For many years, he has written on a variety of theoretical topics, including the origin of life, gravitational physics, geophysics, and cosmology. In 2002, he edited the book “Pushing Gravity: New Perspectives on Le Sage’s Theory of Gravitation.” Recently, he has proposed methods for surviving future mass extinctions using frozen embryos and gametes.