Dark matter particles being created out of the vacuum could explain why the universe is flying apart without needing dark energy.
April 24, 2026
Original Paper
Accelerating scaling solutions from dark matter particle creation
arXiv · 2604.21770
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The Takeaway
Adiabatic dark matter particle creation generates enough internal pressure to drive the accelerated expansion of the cosmos. This model replaces the mysterious dark energy constant with a process where matter and energy are exchanged as the universe grows. Most cosmologists assume a separate, invisible force is pushing galaxies away, but this framework shows that dark matter alone can do the job. The math matches current observations of distant supernovae and cosmic microwave background radiation. Eliminating dark energy would fundamentally simplify the standard model of cosmology and change how we calculate the eventual end of the universe.
From the abstract
This article opens new window to obtain accelerating scaling attractors without any need of dark energy. We study cosmological dynamics in a two-fluid system where pressureless dark matter (DM) undergoes adiabatic particle creation and exchanges energy with a barotropic fluid. Considering six widely used interaction prescriptions, we formulate the corresponding autonomous systems in a compact phase space and perform a unified dynamical analysis. We find that accelerating scaling attractors, name