Dark matter vs modified gravity: which team are you on?
Coke or Pepsi? Messi or Ronaldo? Taylor Swift or…well, without wanting to set the Swifties against Physics World, let’s just say there’s often a tribal element to who we support or the choices we make.
In the world of cosmology, one heated divide is whether you’re for dark matter or modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND). Both theories attempt to explain the discrepancies between the predicted gravitational effects in the universe and some of the actual observed motions of stars and galaxies.
In the latest episode of Physics World Stories, Andrew Glester speaks to two cosmologists on opposing sides of this debate. Stacy McGaugh from Case Western Reserve University in the US is a former dark-matter researcher who switched sides overnight after MOND successfully predicted the rotation velocities of stars in galaxies.
The other guest, Indranil Banik from the University of St Andrews in the UK, took the opposite journey. While working on a six-year project to measure MOND in wide binaries, he found no deviation from standard Newtonian gravity at all – a hammer blow for MOND. Now a dark matter advocate, Banik cites observations in our own solar system as further evidence against MOND. Naturally, others disagree.
For more detailed insight into this debate, see the recent Physics World feature “Cosmic combat: delving into the battle between dark matter and modified gravity“.
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1 00:00:00,185 --> 00:00:00,265 - <silence> 2 00:00:04,935 --> 00:00:05,425 Physics 3 00:00:05,715 --> 00:00:06,715 - World. 4 00:00:06,715 --> 00:00:08,705 Hello and welcome to the Physics World Stories Podcast. 5 00:00:09,485 --> 00:00:11,505 I'm Andrew Lester. And in this episode, 6 00:00:11,505 --> 00:00:14,105 we're gonna be exploring the debate raging 7 00:00:14,105 --> 00:00:15,945 between dark matter theorists 8 00:00:16,445 --> 00:00:20,945 and modified Newtonian dynamics or mon theorists. 9 00:00:21,965 --> 00:00:25,225 The debate centers around two competing theories, 10 00:00:25,475 --> 00:00:28,505 which are proposed to explain the discrepancies 11 00:00:28,505 --> 00:00:31,545 between the observed gravitational effects in the universe 12 00:00:31,925 --> 00:00:34,745 and the predictions made by Newton's laws of gravity 13 00:00:35,205 --> 00:00:36,465 and general relativity. 14 00:00:36,715 --> 00:00:40,105 There are particular issues in the way that galaxies behave. 15 00:00:40,525 --> 00:00:42,625 For example, the rotation curves 16 00:00:42,625 --> 00:00:45,185 of galaxies are faster than you would expect. 17 00:00:45,655 --> 00:00:47,065 Dark matter theory suggests 18 00:00:47,065 --> 00:00:50,145 that the missing mass causing these gravitational anomalies 19 00:00:50,565 --> 00:00:53,305 is due to this unseen form of matter. 20 00:00:54,015 --> 00:00:56,545 Dark matter doesn't emit absorb 21 00:00:56,685 --> 00:00:58,865 or reflect light, meaning it's invisible 22 00:00:59,085 --> 00:01:02,025 and detectable only through its gravitational effects. 23 00:01:02,535 --> 00:01:05,705 Dark matter is thought to make up around 27% 24 00:01:05,765 --> 00:01:08,105 of the universe's mass energy content. 25 00:01:09,085 --> 00:01:11,145 Mon, on the other hand, suggests 26 00:01:11,145 --> 00:01:13,105 that these discrepancies can be explained without 27 00:01:13,305 --> 00:01:15,065 invoking unseen matter. 28 00:01:15,635 --> 00:01:18,905 Proponents of mon propose modifications to Newton's laws 29 00:01:18,905 --> 00:01:22,185 of motion and gravity at very low accelerations, 30 00:01:22,675 --> 00:01:25,825 which are typical of the conditions found at the outer 31 00:01:25,825 --> 00:01:26,985 regions of galaxies. 32 00:01:27,255 --> 00:01:28,385 According to mon, 33 00:01:28,445 --> 00:01:31,105 the gravitational force behaves differently at these low 34 00:01:31,105 --> 00:01:35,745 accelerations of gal rotation curves without requiring 35 00:01:36,125 --> 00:01:40,065 the unseen dark matter in the astronomical community. 36 00:01:40,155 --> 00:01:41,345 There is something 37 00:01:41,345 --> 00:01:44,345 of a tribal debate about it on the physics world website. 38 00:01:44,495 --> 00:01:46,425 There's the first of three features 39 00:01:46,445 --> 00:01:49,785 by Keith Cooper exploring this topic, cosmic combat, 40 00:01:50,135 --> 00:01:52,505 delving into the battle between dark matter 41 00:01:52,765 --> 00:01:53,865 and modified gravity. 42 00:01:54,405 --> 00:01:57,185 Having read that article, I wanted to find out more. 43 00:01:57,325 --> 00:02:00,345 So in this podcast, we'll hear from two researchers, 44 00:02:00,845 --> 00:02:04,745 one who's moved from the mon camp to the dark matter camp, 45 00:02:04,925 --> 00:02:09,385 and first Professor Stacey Magor, who moved from dark matter 46 00:02:09,605 --> 00:02:12,025 to be a supporter of mon. 47 00:02:12,785 --> 00:02:13,865 - I am, uh, 48 00:02:14,325 --> 00:02:17,545 on the faculty at Case Western Reserve University in 49 00:02:17,575 --> 00:02:20,025 Cleveland, Ohio and the United States. 50 00:02:20,805 --> 00:02:24,905 Uh, I work on galaxies and cosmology, and, 51 00:02:24,925 --> 00:02:26,825 and those things have sort of brought me 52 00:02:26,825 --> 00:02:30,305 to be interested in the dark matter problem and, 53 00:02:30,485 --> 00:02:33,705 and the modified Newtonian dynamics of Milgram. 54 00:02:33,965 --> 00:02:38,865 So in, um, both of those, uh, astronomical objects, 55 00:02:38,905 --> 00:02:41,305 I mentioned galaxies and cosmology. 56 00:02:41,725 --> 00:02:45,905 You find that things don't add up. 57 00:02:46,175 --> 00:02:49,465 What you see is not what you get in the sense 58 00:02:49,535 --> 00:02:53,465 that if you use the law of gravity as taught to us by Newton 59 00:02:53,465 --> 00:02:57,365 and Einstein, um, applied 60 00:02:57,465 --> 00:02:59,485 to the visible matter, uh, 61 00:02:59,485 --> 00:03:01,805 things don't work out in galaxies. 62 00:03:02,175 --> 00:03:05,925 Stars and gas are orbiting faster than one would predict. 63 00:03:06,545 --> 00:03:09,765 Um, the cosmology as a whole, um, 64 00:03:10,075 --> 00:03:13,525 doesn't really add up unless you have both some extra mass 65 00:03:13,585 --> 00:03:16,685 and, and for that matter, some extra, um, dark energy. 66 00:03:17,385 --> 00:03:21,485 Uh, and in particular in the case of cosmology, we know, 67 00:03:22,265 --> 00:03:25,405 uh, from the early universe that the abundances 68 00:03:25,405 --> 00:03:29,805 of the light elements, um, the isotopes of hydrogen, uh, 69 00:03:30,045 --> 00:03:34,205 helium and lithium, uh, we can understand that as, uh, 70 00:03:34,265 --> 00:03:37,885 the universe having passed through, uh, a, a, 71 00:03:38,165 --> 00:03:41,125 a phase in which it was one giant nuclear reactor. 72 00:03:41,265 --> 00:03:44,765 And we get the, uh, observed elemental abundance, right, 73 00:03:45,425 --> 00:03:50,285 for a particular density of, uh, bariums, uh, neutrons 74 00:03:50,285 --> 00:03:53,045 and protons, normal matter that make up most of the mass. 75 00:03:53,745 --> 00:03:57,205 Uh, and that is maybe 5% of the critical density, 76 00:03:57,415 --> 00:04:00,565 which is the over under, uh, between expanding forever 77 00:04:00,825 --> 00:04:02,045 or relapsing. 78 00:04:03,065 --> 00:04:05,325 And yet, if we go out as astronomers 79 00:04:05,385 --> 00:04:08,245 and move, measure how things move, and large scales 80 00:04:08,385 --> 00:04:11,965 and try to estimate the total gravitating mass density, uh, 81 00:04:11,965 --> 00:04:15,205 then it's much bigger than that, uh, density 82 00:04:15,425 --> 00:04:16,485 of normal matter. 83 00:04:17,025 --> 00:04:20,645 Uh, so we infer that there is extra mass in both kinds 84 00:04:20,645 --> 00:04:24,045 of systems and that mass visible to us, 85 00:04:24,825 --> 00:04:27,925 and it have participated in this, uh, 86 00:04:27,925 --> 00:04:30,165 early big bang nucle synthesis. 87 00:04:30,265 --> 00:04:34,125 So we infer that it is some kind of new particle outside 88 00:04:34,125 --> 00:04:36,005 of the standard model of particle physics. 89 00:04:36,185 --> 00:04:39,125 - So where does the modified new dynamics come into 90 00:04:39,125 --> 00:04:40,125 - This? 91 00:04:40,125 --> 00:04:41,365 So, um, so that, 92 00:04:41,435 --> 00:04:44,685 that background about the dark matter is sort of 93 00:04:44,685 --> 00:04:47,005 where I came to the problem from 94 00:04:48,585 --> 00:04:52,245 and where I, where I think most, uh, scientists come to it. 95 00:04:52,505 --> 00:04:56,165 Um, but I was mostly interested in those 96 00:04:56,765 --> 00:04:57,765 astronomical objects. 97 00:04:57,765 --> 00:04:58,805 In particular, a class 98 00:04:58,825 --> 00:05:02,605 of things called low surface brightness galaxies, which, uh, 99 00:05:02,715 --> 00:05:04,925 when I was a young scientist, were, were new 100 00:05:05,225 --> 00:05:06,885 and not much was known about them. 101 00:05:07,905 --> 00:05:09,365 Uh, and I, 102 00:05:09,465 --> 00:05:12,725 and so a low surface brightness galaxy is just a, a, 103 00:05:13,785 --> 00:05:17,285 if you think of a pretty spiral galaxy, it's, it's just take 104 00:05:17,285 --> 00:05:18,605 that and stretch it out. 105 00:05:18,835 --> 00:05:22,765 It's, uh, has a much lower average surface density of stars. 106 00:05:23,465 --> 00:05:26,845 Um, and so it's not as pretty, but still a galaxy. 107 00:05:27,945 --> 00:05:31,925 And so, um, I had ideas about how those, uh, 108 00:05:31,935 --> 00:05:36,925 would form in terms of dark matter other people did too. 109 00:05:37,305 --> 00:05:40,285 And, um, none of those ideas proved correct. 110 00:05:41,385 --> 00:05:43,805 And so in studying those things, I, 111 00:05:43,885 --> 00:05:47,815 I really got concerned about whether we understood 112 00:05:48,325 --> 00:05:52,335 dark matter or if it could even explain these galaxies. 