Researchers at the University of Ottawa—Professor Rajendra Gupta and postdoctoral researcher Nikolaos Samaras—have published the results of tests of a new cosmological concept in the scientific journal Universe. Their study shows that the CCC+TL model can explain key astronomical observations without invoking dark matter or dark energy, while estimating the age of the Universe at 26.7 billion years.
CCC+TL stands for “Covarying Coupling Constants + Tired Light.” According to this theory, phenomena previously attributed to invisible substances are actually consequences of the gradual evolution of fundamental physical constants that govern the interactions of particles and forces in the cosmos.
Positive Results
The standard ΛCDM model has faced a lack of direct evidence for dark matter or dark energy for years, alongside the discovery of galaxies that appear too “mature” for the early Universe. To test CCC+TL, the scientists had to completely rewrite the underlying code and the Einstein and Friedmann equations, as simply modifying existing algorithms was not possible.
In their calculations, the model precisely matched observations of primordial nucleosynthesis—the abundances of hydrogen, helium and other light elements formed immediately after the Big Bang. In addition, CCC+TL’s predictions were fully consistent with data from cosmic chronometers, which measure the Universe’s expansion rate using the ages of galaxies.
In a paper published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the authors successfully applied the model to 175 galaxies from the SPARC catalogue, reproducing their rotation curves without invoking dark matter. The model also showed preliminary agreement in an analysis of the Bullet Cluster, where the additional gravitational effect is explained by the new equations rather than hidden mass.
The Paradox of “Impossible” Galaxies
The greatest practical advantage of CCC+TL is its explanation for the presence of mature, massive stellar systems in the early Universe. Under the standard theory, the Universe was only about 300 million years old at cosmic dawn, leaving insufficient time for gravity to assemble large structures.
According to CCC+TL calculations, at a comparable redshift, the age of the Universe reaches 4.6 billion years. This gives galaxies enough time to grow, making them approximately 12 times larger in size and mass than the standard model suggests.
Testing with James Webb
The researchers’ predictions will soon be put to an observational test. As part of the GLIMPSE research programme, astronomers will use the James Webb Space Telescope to search for objects with redshifts above approximately z = 50.
While the standard ΛCDM model provides insufficient time to explain the existence of galaxies at such early epochs, CCC+TL has no such time constraints, opening a new chapter in our understanding of the structure of the Universe.
We previously reported on how the Dark Energy Camera obtained irrefutable evidence for the existence of dark energy.
Based on reporting by Phys.
