According to calculations based on new observational data, the discrepancy in Hubble constant estimates can be explained by the effect of the KVS intrusion, the huge void in which the Milky Way lies. The universe is expanding, but at what rate? Different evaluation methods give different values ​​of the Hubble constant, which is the main coefficient in the empirical law describing the expansion of the universe.

According to observations and calculations, it turns out that the universe near our Galaxy is expanding approximately 10% faster than the distant universe. According to Professor Pavel Krupa from the University of Bonn (Germany), this is valid for distances of up to three billion light years from Earth. Non-clamping at values ​​of the constant is called Hubble stress.

If “our” value of the Hubble constant is true for the entire universe, then the universe must be younger. And this already contradicts the estimates of the ages of the first stars and galaxies that we can consider. Another feature of our neighborhood that cannot be explained by the standard cosmological model is the entrance to the KVS. This is a vast and relatively empty region of space that is home to a local group of galaxies, including the Milky Way.

Observations in the optical, infrared, X-ray and radio ranges confirm the existence of the KVS intrusion. According to calculations, it turns out that the density of matter in it is approximately half of the average in the universe. Therefore, in theory, matter in this “bubble” of space should move outwards, towards where there is more matter.

Scientists have previously suggested that the motion of matter in our entrance could explain the Hubble voltage. In 2020, the authors of the new study calculated that Hubble’s fixed estimate of the Milky Way’s outskirts should be exactly 11% higher than the rest of the universe due to the influence of the sun.

In a new paper, scientists recalculated their model and compared the results with the latest data analysis from Cosmicflows-4, the largest catalog collecting the most accurate distances to 56,000 galaxies. The calculations were confirmed and agreed with observation data. Results are published on: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society .

Scientists concluded that much of the standard cosmological model’s inconsistency with observations could be remedied by accepting that the universe was losing its homogeneity faster than the model predicted. That’s why there are gaps like the entrance of KVS. This is probably why the first galaxies formed so quickly after the Big Bang.

Although the authors solve the problem with the Hubble constant, they do so at the expense of abandoning the standard cosmological model, which does not allow the universe to be as heterogeneous as it turns out in the calculations of the Krupa group. Therefore, as an alternative to the standard model, scientists have suggested considering Modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND). Such a hypothesis is actually compatible with the large inhomogeneities of the Universe, but recent studies of binary star systems seem to have closed the possibility of using MOND in astrophysics. This means that the Krupa group idea still needs a new cosmological model of the universe.