113 00:05:52,515 --> 00:05:54,815 And, and that's a long story 114 00:05:54,815 --> 00:05:59,125 because one doesn't consider, uh, something 115 00:05:59,665 --> 00:06:03,445 as radical as the, uh, a modification of gravity, the, 116 00:06:03,445 --> 00:06:05,485 the so-called modified Newtonian dynamics 117 00:06:06,655 --> 00:06:09,085 until you're really convinced that there's a problem 118 00:06:09,275 --> 00:06:10,925 with the dark matter picture. 119 00:06:11,625 --> 00:06:14,205 Um, and I became aware of that, or, 120 00:06:14,205 --> 00:06:18,085 or I become concerned for the, the dark matter, um, 121 00:06:18,665 --> 00:06:22,245 before I became aware that, that anybody had really even 122 00:06:23,045 --> 00:06:24,925 hypothesized that, um, 123 00:06:25,185 --> 00:06:28,445 at the time I was a postdoc in Cambridge 124 00:06:28,865 --> 00:06:33,545 and, um, uh, ma Mai Milgram, 125 00:06:33,565 --> 00:06:35,065 who was the person 126 00:06:35,165 --> 00:06:38,865 who hypothesized the modified dynamics happened to come by. 127 00:06:39,445 --> 00:06:40,465 Uh, so it was a sort 128 00:06:40,465 --> 00:06:42,665 of a chance meeting in middle Earth, as it were. 129 00:06:42,885 --> 00:06:46,785 And, and at a critical time when I was, 130 00:06:47,845 --> 00:06:51,585 um, already concerned about whether the dark matter 131 00:06:51,585 --> 00:06:52,785 picture was viable. 132 00:06:53,605 --> 00:06:57,185 Um, and like I say, there's a huge backstory just to 133 00:06:57,185 --> 00:06:59,825 that statement, but I'd gotten worried about it. 134 00:07:00,165 --> 00:07:02,305 Um, nevertheless, I was still convinced that 135 00:07:02,455 --> 00:07:03,585 that had to be the case. 136 00:07:04,045 --> 00:07:08,545 And so when I saw his talk advertised on a poster, uh, 137 00:07:08,545 --> 00:07:12,385 something about modified gravity, I was like, oh, who wants 138 00:07:12,385 --> 00:07:13,505 to hear that nonsense? 139 00:07:13,565 --> 00:07:14,905 It can't possibly be right. 140 00:07:15,725 --> 00:07:19,945 Um, and so I did go anyway. 141 00:07:20,405 --> 00:07:24,025 And, uh, he basically not knowing who I was 142 00:07:24,085 --> 00:07:28,305 or what I did, derived in a few lines on the board, um, 143 00:07:28,665 --> 00:07:30,065 a prediction for 144 00:07:30,105 --> 00:07:32,745 what low surface bytes galaxies should do in 145 00:07:32,765 --> 00:07:34,385 his modified dynamics. 146 00:07:35,045 --> 00:07:37,665 Uh, that was exactly what I was observing 147 00:07:38,045 --> 00:07:42,185 and, uh, was part of what had caused me deep concern 148 00:07:42,245 --> 00:07:43,865 for whether or not, uh, 149 00:07:43,925 --> 00:07:45,985 we could explain it with dark matter. 150 00:07:45,985 --> 00:07:48,025 And it was basically a fine tuning problem. 151 00:07:48,285 --> 00:07:49,425 So, um, 152 00:07:51,185 --> 00:07:54,875 what the modified dynamics hypothesize is that rather than 153 00:07:55,805 --> 00:07:58,435 there being a whole lot of dark matter in the universe, 154 00:07:58,865 --> 00:08:02,275 that all the discrepancies that we observe are 155 00:08:02,275 --> 00:08:05,275 because Newton and Einstein didn't teach us everything. 156 00:08:05,415 --> 00:08:08,355 And so there's a change the force law. 157 00:08:08,935 --> 00:08:11,875 Um, and then his hypothesis is change happens 158 00:08:12,895 --> 00:08:15,115 at a particular acceleration scale. 159 00:08:15,615 --> 00:08:18,715 Um, that's already kind of hard to wrap our heads around 160 00:08:18,715 --> 00:08:21,515 because of course, people, uh, early on when, 161 00:08:21,665 --> 00:08:24,555 when the dark matter problem became obvious, um, 162 00:08:24,555 --> 00:08:27,595 people did think, well, maybe it's a change in gravity. 163 00:08:28,295 --> 00:08:32,155 Uh, and the first thing our brains think of is size, right? 164 00:08:33,695 --> 00:08:36,235 Cosmic scales are huge. The galaxy is huge. 165 00:08:36,455 --> 00:08:37,675 The solar system is huge, 166 00:08:37,695 --> 00:08:39,915 but it's tiny compared to those other things. 167 00:08:39,975 --> 00:08:44,195 So it's easy, uh, to imagine that, okay, 168 00:08:44,675 --> 00:08:46,715 Newton's inverse square law law and, 169 00:08:46,735 --> 00:08:48,155 and Einstein's additions 170 00:08:48,155 --> 00:08:49,915 to it work perfectly in the solar system. 171 00:08:49,975 --> 00:08:52,195 But maybe when you get to the much, much bigger scales 172 00:08:52,195 --> 00:08:55,330 of galaxies, some intermediate scale there, the, 173 00:08:55,330 --> 00:08:58,965 the force law changes, um, that does not work. 174 00:08:59,505 --> 00:09:01,565 Um, you, you cannot make a, 175 00:09:01,685 --> 00:09:05,005 a length scale dependent modification, uh, to the law 176 00:09:05,005 --> 00:09:07,045 of gravity and, and fit it to all the data. 177 00:09:07,905 --> 00:09:11,605 Um, so people pretty much gave up on that pretty quickly. 178 00:09:11,985 --> 00:09:15,085 But, but Milgram like, I guess he suggested, well, 179 00:09:15,085 --> 00:09:17,085 there are other scales, and the one that seems 180 00:09:17,085 --> 00:09:19,445 to work is this very low acceleration scale. 181 00:09:20,385 --> 00:09:25,285 Um, and so he had hypothesized, um, basically he wanted to 182 00:09:26,075 --> 00:09:28,285 cook up a theory that made rotation curves flat, 183 00:09:28,285 --> 00:09:30,565 which was the, the hot topic at the time. 184 00:09:32,145 --> 00:09:35,005 Uh, but once you do that, once you write down a, 185 00:09:35,205 --> 00:09:38,005 a modified force law, it's, it's an equation and, 186 00:09:38,025 --> 00:09:41,245 and you're stuck with it, and it makes lots of predictions 187 00:09:42,505 --> 00:09:46,485 and, um, acceleration follows from surface density. 188 00:09:46,785 --> 00:09:51,405 So I had inadvertently done the perfect, um, experiment 189 00:09:51,505 --> 00:09:52,925 to test this theory. 190 00:09:53,405 --> 00:09:55,245 <laugh>, I didn't know about the theory when I, 191 00:09:55,485 --> 00:09:57,645 I was <laugh>, I was interested in the low surface 192 00:09:57,645 --> 00:10:01,725 brightness galaxies, um, but they were low surface density, 193 00:10:02,305 --> 00:10:04,365 and so that meant low acceleration. 194 00:10:04,545 --> 00:10:07,805 So they were strong tests of, uh, his theory. 195 00:10:08,505 --> 00:10:12,365 And in fact, after, uh, I hearing his talk, I went back 196 00:10:12,365 --> 00:10:13,685 and read his original papers, 197 00:10:14,705 --> 00:10:17,885 and I found a, a quote in there that said, 198 00:10:18,065 --> 00:10:20,245 low surface brightness galaxies will provide 199 00:10:20,245 --> 00:10:22,125 particularly strong tests. 200 00:10:22,785 --> 00:10:25,525 And I was like, wow, I have now the data 201 00:10:25,665 --> 00:10:29,845 to falsify this stupid theory, <laugh> <laugh>, that 202 00:10:29,955 --> 00:10:31,205 that was my first thought, 203 00:10:31,475 --> 00:10:34,885 because I was coming at it from this dark matter picture 204 00:10:34,895 --> 00:10:35,965 where that had to be true. 205 00:10:36,065 --> 00:10:39,445 And even though I was already worried about whether it, 206 00:10:39,445 --> 00:10:40,485 whether it could work 207 00:10:40,485 --> 00:10:42,685 or not, I still assumed that this, 208 00:10:42,755 --> 00:10:44,165 this strength theory had to be wrong. 209 00:10:44,945 --> 00:10:49,845 Um, now the concerns I had were because of the fine tuning, 210 00:10:50,545 --> 00:10:54,645 and again, a long story short, that fine tuning comes about 211 00:10:54,715 --> 00:10:58,045 because galaxies, uh, turn out 212 00:10:58,045 --> 00:11:01,165 to obey this modified force law that Milgrim wrote down. 213 00:11:01,745 --> 00:11:04,845 And not just in terms of having flat rotation curves, 214 00:11:04,945 --> 00:11:08,085 but in being able to map the details 215 00:11:08,425 --> 00:11:12,725 of the observed mass distribution to the kinematics. 216 00:11:12,795 --> 00:11:15,725 That is how the entire shape of the rotation curves was, 217 00:11:15,825 --> 00:11:18,645 how, how stars and gas moved in galaxies. 218 00:11:19,305 --> 00:11:20,725 Um, and so what I said 219 00:11:20,725 --> 00:11:24,445 before is that, you know, we have the dark matter problem 220 00:11:24,445 --> 00:11:27,845 because what we see is not what you get. 221 00:11:28,585 --> 00:11:32,325 Um, but it is in this modified force law. 222 00:11:32,785 --> 00:11:37,325 Um, and what since then is, you know, 20 years 223 00:11:37,425 --> 00:11:38,525 of hard work. 224 00:11:38,585 --> 00:11:40,885 But, um, we've been able to show that 225 00:11:40,885 --> 00:11:44,485 that's true empirically in galaxies, um, without reference 226 00:11:44,545 --> 00:11:46,685 to, to milgram's particular theory, 227 00:11:47,275 --> 00:11:50,165 that if you measure the mass distribution, uh, 228 00:11:50,225 --> 00:11:53,725 of the stuff you can see, then it maps, uh, directly 229 00:11:53,825 --> 00:11:55,405 to the total kinematics. 230 00:11:56,035 --> 00:11:58,725 Whether that's dark matter or this modified gravity 231 00:11:58,905 --> 00:12:00,925 or something else, we have not yet dreamt up. 232 00:12:01,425 --> 00:12:03,125 Uh, and that's a critical part 233 00:12:03,225 --> 00:12:05,005 of understanding what's going on. 234 00:12:05,035 --> 00:12:08,445 That is unanticipated in dark matter theory. 235 00:12:08,545 --> 00:12:12,365 And as yet, not satisfactorily explained by it, 236 00:12:12,495 --> 00:12:14,885 - We'll hear much more from Stacey later in the podcast. 237 00:12:15,625 --> 00:12:18,445 But while Professor Magor has moved from studying dark 238 00:12:18,445 --> 00:12:20,365 matter towards mon, Dr. 239 00:12:20,385 --> 00:12:23,525 Adrian Nik has moved in the other direction. 240 00:12:24,345 --> 00:12:29,325 - So, um, I am a postdoc in the, uh, department 241 00:12:29,325 --> 00:12:31,405 of, uh, physics and astronomy at St. 242 00:12:31,435 --> 00:12:34,965 Andrews. Um, I work on, uh, 243 00:12:35,375 --> 00:12:37,805 right now I work on testing the idea 244 00:12:37,835 --> 00:12:41,365 that we are living in a local under density or void, 245 00:12:41,545 --> 00:12:43,245 and this could, um, 246 00:12:43,515 --> 00:12:46,525 perhaps solve the Hubble tension in cosmology. 