A New Theory of Gravity

A  New Theory of Gravity

Kelly Giffault

Erik Verlinde, a renowned scientist and string theory expert, from the University of Amsterdam and the DElta Institution for Theoretical Physics proposed a new theory of gravity. He proposed that “gravity is not a fundamental force of nature, but rather an “emergent phenomenon”. Verlinde even makes a big claim in his recent published paper about his stance on gravity that apparently challenged some of Einstein's claims and the foundation of physics as the world knows it today.

One main point in Verlinde’s emergent gravity theory is that, “dark matter does not exist”. This is a very bold claim to make in the science world since so many other scientific theories relies on the existence of dark matter. However, some say his research makes sense of the behavior of gravity without the need for dark matter particles.

To test Verlinde’s theory, researchers from the Leiden Observatory have studies more than 33,000 galaxies. The results of their research shows that in fact it is more accurate at confirming the universe's gravity distribution than Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Over the years, physicist have been searching for dark matter; particles/material that would explain the discrepancies between general relativity and the “gravitational lensing observed in light space". Even though gravity is responsible for the bending of light, the problem is that the bending is not consistent with the amount of matter present. This suggests the presence of invisible particles to account for the additional gravitational force.

On a negative note, a lot of effort, equipment, and money have been dedicated to the search for dark matter. If Verlinde’s theory is proven right, he would be putting an end to a four-century long search for the hypothetical particle, and the world of science would be very different.

However, dark matter is not completely out of the question. Verlinde's calculations are only applicable to isolated, spherical, and static systems. As with all theories and hypotheses, Verlinde’s emergent gravity theory will undergo modifications as more scientists and physicists test and question him.