247 00:12:47,265 --> 00:12:50,565 Um, but originally this, this postdoc was about, uh, 248 00:12:50,565 --> 00:12:54,325 implementing the, um, wide binary test 249 00:12:54,385 --> 00:12:56,805 of gravity at low accelerations. 250 00:12:57,465 --> 00:13:01,525 Um, and that took, uh, first couple of years. 251 00:13:02,225 --> 00:13:04,645 Um, and that's something I've been working on for 252 00:13:05,275 --> 00:13:09,525 much longer is the idea of grooving dynamics Ormond, um, 253 00:13:10,815 --> 00:13:13,535 which, uh, is about, um, 254 00:13:14,675 --> 00:13:16,535 galaxy rotation cuffs, perhaps being 255 00:13:17,205 --> 00:13:20,745 understandable without any dark matter at all. 256 00:13:22,365 --> 00:13:23,945 - You've changed your mind, right, 257 00:13:24,205 --> 00:13:25,465 as a result of the evidence. 258 00:13:26,605 --> 00:13:30,665 - So if, if I just work o outwards on 259 00:13:31,255 --> 00:13:33,065 from the smaller scales to the larger ones, 260 00:13:33,365 --> 00:13:35,025 and that, that I think will make most sense. 261 00:13:35,445 --> 00:13:38,465 So, uh, the first thing, um, well, uh, the, 262 00:13:38,485 --> 00:13:43,475 the smaller scale thing, uh, failure was with regard 263 00:13:43,475 --> 00:13:45,835 to the solar system FM fides. 264 00:13:46,335 --> 00:13:50,355 So, um, because modern acceleration dependent sort 265 00:13:50,355 --> 00:13:52,675 of theory, um, the 266 00:13:53,225 --> 00:13:56,755 deviation from Newtonian mechanics sets in at only about a 267 00:13:56,755 --> 00:13:58,875 10th of a light year for an individual star. 268 00:13:59,415 --> 00:14:01,835 Uh, it, it's, yeah, uh, 269 00:14:01,835 --> 00:14:04,395 which is still very far compared to all the planets. 270 00:14:04,535 --> 00:14:08,315 But the thing is, um, it's not that much further out than, 271 00:14:08,455 --> 00:14:09,995 uh, the gas giants. 272 00:14:09,995 --> 00:14:12,395 It's like 7,000 astronom units. 273 00:14:12,655 --> 00:14:13,715 Um, whereas, uh, 274 00:14:14,215 --> 00:14:16,435 in particular Saturns are 10 astronom units. 275 00:14:17,095 --> 00:14:19,035 Um, so you could imagine that if you're able 276 00:14:19,035 --> 00:14:21,355 to make very precise measurements, you might be able 277 00:14:21,355 --> 00:14:23,395 to notice some, some mon effects. 278 00:14:24,135 --> 00:14:25,835 Um, and it turns out that, uh, 279 00:14:26,035 --> 00:14:29,475 a certain anomaly is predicted in mon, um, 280 00:14:31,505 --> 00:14:35,255 which, uh, is inconsistent with the observations 281 00:14:35,255 --> 00:14:36,855 that nine Sigma confidence. 282 00:14:37,355 --> 00:14:39,775 Um, this is based on a precise, uh, 283 00:14:39,945 --> 00:14:42,815 radar pulse is being sent to the Cassini spacecraft with, 284 00:14:42,995 --> 00:14:44,375 or which is Saturn for many years, 285 00:14:44,835 --> 00:14:46,855 and finding exactly the distance between Earth 286 00:14:46,855 --> 00:14:49,815 and Saturn, uh, which basically I is, uh, 287 00:14:50,495 --> 00:14:52,605 constraining the sunset and distance. 288 00:14:53,145 --> 00:14:57,365 Um, so yeah, we, uh, that, um, the, 289 00:14:57,655 --> 00:14:59,565 there was a very detailed study on this recently, 290 00:14:59,565 --> 00:15:03,685 looking at different possible adjustments to the mon, uh, 291 00:15:03,685 --> 00:15:04,845 theoretical parameters 292 00:15:04,945 --> 00:15:07,765 and getting the consistency between rotation curves 293 00:15:07,765 --> 00:15:09,005 and solar system IFM rights. 294 00:15:09,345 --> 00:15:11,445 And yeah, this, this can't be done. 295 00:15:12,185 --> 00:15:16,255 Um, this, uh, um, 296 00:15:18,315 --> 00:15:21,455 uh, the, the other thing, um, 297 00:15:23,525 --> 00:15:26,415 that came up, uh, so I'll talk about the white binaries last 298 00:15:26,415 --> 00:15:27,975 because that's more complicated, 299 00:15:28,355 --> 00:15:31,335 but the other thing that came up was the, uh, 300 00:15:31,835 --> 00:15:36,455 galaxy clusters, um, galaxy clusters, um, 301 00:15:38,085 --> 00:15:41,585 of course, uh, one, uh, already problematic in the sense 302 00:15:41,585 --> 00:15:42,865 that they needed extra mass. 303 00:15:43,365 --> 00:15:46,465 Uh, but, uh, this argument didn't really convince anybody, 304 00:15:46,465 --> 00:15:49,985 because generativity also requires galaxy clusters 305 00:15:49,985 --> 00:15:53,545 of extra mass or nutrient gravity can't work either in. 306 00:15:53,805 --> 00:15:55,265 But, uh, the thing is, um, 307 00:15:56,605 --> 00:15:59,825 galaxy clusters have less gravity than predicted 308 00:15:59,825 --> 00:16:01,585 by mon in their outskirts. 309 00:16:02,145 --> 00:16:04,125 Uh, and that's only become clear recently 310 00:16:04,125 --> 00:16:07,205 because we've sort of got observation extent out further. 311 00:16:07,825 --> 00:16:10,845 But, uh, uh, there've been a few studies now which show 312 00:16:10,845 --> 00:16:14,125 that essentially galaxy clusters seem to follow the 313 00:16:14,675 --> 00:16:19,005 inverse square law, even in the low acceleration regime. 314 00:16:19,265 --> 00:16:20,885 So until recently, we didn't have data 315 00:16:20,915 --> 00:16:22,485 that went sufficiently far out from a cluster 316 00:16:22,545 --> 00:16:25,485 to get into the low acceleration regime, but now we do, 317 00:16:25,905 --> 00:16:27,325 and it's clear that they're following 318 00:16:27,325 --> 00:16:28,405 the inverse square law. 319 00:16:28,585 --> 00:16:29,605 Um, not only that, 320 00:16:29,665 --> 00:16:32,645 but they're following the inverse square law with, uh, with, 321 00:16:32,745 --> 00:16:36,045 uh, but the wrong sort of normalization, if you will. 322 00:16:36,345 --> 00:16:37,725 So they're following it, uh, 323 00:16:37,745 --> 00:16:40,205 as if the Galaxy cluster has six times 324 00:16:40,225 --> 00:16:41,765 as much mass as the visible. 325 00:16:42,225 --> 00:16:44,765 Um, however, in the standard cosmological paradigm 326 00:16:44,805 --> 00:16:46,485 that makes total sense because it's supposed 327 00:16:46,485 --> 00:16:48,325 to be five times as much dark matter as a visible. 328 00:16:49,025 --> 00:16:52,765 Um, so, uh, in the outskirts of galaxy clusters, which are, 329 00:16:52,985 --> 00:16:56,285 by the way, it's so far out that, um, there a 330 00:16:56,875 --> 00:16:58,885 mass enclosed interior to that radius. 331 00:16:59,425 --> 00:17:01,805 Uh, it, I mean, the proportions of variance to, 332 00:17:02,265 --> 00:17:05,325 to dark matter should be the same as the cosmic one. 333 00:17:05,865 --> 00:17:08,445 Um, it's not realistic for bar to have been blown out 334 00:17:08,445 --> 00:17:10,445 of a whole cluster, uh, even though 335 00:17:10,445 --> 00:17:12,005 for individual galaxies that could happen. 336 00:17:12,585 --> 00:17:15,365 Um, but for whole class it's unrealistic. 337 00:17:15,585 --> 00:17:17,965 So, so it is always known that galaxy clusters, uh, 338 00:17:19,275 --> 00:17:22,095 should get sort of around this, uh, bar 339 00:17:22,615 --> 00:17:25,175 feedback issue if you had measurements far out, 340 00:17:25,175 --> 00:17:26,815 which recently can be available. 341 00:17:27,315 --> 00:17:29,295 Um, the other thing to realize of course, is that 342 00:17:29,295 --> 00:17:32,455 because in qualo, even if the normalization is higher, uh, 343 00:17:32,815 --> 00:17:35,855 ultimately the in qualo will end up like giving less gravity 344 00:17:35,885 --> 00:17:38,695 than the sort of inverse distance operation in wand. 345 00:17:39,155 --> 00:17:44,035 Um, so because of this, um, ultimately, uh, 346 00:17:44,055 --> 00:17:45,315 it recently has become clear 347 00:17:45,315 --> 00:17:47,995 that there's less gravity in the outskirts than than one 348 00:17:47,995 --> 00:17:50,045 predicts just on the, the basis of the visible mass. 349 00:17:50,305 --> 00:17:51,965 But because you also need to add a lot 350 00:17:51,965 --> 00:17:55,485 of dark matter e even in m to explain the central regions, 351 00:17:55,985 --> 00:17:59,045 um, it's clear that mon substantially over predicts the 352 00:17:59,045 --> 00:18:02,765 gravity in the outskirts, and that cannot be, uh, reconciled 353 00:18:02,765 --> 00:18:05,165 because you'd have to add like negative, uh, 354 00:18:05,165 --> 00:18:06,405 dark matter for that to work. 355 00:18:06,805 --> 00:18:09,645 H historically, actually the cluster result came first 356 00:18:09,865 --> 00:18:12,205 and then the wide binary result, 357 00:18:12,205 --> 00:18:13,685 and then the solar system one, uh, 358 00:18:13,825 --> 00:18:14,965 in case people are wondering. 359 00:18:15,145 --> 00:18:17,845 Um, but, um, of course they're all in a very 360 00:18:17,845 --> 00:18:19,365 short, uh, period. 361 00:18:19,785 --> 00:18:23,965 Um, but, uh, regarding the wide binary results, um, so 362 00:18:24,485 --> 00:18:28,975 this is look at an intermediate scale of, uh, about, um, 363 00:18:29,225 --> 00:18:32,335 0.1, uh, light years. 364 00:18:32,955 --> 00:18:37,495 Uh, the idea here is that, um, binary stars, 365 00:18:38,155 --> 00:18:40,655 uh, with reasonably wide separations, um, 366 00:18:40,835 --> 00:18:43,495 in the solar neighborhood, uh, should orbit 367 00:18:43,495 --> 00:18:47,175 around each other 20% faster than the neuturing expectation, 368 00:18:47,715 --> 00:18:48,975 uh, if mon is correct. 369 00:18:49,675 --> 00:18:53,285 Um, so, uh, that's, um, 370 00:18:53,575 --> 00:18:55,885 quite a lot compared to the planetary separations, 371 00:18:56,105 --> 00:18:57,445 but it's much smaller than the typical 372 00:18:57,445 --> 00:18:58,885 separation between stars. 373 00:18:59,425 --> 00:19:02,645 Uh, so there's, uh, plenty of, um, wide binaries. 374 00:19:02,745 --> 00:19:03,885 Uh, in fact, the nearest start 375 00:19:03,885 --> 00:19:07,325 to the sound is actually itself part of a white binary. 376 00:19:07,865 --> 00:19:09,805 Um, so these are not that, um, rare. 377 00:19:10,025 --> 00:19:12,365 - The European space agency's Gaia mission has been 378 00:19:12,395 --> 00:19:16,165 surveying the stars and giving much more precise data than 379 00:19:16,165 --> 00:19:18,485 has ever been available before Ira 380 00:19:18,545 --> 00:19:20,525 and his colleagues have turned to that data. 381 00:19:21,145 --> 00:19:24,565 - So, uh, what we did is we built like a detailed sort 382 00:19:24,565 --> 00:19:28,285 of statistical model for wide binaries, which, uh, 383 00:19:28,285 --> 00:19:31,205 I've been working on and off towards since like, uh, 384 00:19:31,795 --> 00:19:36,525 late 2017, um, calculating the, in detail, 385 00:19:36,525 --> 00:19:37,725 the mon predictions for 386 00:19:37,725 --> 00:19:39,845 how wide binary orbits should behave in mon, 387 00:19:39,875 --> 00:19:43,685 also in the Newtonian case, uh, then we had to add, um, 388 00:19:43,785 --> 00:19:47,925 the possibility of a third star orbiting one 389 00:19:47,925 --> 00:19:50,445 of the two stars in the binary, and actually a fourth star, 390 00:19:50,445 --> 00:19:52,525 because there could be a closed binary around both 391 00:19:52,525 --> 00:19:53,645 of the stars in the wide binary. 392 00:19:54,185 --> 00:19:56,325 Uh, but these would be on, on very short orbits, 393 00:19:56,325 --> 00:19:59,245 and you could just focus on this motion of the sort 394 00:19:59,245 --> 00:20:02,605 of closed binary as a whole, uh, around the more distant, 395 00:20:02,715 --> 00:20:04,125 like wide binary companion. 396 00:20:04,585 --> 00:20:06,765 Um, and this only in the cases 397 00:20:06,765 --> 00:20:08,645 where you're not actually detecting the closed binary, 398 00:20:08,645 --> 00:20:09,685 because if you are, then 399 00:20:09,685 --> 00:20:12,005 that would be removed from the sample anyway, um, 400 00:20:12,145 --> 00:20:15,695 but still, um, by doing a very detailed analysis. 401 00:20:15,695 --> 00:20:19,015 So we, we fixed the, uh, analysis protocol as much 402 00:20:19,015 --> 00:20:21,175 as possible in advance of getting the actual data. 403 00:20:21,675 --> 00:20:25,415 Um, we posted like a detailed like, uh, blueprint for 404 00:20:25,435 --> 00:20:28,335 how the test should be done in autumn 2021. 405 00:20:28,995 --> 00:20:31,705 Um, and we were able to more 406 00:20:31,705 --> 00:20:33,345 or less prepare for the actual data 407 00:20:33,345 --> 00:20:35,945 because there were previous guide data releases, 408 00:20:35,945 --> 00:20:37,305 which weren't quite accurate enough. 409 00:20:37,805 --> 00:20:38,905 Uh, and these more 410 00:20:38,905 --> 00:20:41,785 or less showed us like how to get, how to do the analysis. 411 00:20:41,785 --> 00:20:45,745 Like, um, the actual analysis, uh, was sort 412 00:20:45,745 --> 00:20:49,165 of something we did as quickly as possible 413 00:20:49,165 --> 00:20:52,325 after the guide h release three came out in June, 2022. 414 00:20:53,105 --> 00:20:56,045 Uh, and I explained to the other authors that 415 00:20:56,585 --> 00:20:59,525 we would most likely have clear results by the end 416 00:20:59,525 --> 00:21:01,845 of the year, um, that 417 00:21:01,845 --> 00:21:03,485 that actually turned out to be the case. 418 00:21:03,705 --> 00:21:06,365 So on fifth November, we found out that, uh, 419 00:21:07,015 --> 00:21:10,405 there was an approximately 20 Sigma failure of mon, um, 420 00:21:10,465 --> 00:21:13,445 but the observations were consistent with the Newtonian, uh, 421 00:21:13,495 --> 00:21:16,565 prediction within one or two standard deviations. 422 00:21:17,105 --> 00:21:19,765 Um, so that was then written up, uh, subsequently 423 00:21:19,765 --> 00:21:21,605 and, uh, that's been published, uh, recently. 424 00:21:22,265 --> 00:21:25,645 Um, so there were, uh, there was also another study by, um, 425 00:21:25,965 --> 00:21:28,565 a couple of researchers in Queen Mary that, uh, 426 00:21:29,075 --> 00:21:31,645 were authors on, on my paper, but 427 00:21:31,705 --> 00:21:35,685 before I did that they managed to publish their own, like 428 00:21:36,435 --> 00:21:38,805 much faster, uh, sorry, much simpler and, 429 00:21:38,805 --> 00:21:43,005 and much faster analysis, um, which should have, um, got 430 00:21:43,065 --> 00:21:46,655 to the, uh, it should have captured the physics, 431 00:21:46,915 --> 00:21:51,115 but, uh, effectively it's like calling someone on a, 432 00:21:51,115 --> 00:21:53,195 on a break phone instead of like a smartphone. 433 00:21:53,645 --> 00:21:55,355 It'll probably still work, um, 434 00:21:55,575 --> 00:21:57,475 but it's, it's a bit less, uh, ideal. 435 00:21:57,815 --> 00:21:58,875 Um, so essentially 436 00:21:58,875 --> 00:22:01,355 what I did is we explored the parameter space much more 437 00:22:01,435 --> 00:22:02,955 thoroughly, whereas they just found like 438 00:22:02,955 --> 00:22:04,995 what was like the best model. 439 00:22:05,495 --> 00:22:06,965 Um, but, 440 00:22:07,065 --> 00:22:08,725 but still this was sufficient to see 441 00:22:08,725 --> 00:22:11,325 that there was a very strong preference for, uh, 442 00:22:12,075 --> 00:22:13,725 Newtonian gravity of a wand. 443 00:22:14,105 --> 00:22:16,325 Um, that's why my results were not, uh, 444 00:22:16,855 --> 00:22:18,885 completely surprising. 445 00:22:19,465 --> 00:22:21,645 Um, but nonetheless, it wasn't clear 446 00:22:21,735 --> 00:22:24,285 until we did the analysis, uh, uh, 447 00:22:25,195 --> 00:22:27,485 that we would actually get the same results. 448 00:22:27,485 --> 00:22:29,205 It's always a possibility that it would somehow 449 00:22:29,465 --> 00:22:30,565 be different. 450 00:22:31,105 --> 00:22:33,285 Um, but no, it, it is all quite consistent. 451 00:22:33,505 --> 00:22:38,145 Um, we also like, um, found out, uh, the main problem 452 00:22:38,145 --> 00:22:40,465 with some other groups that claimed there was actually a 453 00:22:40,465 --> 00:22:42,665 signal in the white binary test that looks like Bond. 454 00:22:43,205 --> 00:22:45,225 Um, we borrowed the dataset from them, 455 00:22:45,285 --> 00:22:47,825 and, uh, we identified like what the problem was. 456 00:22:47,845 --> 00:22:51,065 And that's explained in, um, one of the sections in a paper, 457 00:22:51,155 --> 00:22:55,065 which is, um, uh, titled what comparison with other, uh, 458 00:22:55,805 --> 00:22:58,105 you know, implementations of the White binary Test. 459 00:22:58,405 --> 00:23:00,785 So, yeah, um, the, uh, it's, it's very clear 460 00:23:00,785 --> 00:23:02,985 that wide binaries are Newtonian, uh, 461 00:23:03,125 --> 00:23:06,465 to quite high precision about like a percent or so. 462 00:23:06,885 --> 00:23:09,785 Uh, and that's why the mon prediction is completely 463 00:23:09,785 --> 00:23:11,545 incompatible with the observations. 464 00:23:12,045 --> 00:23:14,985 Um, it's also totally in line with the solar system result. 465 00:23:15,245 --> 00:23:18,505 If you were to as believe mon is correct, uh, 466 00:23:18,645 --> 00:23:20,905 and ignore all the rotation curve results, 467 00:23:20,965 --> 00:23:25,825 but just, um, believe the casini radio tracking result, 468 00:23:26,255 --> 00:23:29,665 that would automatically show that wide binaries need 469 00:23:29,665 --> 00:23:32,745 to be Newtonian, um, to like within a percent 470 00:23:33,045 --> 00:23:36,785 or so, um, that wouldn't by itself disprove bond in 471 00:23:36,785 --> 00:23:39,585 that case, that would simply prove that wide binaries need 472 00:23:39,585 --> 00:23:40,825 to be close to Newtonian. 473 00:23:41,325 --> 00:23:44,105 Um, but then if you combine it with rotation curve results, 474 00:23:44,645 --> 00:23:49,565 um, then you would see, uh, the failure of, of mon um, yeah. 475 00:23:49,825 --> 00:23:52,205 So it's these three failures, like essentially, 476 00:23:52,595 --> 00:23:55,645 like in in context, what that means is you can't extend mon 477 00:23:55,645 --> 00:23:56,805 to even slightly smaller 478 00:23:56,825 --> 00:23:58,285 or larger scales in the Galaxy 479 00:23:58,285 --> 00:23:59,885 regimes for which it was designed. Okay, 480 00:24:00,105 --> 00:24:04,485 - But so you were previously a proponent of, 481 00:24:05,085 --> 00:24:07,845 I mean, you were looking at it, uh, uh, tell me how it feels 482 00:24:07,905 --> 00:24:10,445 to you when you start looking at it at something like that 483 00:24:10,465 --> 00:24:12,005 and you go, oh, hang 484 00:24:12,005 --> 00:24:13,005 - On. 485 00:24:13,005 --> 00:24:15,045 Well, this is quite a shock when we found out like, uh, 486 00:24:15,155 --> 00:24:18,565 that, uh, it, it didn't fit the wide binary test. 487 00:24:18,745 --> 00:24:19,925 The, the thing is like, uh, 488 00:24:20,235 --> 00:24:22,485 because I, I knew sort of the risk 489 00:24:22,485 --> 00:24:25,725 of moral hazards was very high, that's why we, uh, tried 490 00:24:25,725 --> 00:24:28,845 to take mitigating measures, you know, so we'd agreed, like, 491 00:24:28,865 --> 00:24:32,405 um, so basically there's a Gravity law parameter in the 492 00:24:32,405 --> 00:24:35,685 code, which is like zero for Newton and one for one, 493 00:24:36,025 --> 00:24:37,965 but it's not like an inte, it's a floating thing. 494 00:24:37,965 --> 00:24:41,125 So it, it, it could have values between minus two 495 00:24:41,125 --> 00:24:44,485 and plus, uh, four, uh, plus 3.6. 496 00:24:44,985 --> 00:24:48,005 So, uh, what we decided in advance is basically I either 497 00:24:48,005 --> 00:24:49,525 would give zero, it would give one, 498 00:24:49,825 --> 00:24:52,565 and the other value would suggest this something not 499 00:24:52,565 --> 00:24:53,685 quite right with analysis. 500 00:24:54,075 --> 00:24:56,125 Also, we agree on what some kind of variations 501 00:24:56,125 --> 00:24:57,565 to the analysis that should be done. 502 00:24:58,145 --> 00:25:00,205 And obviously if the result, um, more 503 00:25:00,205 --> 00:25:02,685 or less holds up when we change these assumptions, 504 00:25:03,225 --> 00:25:04,325 um, that would be good. 505 00:25:04,665 --> 00:25:06,845 Uh, then some other authors suggested some other, 506 00:25:07,035 --> 00:25:10,485 like less complicated, uh, simple sort of ways 507 00:25:10,485 --> 00:25:11,645 of looking at the data, 508 00:25:11,815 --> 00:25:15,005 which should also clarify if Terrine mechanics is preferred 509 00:25:15,065 --> 00:25:16,525 or, or of Mons preferred. 510 00:25:16,945 --> 00:25:19,845 Um, and all these things gave very consistent results. 511 00:25:20,385 --> 00:25:23,325 So, um, yeah, for, in terms of how it felt like, uh, yeah, 512 00:25:23,325 --> 00:25:27,765 this, this was quite bad <laugh>, um, I mean, there's no way 513 00:25:27,785 --> 00:25:30,725 to describe it any other, this was, um, yeah, 514 00:25:30,855 --> 00:25:33,245 especially in this scenario where, uh, 515 00:25:33,245 --> 00:25:35,645 it wasn't really clear what, uh, I would work on next. 516 00:25:35,745 --> 00:25:39,205 And, uh, um, but more generally like, um, 517 00:25:40,615 --> 00:25:45,325 because, uh, it seemed likely that other problems would come 518 00:25:45,425 --> 00:25:48,485 and, uh, yeah, that, that this was 519 00:25:49,435 --> 00:25:50,525 very bad situation. 520 00:25:50,985 --> 00:25:52,525 - Is that kind of like an overnight thing? 521 00:25:52,565 --> 00:25:54,085 I mean, how long was it in that process 522 00:25:54,185 --> 00:25:57,125 before you were sort of going, okay, I've really gotta stop? 523 00:25:57,265 --> 00:25:59,325 - No, no, it's, it's basically an overnight thing on the 524 00:25:59,325 --> 00:26:00,965 5th of November, 2022. 525 00:26:01,385 --> 00:26:03,885 - Really? Okay. Did you sleep well that night? 526 00:26:04,305 --> 00:26:07,725 - Um, <laugh>, well, uh, I, I I, I can't remember like, uh, 527 00:26:07,785 --> 00:26:09,565 but ba basically, um, 528 00:26:09,675 --> 00:26:12,125 because we'd agreed like the, all the, um, 529 00:26:13,125 --> 00:26:14,125 analysis procedures in advance 530 00:26:14,185 --> 00:26:18,965 and there was a very clear result, um, then, um, there was, 531 00:26:19,025 --> 00:26:22,045 um, essentially no way around it. 532 00:26:22,145 --> 00:26:26,965 Um, it was just very precisely on the Newtonian value, uh, 533 00:26:27,185 --> 00:26:29,245 rather than the mod one in principle, 534 00:26:29,265 --> 00:26:32,525 any other value could have risen theoretically, um, 535 00:26:32,835 --> 00:26:35,285 like if there were problems of some sort of the test or, 536 00:26:35,285 --> 00:26:36,725 or if something else was going on. 537 00:26:37,225 --> 00:26:41,945 Um, but, um, in that scenario, uh, why the code just sort 538 00:26:41,945 --> 00:26:44,765 of prefers the, the Newtonian result, um, 539 00:26:45,055 --> 00:26:47,445 especially given there was some previous hints 540 00:26:47,445 --> 00:26:49,965 that the outcome would be Newtonian, um, 541 00:26:50,115 --> 00:26:54,965 because of this, um, yeah, there, there wasn't really any, 542 00:26:55,345 --> 00:26:59,805 uh, way to like, it, it was clear at that point that, uh, 543 00:27:00,035 --> 00:27:01,045 this, this couldn't have been, 544 00:27:01,745 --> 00:27:03,325 the mon couldn't have been correct 545 00:27:04,075 --> 00:27:05,075 - Clearly. 546 00:27:05,075 --> 00:27:07,645 I wanted to know Stacey's response to this study 547 00:27:07,745 --> 00:27:10,245 of the binary stars from the Gaia data. 548 00:27:10,635 --> 00:27:13,605 - Okay, so let me provide some broader context, 549 00:27:13,955 --> 00:27:16,885 because like I said, my first thought was this, 550 00:27:16,995 --> 00:27:19,685 this stupid theory I will falsify. 551 00:27:19,825 --> 00:27:23,685 And then when I actually went through the predictions, 552 00:27:23,785 --> 00:27:25,685 it was like, check, check, check, check. 553 00:27:25,745 --> 00:27:29,485 And, and, and I had corroborated all the predictions 554 00:27:29,485 --> 00:27:32,325 that Milgram had made while falsifying my own. 555 00:27:32,445 --> 00:27:35,325 I had my own dark matter based theory, and it was wrong. 556 00:27:35,545 --> 00:27:36,805 It did not do the right thing. 557 00:27:37,625 --> 00:27:40,285 And so, you know, what was I supposed to say 558 00:27:40,395 --> 00:27:41,525 that, that he was wrong? 559 00:27:41,905 --> 00:27:45,725 Um, but there are lots and lots of other things 560 00:27:46,115 --> 00:27:48,205 besides individual galaxies. 561 00:27:48,385 --> 00:27:50,765 So I spent several years 562 00:27:51,515 --> 00:27:53,525 reviewing all the evidence, 563 00:27:53,985 --> 00:27:57,485 and I mean all the evidence I did, uh, a tremendous amount 564 00:27:57,505 --> 00:27:58,965 of, of work about this. 565 00:27:59,825 --> 00:28:02,685 Um, and for the most part, not all of it, 566 00:28:02,945 --> 00:28:06,605 but for the most part, all the systems in which we inferred 567 00:28:06,675 --> 00:28:10,965 dark matter ma worked perfectly well, sometimes better. 568 00:28:11,705 --> 00:28:13,725 Um, and I would say in fact, well, 569 00:28:14,085 --> 00:28:18,285 I had been working really hard to explain my way out 570 00:28:18,285 --> 00:28:19,285 of the hole. 571 00:28:19,445 --> 00:28:22,285 I had dug with the data in terms of dark matter. 572 00:28:22,705 --> 00:28:24,805 And as soon as I allowed myself to think 573 00:28:24,805 --> 00:28:26,685 of all these problems in terms of mon, 574 00:28:27,405 --> 00:28:28,925 I found I was working less hard. 575 00:28:30,425 --> 00:28:31,925 And so what I found at the time, 576 00:28:32,065 --> 00:28:34,325 and this was the nineties basically, um, 577 00:28:35,555 --> 00:28:38,215 and I've reviewed it many times since then. 578 00:28:38,395 --> 00:28:43,295 So the statement still holds that you can explain maybe 80% 579 00:28:43,295 --> 00:28:46,175 of the data with ma depending <laugh> on how you want 580 00:28:46,175 --> 00:28:48,335 to define, uh, percentages. 581 00:28:48,335 --> 00:28:49,415 And it really depends on 582 00:28:49,415 --> 00:28:52,295 how you choose the way the various lines of evidence. 583 00:28:53,795 --> 00:28:56,255 And so the other 20% just didn't work. 584 00:28:56,755 --> 00:28:59,455 And the big thing that didn't work at the time was 585 00:28:59,535 --> 00:29:00,895 clusters of galaxies. 586 00:29:01,555 --> 00:29:03,535 Um, and that's, that's still true. 587 00:29:04,235 --> 00:29:05,775 Um, and that, you know, 588 00:29:05,775 --> 00:29:08,055 that gives me concern about whether or not it can be true. 589 00:29:08,835 --> 00:29:11,935 But what I don't accept is that we have 590 00:29:12,135 --> 00:29:14,095 to automatically default to dark matter. 591 00:29:14,365 --> 00:29:16,415 That just was the first thing we thought of. 592 00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:21,295 Um, and we do have to understand why mon gets 593 00:29:21,355 --> 00:29:22,655 so many predictions, right? 594 00:29:22,845 --> 00:29:24,575 Even if it's wrong as a theory, 595 00:29:25,075 --> 00:29:27,495 and we're not really engaging with that as a community. 596 00:29:27,755 --> 00:29:32,055 Um, most people seem to retain the attitude that I had, 597 00:29:32,125 --> 00:29:33,935 that we know it's dark matter. 598 00:29:33,935 --> 00:29:35,255 This theory has to be wrong, 599 00:29:35,395 --> 00:29:39,695 and we just grasp at the first straw to say it's wrong, 600 00:29:40,515 --> 00:29:42,735 um, and then never think about it again. 601 00:29:43,675 --> 00:29:47,815 Um, so Inverne is not one of those people. 602 00:29:48,195 --> 00:29:51,415 Um, he took it very seriously on very 603 00:29:51,415 --> 00:29:52,655 seriously from the beginning. 604 00:29:52,715 --> 00:29:57,655 And he constructed a, a test, which should be, um, decisive, 605 00:29:57,715 --> 00:29:59,855 and that's to do with wide binaries. 606 00:29:59,965 --> 00:30:04,535 Basically hunt through the Gaia database, identify pairs 607 00:30:04,535 --> 00:30:07,175 of stars that are, are wide binary candidates, 608 00:30:07,175 --> 00:30:09,855 measure their motions also with Gaia, 609 00:30:10,315 --> 00:30:12,455 and see if you can see a statistical signal. 610 00:30:12,965 --> 00:30:14,855 Basically you should see an enhancement 611 00:30:14,855 --> 00:30:18,135 of orbital velocities relative to the Newtonian case. 612 00:30:18,955 --> 00:30:21,575 Um, and Indra Mill saw nothing. 613 00:30:22,075 --> 00:30:24,055 So he, you know, and, 614 00:30:24,115 --> 00:30:27,375 and I think he went into it expecting to see it, um, 615 00:30:27,875 --> 00:30:29,455 and this would prove mon 616 00:30:29,555 --> 00:30:31,495 and in fact, he, he found the opposite. 617 00:30:31,595 --> 00:30:34,855 So he, he correctly said, no, that doesn't work. 618 00:30:35,685 --> 00:30:39,335 Whether or not that amounts to a falsification, uh, 619 00:30:39,605 --> 00:30:41,335 depends on what I said before. 620 00:30:41,335 --> 00:30:43,055 It depends on how you weigh all the 621 00:30:43,055 --> 00:30:44,175 different lines of evidence. 622 00:30:44,955 --> 00:30:48,015 If you put a hundred percent of the weight onto ev, uh, 623 00:30:48,355 --> 00:30:51,335 in Nils experiment, then yeah, it's a falsification. 624 00:30:51,795 --> 00:30:53,175 If you put a hundred percent 625 00:30:53,195 --> 00:30:56,535 of the weight on the experiment I did long ago on low, 626 00:30:56,635 --> 00:30:59,095 low surface brightness galaxies, it's as close 627 00:30:59,115 --> 00:31:00,935 to a confirmation as you'll ever get 628 00:31:01,185 --> 00:31:02,855 - Under re reputation of dark matter. 629 00:31:03,315 --> 00:31:05,015 - So Malin, I said is binary. 630 00:31:05,155 --> 00:31:06,455 It either works or it doesn't, 631 00:31:06,455 --> 00:31:10,335 and it works way more often than it should if it's wrong. 632 00:31:10,795 --> 00:31:13,935 Um, dark matter isn't like that. 633 00:31:14,275 --> 00:31:18,335 We often do not have a well defined prediction 634 00:31:18,365 --> 00:31:19,415 that comes out of it. 635 00:31:19,845 --> 00:31:20,895 It's more of an inference. 636 00:31:20,955 --> 00:31:22,895 So we see things going wrong there. 637 00:31:22,995 --> 00:31:25,655 So there's some dark matter, okay, well 638 00:31:25,655 --> 00:31:27,135 how much, how much should there be? 639 00:31:27,205 --> 00:31:28,695 What do you actually expect? 640 00:31:29,275 --> 00:31:33,135 Um, and if you're only talking about it at the level of, oh, 641 00:31:33,135 --> 00:31:36,215 there is a discrepancy from what we see, so there's, 642 00:31:36,355 --> 00:31:39,295 we infer there's some dark matter, it always works. 643 00:31:40,115 --> 00:31:43,775 Um, if you actually try to predict something, 644 00:31:44,245 --> 00:31:46,415 then it goes badly wrong in a lot of cases. 645 00:31:46,795 --> 00:31:50,495 And one thing that you really do not predict is 646 00:31:50,495 --> 00:31:52,295 that galaxy should look like mon. 647 00:31:52,835 --> 00:31:56,335 Um, basically if you tried to build dark matter models, 648 00:31:56,485 --> 00:32:00,775 then you have a Newtonian, um, collection of stars 649 00:32:01,715 --> 00:32:04,335 and a Newtonian dark matter halo, 650 00:32:04,335 --> 00:32:06,775 and you don't know what the mass 651 00:32:07,135 --> 00:32:08,335 distribution of that halo is. 652 00:32:08,515 --> 00:32:11,255 So you have to make some assumptions in order to try 653 00:32:11,255 --> 00:32:12,775 to predict something and build a model. 654 00:32:12,835 --> 00:32:14,455 And you can make a whole bunch of assumptions. 655 00:32:14,455 --> 00:32:16,135 And what you find is that there is this 656 00:32:16,855 --> 00:32:20,375 enormous parameter space of what galaxies and, 657 00:32:20,435 --> 00:32:23,255 and other systems might plausibly do. 658 00:32:23,365 --> 00:32:25,335 When you have both luminous stuff 659 00:32:25,335 --> 00:32:28,195 and dark matter mixed together in mon, 660 00:32:28,195 --> 00:32:29,635 there's only one thing it can do. 661 00:32:29,695 --> 00:32:32,355 It has to follow this force law that was written down. 662 00:32:32,895 --> 00:32:36,395 And for some reason, nature always seems to be plucking 663 00:32:37,025 --> 00:32:40,965 this mandian, uh, appearance out of, uh, 664 00:32:41,235 --> 00:32:43,845 dark matter universe if that's how the universe works. 665 00:32:44,665 --> 00:32:47,525 And that's, uh, you know, in a sort 666 00:32:47,525 --> 00:32:49,085 of a basian statistical sense, 667 00:32:49,225 --> 00:32:51,845 that's just completely improbable. 668 00:32:51,945 --> 00:32:53,605 It should never happen. 'cause there are all 669 00:32:53,605 --> 00:32:54,645 these other possibilities. 670 00:32:55,545 --> 00:32:58,885 Um, and the only way it happens in 671 00:32:58,885 --> 00:33:01,125 that conventional dark matter context is if 672 00:33:01,125 --> 00:33:02,885 you make it so right. 673 00:33:03,265 --> 00:33:05,645 And so there are lots of models out there where 674 00:33:06,055 --> 00:33:08,765 after the fact I've told them, okay, the data do this, 675 00:33:08,825 --> 00:33:11,005 and then the modelers are like, oh, yeah, I can do that. 676 00:33:11,745 --> 00:33:13,365 But they never did it in advance, 677 00:33:13,585 --> 00:33:16,885 and they can't actually use that to predict anything. 678 00:33:17,275 --> 00:33:20,765 Whereas mon, I can take and look at a galaxy 679 00:33:20,765 --> 00:33:22,725 and say, okay, I measured the mass distribution, 680 00:33:22,805 --> 00:33:24,365 I can predict what the motions will be, 681 00:33:24,505 --> 00:33:27,405 and you know, nine times outta 10 I'm correct. 682 00:33:28,145 --> 00:33:31,045 Um, and I'm more interested in 683 00:33:31,045 --> 00:33:33,725 that nine times outta 10 than I am out of the one. 684 00:33:33,825 --> 00:33:36,205 You know, they're astronomical data are goofy, 685 00:33:36,205 --> 00:33:37,485 they're always some weird cases. 686 00:33:38,265 --> 00:33:42,125 Now, Indra no founding opposite with wide binaries, 687 00:33:42,185 --> 00:33:43,845 and I take that very seriously. 688 00:33:44,145 --> 00:33:47,965 Um, so maybe that is informing us about the deeper theory, 689 00:33:48,225 --> 00:33:50,125 not necessarily that mon is wrong, 690 00:33:50,145 --> 00:33:53,245 but we know it's not complete as a theory, 691 00:33:53,425 --> 00:33:54,845 and so maybe there's some theory 692 00:33:54,845 --> 00:33:56,165 development to be done there. 693 00:33:57,025 --> 00:34:01,205 Um, but it's, it's a little worse than that in that there is 694 00:34:01,865 --> 00:34:05,165 as yet no consensus on the wide binaries. 695 00:34:05,545 --> 00:34:08,405 So, um, both Xavier Hernandez and, 696 00:34:08,465 --> 00:34:12,565 and independently, uh, Kahu Kai have done the same 697 00:34:13,435 --> 00:34:17,285 experiments with Gaia, basically the same data looking 698 00:34:17,305 --> 00:34:18,365 for wide bearing areas. 699 00:34:19,265 --> 00:34:21,605 And they both claim to see a mon like effect. 700 00:34:22,065 --> 00:34:24,605 So where Indra nil doesn't see it 701 00:34:24,605 --> 00:34:27,845 and rules it out, they say they do see it and must have it. 702 00:34:28,825 --> 00:34:30,565 And I don't know who to believe. 703 00:34:31,545 --> 00:34:33,605 - If you don't, can't sort it, 704 00:34:33,705 --> 00:34:35,725 how can anybody else know what the answer is here? 705 00:34:35,725 --> 00:34:37,165 How, how can anybody look at this 706 00:34:37,165 --> 00:34:39,245 and go, oh, well, that's what's going on? 707 00:34:39,715 --> 00:34:42,815 - Well, I think it's like I say 708 00:34:43,055 --> 00:34:45,175 I, let me step back. 709 00:34:45,175 --> 00:34:46,895 There have been controversies like this in 710 00:34:47,415 --> 00:34:48,895 astronomy since its inception. 711 00:34:49,435 --> 00:34:53,695 Um, in modern times we now have the Hubble tension, right? 712 00:34:54,115 --> 00:34:56,495 Is it 67 or 73? 713 00:34:57,155 --> 00:35:01,735 Um, when I was young, that was, is it 50 or is it a hundred? 714 00:35:02,635 --> 00:35:06,455 And, um, it's really hard to sort through that sort of thing 715 00:35:07,045 --> 00:35:09,575 took decades to solve the first one. 716 00:35:09,925 --> 00:35:12,895 It's may take as long to solve the new one. 717 00:35:13,755 --> 00:35:18,335 Um, and the ideal way to do this is for all the principles 718 00:35:18,435 --> 00:35:21,025 to get together, set 719 00:35:21,025 --> 00:35:24,865 and agreed rules that they're all going to play by 720 00:35:25,205 --> 00:35:27,865 and then compare data, take notes, 721 00:35:28,005 --> 00:35:30,825 and agree that they've all come to the same answer, 722 00:35:31,485 --> 00:35:32,825 uh, in the proper way. 723 00:35:33,085 --> 00:35:35,705 And, and then somebody has to admit they're wrong. 724 00:35:36,485 --> 00:35:39,625 Um, that is the sticking point. 725 00:35:39,735 --> 00:35:42,145 Very few people are willing to do that. 726 00:35:42,845 --> 00:35:45,825 Um, and, and you know, I would say I would do that. 727 00:35:45,945 --> 00:35:46,945 I had a prediction. 728 00:35:47,385 --> 00:35:49,305 I tried hard to fudge it, 729 00:35:49,565 --> 00:35:51,545 and I had to admit that it was just wrong. 730 00:35:51,825 --> 00:35:54,745 I what I predicted for low surface brightness galaxies 731 00:35:55,585 --> 00:35:57,105 specifically, that they would shift off 732 00:35:57,105 --> 00:36:00,505 of the Tulley Fisher relation that didn't happen. 733 00:36:00,925 --> 00:36:05,385 Um, and so, you know, I would prefer 734 00:36:05,385 --> 00:36:07,185 that they sort it out among themselves. 735 00:36:07,645 --> 00:36:08,825 Um, now, 736 00:36:10,085 --> 00:36:11,145 - But, but hang on. 737 00:36:11,145 --> 00:36:12,985 Isn't that what peer review does? 738 00:36:13,105 --> 00:36:14,585 I mean, isn't that essentially 739 00:36:15,425 --> 00:36:19,305 - <laugh> Oh, oh my, 740 00:36:20,365 --> 00:36:23,945 um, in principle, yes, in practice, um, 741 00:36:25,045 --> 00:36:26,985 we are all people doing these things 742 00:36:27,085 --> 00:36:29,505 and we bring our own baggage to the reviewing process. 743 00:36:29,845 --> 00:36:33,625 And, um, I've been on both sides of that many, many times, 744 00:36:33,925 --> 00:36:35,745 and I've seen all sorts of strange going. 745 00:36:35,805 --> 00:36:37,465 And so it, it's a, it's a bit like, 746 00:36:37,665 --> 00:36:38,785 I think it was Churchill, right? 747 00:36:38,885 --> 00:36:43,065 The peer review is, is the worst system, uh, except 748 00:36:43,065 --> 00:36:44,225 for every other, right? 749 00:36:44,465 --> 00:36:49,305 I mean, you need some method, um, to, to, 750 00:36:49,725 --> 00:36:51,945 to review what goes into a journals 751 00:36:51,945 --> 00:36:53,585 and what counts and what qualifies. 752 00:36:54,085 --> 00:36:56,385 Uh, and that is the best method that we have. 753 00:36:56,565 --> 00:36:57,905 But it's certainly not perfect. 754 00:36:58,645 --> 00:37:01,425 Um, and you have these controversies 755 00:37:01,425 --> 00:37:05,985 because people, um, you know, are willing 756 00:37:06,005 --> 00:37:08,265 to accept publication. 757 00:37:08,485 --> 00:37:12,865 In fact, you know, for astronomy, the, 758 00:37:13,005 --> 00:37:15,705 the acceptance rates of most astronomy journals, 759 00:37:15,705 --> 00:37:18,025 the good ones are pretty high. 760 00:37:18,725 --> 00:37:20,425 Um, and part of that is 761 00:37:20,425 --> 00:37:24,425 because we have a long history that is informed by 762 00:37:25,175 --> 00:37:27,585 exactly these kinds of controversies. 763 00:37:28,845 --> 00:37:33,025 So, you know, I have many times gotten a manuscript, 764 00:37:33,065 --> 00:37:36,185 a review where I'm like, I don't believe this, but, 765 00:37:36,405 --> 00:37:37,425 but I could be wrong. 766 00:37:38,405 --> 00:37:42,105 And so if, um, you know, the, 767 00:37:42,325 --> 00:37:44,225 the authors make a good case 768 00:37:44,405 --> 00:37:47,305 and they maybe have a kind of data that I haven't seen 769 00:37:47,305 --> 00:37:50,265 before, then I will usually recommend that for publication, 770 00:37:50,295 --> 00:37:52,665 even if I seriously doubt it. 771 00:37:52,665 --> 00:37:55,625 And of course, I will explain that in my report, 772 00:37:55,725 --> 00:37:57,465 and there is some back and forth, 773 00:37:57,685 --> 00:38:00,665 and sometimes you can get people to moderate 774 00:38:00,735 --> 00:38:02,345 what they say and sometimes not. 775 00:38:03,405 --> 00:38:06,505 Um, and it's pretty rare though. 776 00:38:06,505 --> 00:38:09,545 It does happen when you can, when you get a paper that is, 777 00:38:09,545 --> 00:38:10,545 oh, this is just wrong. 778 00:38:11,245 --> 00:38:15,265 Um, and, and even then sometimes they get published 779 00:38:15,265 --> 00:38:19,065 because of this long history of getting things wrong. 780 00:38:19,805 --> 00:38:22,805 Um, I can think of cases 781 00:38:22,855 --> 00:38:25,125 where papers I think should not have been 782 00:38:25,125 --> 00:38:26,445 published, did get published. 783 00:38:27,165 --> 00:38:29,165 I cannot think of any case. 784 00:38:30,465 --> 00:38:33,085 Um, and I've done hundreds of these at this point. 785 00:38:33,285 --> 00:38:35,205 I can't think of any case where a paper 786 00:38:35,275 --> 00:38:39,245 that was really good did not eventually get published. 787 00:38:40,005 --> 00:38:44,165 I can think of cases where, uh, it had to be shopped around 788 00:38:44,185 --> 00:38:47,445 to different journals, um, before it got accepted. 789 00:38:48,225 --> 00:38:50,165 - Uh, that's interesting. Has it always been like that? 790 00:38:50,865 --> 00:38:52,885 - You know, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, 791 00:38:53,305 --> 00:38:54,885 the only people submitting papers 792 00:38:54,985 --> 00:38:57,005 to astronomy journals were astronomers. 793 00:38:57,065 --> 00:38:59,525 It was a modest sized community. 794 00:39:00,305 --> 00:39:02,725 If you didn't know people, you knew of them. 795 00:39:03,145 --> 00:39:05,365 And so there was a basic presumption 796 00:39:05,365 --> 00:39:08,565 that papers were being submitted in good faith. 797 00:39:09,465 --> 00:39:12,765 Um, they at least tried right <laugh>, 798 00:39:12,765 --> 00:39:13,765 even if they got it wrong. 799 00:39:14,305 --> 00:39:16,685 Um, that's not really true today. 800 00:39:16,795 --> 00:39:19,805 There's a, a whole bunch of predatory journals. 801 00:39:20,105 --> 00:39:24,965 Um, there are people usually physicists, uh, 802 00:39:24,965 --> 00:39:27,245 people trained mostly as particle physicists 803 00:39:27,265 --> 00:39:29,885 who suddenly think they're qualified to do astronomy 804 00:39:30,875 --> 00:39:34,685 writing papers that make some of the basic mistakes 805 00:39:34,835 --> 00:39:37,845 that the astronomical community made 50 years ago. 806 00:39:38,105 --> 00:39:40,085 And you point these out as a reviewer 807 00:39:40,085 --> 00:39:41,965 and they're like, oh, I never heard of that, 808 00:39:42,065 --> 00:39:43,645 so it can't possibly be right. 809 00:39:43,795 --> 00:39:46,045 It's like, no, no, really, we've been through this before. 810 00:39:46,045 --> 00:39:47,965 You're, you're making an obvious mistake. 811 00:39:48,705 --> 00:39:51,645 Um, but the editors are also physicists who never heard 812 00:39:51,645 --> 00:39:52,925 of whatever that issue is. 813 00:39:52,925 --> 00:39:54,405 And so it gets published anyway. 814 00:39:55,145 --> 00:39:57,005 Um, and, uh, some 815 00:39:57,005 --> 00:39:59,845 of these papers are not even offered in good faith. 816 00:40:00,305 --> 00:40:03,245 Um, and there's a range of ways in which that happens. 817 00:40:03,665 --> 00:40:06,565 One is just ignorance of the history of the field. 818 00:40:06,745 --> 00:40:08,205 And so it's like, oh, you, 819 00:40:08,385 --> 00:40:11,205 you really missed a huge section of the literature. 820 00:40:11,785 --> 00:40:13,885 And if you're trained as a physicist, you don't even know 821 00:40:13,885 --> 00:40:15,245 what journals to look those up in. 822 00:40:15,825 --> 00:40:19,605 So it can be an honest mistake. Um, but it is a mistake. 823 00:40:20,065 --> 00:40:23,965 And, um, there are also people, especially on this subject 824 00:40:24,065 --> 00:40:26,845 of, of the modified dynamics, um, you know, 825 00:40:26,845 --> 00:40:28,205 if you're a particle physicist 826 00:40:28,225 --> 00:40:29,885 who think you're gonna get a Nobel Prize 827 00:40:30,105 --> 00:40:33,365 for discovering a dark matter particle, you know, 828 00:40:34,105 --> 00:40:37,325 you do not want to hear that there's some other solution. 829 00:40:37,665 --> 00:40:38,965 Uh, you just don't. Uh, 830 00:40:39,385 --> 00:40:41,925 - But isn't that true of if you think you're gonna get a 831 00:40:41,925 --> 00:40:44,285 Nobel Prize for proving mon that you wouldn't wanna 832 00:40:44,285 --> 00:40:46,165 - Hear, I don't think anybody's gonna get a 833 00:40:46,175 --> 00:40:47,205 Nobel Prize for that. 834 00:40:47,625 --> 00:40:49,365 Um, not anytime soon anyway. 835 00:40:49,905 --> 00:40:52,965 Um, and and I, I, I laugh at that 836 00:40:52,965 --> 00:40:57,765 because I very consciously chose to report 837 00:40:57,875 --> 00:41:00,965 what I thought was true in the data, knowing full well 838 00:41:01,075 --> 00:41:04,965 that I would suffer a social penalty for doing so. 839 00:41:05,625 --> 00:41:10,125 Uh, and had I realized how steep that social cost would be, 840 00:41:10,605 --> 00:41:11,605 I might not have done it. 841 00:41:12,225 --> 00:41:15,085 And a lot of people choose not to. 842 00:41:15,825 --> 00:41:19,525 Um, so it's, it's funny, I have conversations with people 843 00:41:20,745 --> 00:41:23,405 and they will say different things sometimes in private than 844 00:41:23,405 --> 00:41:26,965 they do publicly, um, because it's a controversial issue, 845 00:41:26,985 --> 00:41:28,245 and they don't want to be seen 846 00:41:28,245 --> 00:41:29,765 to be on the wrong side of that. 847 00:41:30,685 --> 00:41:32,425 Um, so I may be wrong, 848 00:41:32,685 --> 00:41:35,405 but I'm, I'm certainly being honest about it, 849 00:41:35,505 --> 00:41:37,085 and that's why I say I don't know 850 00:41:38,075 --> 00:41:39,965 what the Y binaries are teaching us. 851 00:41:40,205 --> 00:41:44,725 I know that Inverne is convinced that he's disproved bond, 852 00:41:45,425 --> 00:41:48,445 and I know he has made an honest attempt at doing that. 853 00:41:48,845 --> 00:41:50,685 I just don't know if it's right 854 00:41:51,205 --> 00:41:52,205 - <laugh>, I asked Dr. 855 00:41:52,205 --> 00:41:54,005 Adrian Banick if he was surprised 856 00:41:54,005 --> 00:41:55,525 that people were still looking at mon 857 00:41:55,545 --> 00:41:56,845 as a possibility. Well, 858 00:41:56,945 --> 00:42:01,925 - Uh, the thing is, um, you, you can try to circumvent the 859 00:42:03,335 --> 00:42:07,265 falsification by changing the how, how the theory works. 860 00:42:07,805 --> 00:42:08,825 I'm not surprised that there'll 861 00:42:08,825 --> 00:42:09,865 be some people working on it. 862 00:42:09,915 --> 00:42:11,985 First of all, like when I start understand people who've 863 00:42:11,985 --> 00:42:13,785 worked right for many decades would, in any case, 864 00:42:13,805 --> 00:42:14,945 not easily give it up. 865 00:42:15,445 --> 00:42:17,785 Um, but more importantly, um, 866 00:42:19,065 --> 00:42:23,985 I would say it does work well in the rotation curve, uh, 867 00:42:24,045 --> 00:42:26,145 was to to predict galaxy rotation curves. 868 00:42:26,685 --> 00:42:31,475 Um, and, uh, in our case, for example, uh, 869 00:42:31,985 --> 00:42:35,795 when we do cosmology, um, we often rely on sort 870 00:42:35,795 --> 00:42:38,075 of calculations that use more, 871 00:42:38,175 --> 00:42:40,115 but as a, a proxy for 872 00:42:40,115 --> 00:42:43,035 what could happen if gravity was enhanced in some way, uh, 873 00:42:43,035 --> 00:42:44,715 just to see what that kind, how 874 00:42:44,715 --> 00:42:45,955 that kind of simulation might differ. 875 00:42:46,345 --> 00:42:48,315 Even though by now it's clear that the extent 876 00:42:48,375 --> 00:42:49,835 of any possible modification 877 00:42:49,835 --> 00:42:51,995 to gravity is much smaller than Bond gives. 878 00:42:52,535 --> 00:42:54,555 Uh, but it, it's, uh, helpful as a sort 879 00:42:54,555 --> 00:42:56,275 of an extreme sort of case. 880 00:42:56,855 --> 00:43:00,235 Um, but in terms of people working on bond, uh, 881 00:43:00,235 --> 00:43:02,635 there's actually much fewer people working on one now, in, 882 00:43:02,635 --> 00:43:06,115 in terms of doing like numerical bond simulations, uh, a lot 883 00:43:06,115 --> 00:43:08,995 of the people working on this in v uh, have left. 884 00:43:09,495 --> 00:43:12,195 Uh, that's just because of the PhD's finishing. 885 00:43:12,195 --> 00:43:14,035 But the thing is, like, it's not, they, 886 00:43:14,035 --> 00:43:16,475 they hire new PhD students to work on bond. 887 00:43:16,935 --> 00:43:20,355 Um, so, uh, that, that's, uh, sort of thing. 888 00:43:20,455 --> 00:43:22,195 And, uh, certainly there aren't very many 889 00:43:22,275 --> 00:43:23,715 postdocs working on bond. 890 00:43:24,215 --> 00:43:26,875 Um, and the postdoc stage especially, you'd have 891 00:43:26,875 --> 00:43:29,275 to write like specific grant proposals. 892 00:43:29,335 --> 00:43:30,795 And this can't really, 893 00:43:31,025 --> 00:43:33,235 it's not really investible, uh, at the moment. 894 00:43:33,935 --> 00:43:36,315 Uh, obviously I'm not entirely sure if it, 895 00:43:36,315 --> 00:43:37,995 if it will be in the future, 896 00:43:38,135 --> 00:43:39,715 but, um, that seems very unlikely. 897 00:43:39,975 --> 00:43:41,675 But certainly right now it's, it's not. 898 00:43:42,295 --> 00:43:45,715 Um, so yeah, there's also much fewer in terms 899 00:43:45,715 --> 00:43:47,555 of early care researchers working on one. 900 00:43:47,555 --> 00:43:49,235 There's very few, there's, there's people 901 00:43:49,235 --> 00:43:51,315 who already have tenure, a lot of free time 902 00:43:51,335 --> 00:43:54,075 and can afford to work on one regardless of 903 00:43:54,105 --> 00:43:56,675 what other people think in terms of people who actually have 904 00:43:56,675 --> 00:43:58,315 to write a grant to work on wand. 905 00:43:58,775 --> 00:44:00,835 Uh, you had that in the past, 906 00:44:01,695 --> 00:44:04,075 but, uh, you don't really have that now. 907 00:44:04,435 --> 00:44:07,795 A apart from, um, obviously, you know, a handful of people 908 00:44:07,795 --> 00:44:09,715 who got grants before it was falsified 909 00:44:09,735 --> 00:44:10,955 and then they're still working. 910 00:44:11,135 --> 00:44:13,075 That's, uh, one of the exceptions 911 00:44:13,385 --> 00:44:14,635 - More from midrail soon. 912 00:44:14,695 --> 00:44:16,435 But let's go back to my conversation 913 00:44:16,665 --> 00:44:18,275 with Professor Stacey McGill. 914 00:44:18,415 --> 00:44:22,195 But if it is, and he is disproven bond 915 00:44:23,175 --> 00:44:26,435 for the wide binaries, does that, does that mean 916 00:44:27,215 --> 00:44:29,515 you abandon it and you look at something else? 917 00:44:29,575 --> 00:44:30,795 Or, or what does that mean for you? 918 00:44:31,675 --> 00:44:35,125 - That is a great question and I wish I had a great answer. 919 00:44:35,505 --> 00:44:40,165 Um, because I have spent a lot of time trying to find 920 00:44:40,165 --> 00:44:42,085 that intermediate case, right? 921 00:44:42,345 --> 00:44:45,605 So, um, and there are hybrid models out there 922 00:44:45,705 --> 00:44:48,845 and they all sort of feel wrong to me. 923 00:44:48,985 --> 00:44:52,205 And, and I don't wanna go into a great length about each 924 00:44:52,265 --> 00:44:54,645 one, but I've tried to do that and I have failed. 925 00:44:55,465 --> 00:45:00,045 Um, but ultimately, like I say, one needs 926 00:45:00,065 --> 00:45:03,365 to be able to explain the phenomena 927 00:45:03,365 --> 00:45:05,725 that ma does predict correctly. 928 00:45:06,465 --> 00:45:07,645 And there is a lot of that. 929 00:45:08,305 --> 00:45:09,885 And it does not sit well 930 00:45:09,885 --> 00:45:11,485 with the normal dark matter picture. 931 00:45:11,845 --> 00:45:14,325 I mean, uh, you can find people who say, oh, yeah, I, 932 00:45:14,445 --> 00:45:17,165 I can do that, but no, I've been through that. 933 00:45:17,225 --> 00:45:18,965 If I thought I could explain it easily 934 00:45:18,995 --> 00:45:21,045 with dark matter, I would do so. 935 00:45:21,505 --> 00:45:24,525 Um, I am still personally way more comfortable with that. 936 00:45:24,765 --> 00:45:26,605 'cause basically that's what I grew up with. 937 00:45:27,385 --> 00:45:28,765 Um, and I would also love 938 00:45:28,785 --> 00:45:30,645 to stop having this argument with people. 939 00:45:30,785 --> 00:45:35,205 It gets old. Um, but it's, it's just not true. 940 00:45:35,745 --> 00:45:40,415 Um, it is very hard to explain, uh, the phenomenology 941 00:45:40,475 --> 00:45:41,975 of galaxies and a lot of other things 942 00:45:42,125 --> 00:45:46,415 with our conventional notions of non-BAR cold, 943 00:45:46,535 --> 00:45:49,935 dark matter, just some new particle that's not good enough. 944 00:45:50,135 --> 00:45:52,295 'cause what we see in the data is a clear connection 945 00:45:52,295 --> 00:45:54,415 between the distribution of the stuff we see 946 00:45:54,795 --> 00:45:56,815 and the dynamics that we get. 947 00:45:57,555 --> 00:46:00,335 And so the dark matter knows, uh, 948 00:46:00,335 --> 00:46:01,855 what the normal matter is doing. 949 00:46:01,855 --> 00:46:04,455 There needs to be some direct link between them 950 00:46:04,565 --> 00:46:06,495 that is way stronger 951 00:46:06,555 --> 00:46:08,615 and more compelling than just gravity, 952 00:46:08,745 --> 00:46:11,695 which is a really weak, um, force. 953 00:46:11,965 --> 00:46:13,575 It's, it doesn't organize things. 954 00:46:13,635 --> 00:46:16,615 And so, so to give you an example, a lot 955 00:46:16,615 --> 00:46:18,775 of times I will make this point, oh, the, 956 00:46:18,875 --> 00:46:22,415 the barian tail is lagging the dark matter dog. 957 00:46:22,415 --> 00:46:23,495 That doesn't make sense. 958 00:46:23,755 --> 00:46:24,815 Uh, 'cause the, 959 00:46:25,045 --> 00:46:28,135 basically you can have a dark matter distribution that does 960 00:46:29,045 --> 00:46:30,055 what you need it to do, 961 00:46:31,215 --> 00:46:33,155 but you can only do that 'cause you don't know. 962 00:46:33,215 --> 00:46:34,635 You can't see it. So you just say, oh, 963 00:46:34,635 --> 00:46:35,915 it is whatever I need it to be. 964 00:46:36,015 --> 00:46:37,075 You can't predict it. 965 00:46:37,695 --> 00:46:40,075 And so the, basically the luminous matter is telling 966 00:46:40,075 --> 00:46:41,115 the dark matter what to do. 967 00:46:41,545 --> 00:46:42,635 That doesn't make sense. 968 00:46:42,935 --> 00:46:44,715 Um, 'cause there's a lot more dark matter. 969 00:46:45,095 --> 00:46:47,275 So people say, oh, well dark matter tells 970 00:46:47,275 --> 00:46:48,475 the luminous matter what to do. 971 00:46:49,305 --> 00:46:52,915 It's like, okay, that sounds wise, but actually it's stupid 972 00:46:53,225 --> 00:46:57,035 because you cannot use that statement to construct a model 973 00:46:57,035 --> 00:46:58,755 that predicts anything successfully. 974 00:46:59,555 --> 00:47:02,755 I know I've tried, I've tried really hard. 975 00:47:03,295 --> 00:47:06,475 Um, and so it's really the difference between, um, 976 00:47:06,495 --> 00:47:09,075 taking some data and fitting it, that's easy. 977 00:47:09,225 --> 00:47:12,395 I've also done that you can always find a dark matter model 978 00:47:12,425 --> 00:47:15,315 that fits once you're told what the data is. 979 00:47:15,855 --> 00:47:19,315 The challenging thing is to make a model that predicts 980 00:47:19,505 --> 00:47:21,955 what we see in advance, uh, 981 00:47:22,015 --> 00:47:24,475 and that nobody has demonstrated so far 982 00:47:24,575 --> 00:47:25,575 - Mm-Hmm. 983 00:47:25,585 --> 00:47:27,635 Does the fact that we can't use something 984 00:47:27,635 --> 00:47:28,755 to predict it mean it's not true? 985 00:47:28,970 --> 00:47:30,590 Or does it just mean we just can't predict 986 00:47:30,590 --> 00:47:31,590 - It? 987 00:47:31,590 --> 00:47:33,885 Well, so no, and that's one of the frustrating things. 988 00:47:33,905 --> 00:47:37,085 So at one point, oh geez, almost a decade now ago now, 989 00:47:37,125 --> 00:47:38,765 I wrote a review in which I said 990 00:47:38,765 --> 00:47:41,365 that the two things were in commiserate 991 00:47:41,545 --> 00:47:42,965 and they really are in commiserate. 992 00:47:43,665 --> 00:47:46,725 Um, so yeah, just 993 00:47:46,845 --> 00:47:49,565 'cause something can't predict it doesn't mean it's wrong. 994 00:47:50,425 --> 00:47:54,535 Um, on the other hand that something does predict it, 995 00:47:54,595 --> 00:47:57,935 we usually take to be an indication it might be right. 996 00:47:58,675 --> 00:48:02,495 Um, and that is basically the answer 997 00:48:02,595 --> 00:48:05,135 to the question you posed is what would I do next? 998 00:48:05,135 --> 00:48:06,695 Well, that's what I've been trying to do. 999 00:48:06,695 --> 00:48:09,175 And what I've been trying to get other people to do is like, 1000 00:48:09,245 --> 00:48:12,775 okay, I am open to an a dark matter interpretation, 1001 00:48:12,835 --> 00:48:14,455 but you actually have to demonstrate 1002 00:48:15,115 --> 00:48:18,135 how this mon like force law follows from that. 1003 00:48:18,935 --> 00:48:21,975 I have not been able to do that in a satisfactory model. 1004 00:48:22,715 --> 00:48:24,255 Um, in fact, I thought 1005 00:48:24,875 --> 00:48:27,015 at several points in my career I had done it 1006 00:48:27,715 --> 00:48:31,175 and I realized I had assumed something along the way 1007 00:48:31,205 --> 00:48:33,575 that made it so it was basically a tautology. 1008 00:48:34,435 --> 00:48:38,295 Um, and I see lots of models being published 1009 00:48:38,295 --> 00:48:39,415 that say, oh yeah, we do this. 1010 00:48:39,515 --> 00:48:41,175 And I look at them, it's like, oh yeah, I made 1011 00:48:41,175 --> 00:48:43,055 that tautology 20 years ago. 1012 00:48:43,195 --> 00:48:44,935 You're just making the same mistake. 1013 00:48:45,715 --> 00:48:50,095 Um, and you know, so one has 1014 00:48:50,095 --> 00:48:52,535 to actually demonstrate that with a satisfactory model, 1015 00:48:52,635 --> 00:48:55,255 and that's a much higher standard than its sounds. 1016 00:48:55,755 --> 00:49:00,035 Um, and people are not doing that in large part 1017 00:49:00,035 --> 00:49:02,835 because they're already convinced it has to be dark matter. 1018 00:49:02,975 --> 00:49:06,995 And so there's a very low bar, um, to trip over to say, 1019 00:49:06,995 --> 00:49:08,035 oh yeah, I got that right. 1020 00:49:08,215 --> 00:49:09,475 Can you give me an example of that? 1021 00:49:09,695 --> 00:49:12,675 Uh, so the standard dark matter halo is this thing called an 1022 00:49:12,715 --> 00:49:16,795 NFW halo that specifies a particular density profile. 1023 00:49:17,615 --> 00:49:20,755 Um, and it has its problems, but if you take that 1024 00:49:21,335 --> 00:49:23,435 and the stellar mass halo mass relation 1025 00:49:23,585 --> 00:49:24,835 that people think work 1026 00:49:25,335 --> 00:49:28,355 and put some bunch of exponential discs in there, 1027 00:49:28,365 --> 00:49:31,195 which is the standard sort of approximation we use 1028 00:49:31,215 --> 00:49:35,235 for the luminous parts of galaxies, then it almost adds up 1029 00:49:35,235 --> 00:49:38,595 to something that I call the radio acceleration relation. 1030 00:49:39,535 --> 00:49:43,965 Um, which is the sort of manifestation 1031 00:49:43,965 --> 00:49:45,645 of mon in a conventional sense. 1032 00:49:45,745 --> 00:49:47,925 If I didn't know about mon 1033 00:49:48,555 --> 00:49:51,685 then I could still say this relation is there in the data, 1034 00:49:52,105 --> 00:49:53,845 and it happens to look exactly like mon, 1035 00:49:53,905 --> 00:49:55,085 but let's do it some other way. 1036 00:49:55,825 --> 00:49:59,165 And that, that modeling procedure I just 1037 00:49:59,165 --> 00:50:00,645 described almost works. 1038 00:50:00,985 --> 00:50:04,165 Um, and so if you don't look too closely, then it's like, 1039 00:50:04,165 --> 00:50:06,645 oh, that's fine, and you go on your merry way. 1040 00:50:07,265 --> 00:50:11,765 Um, but it has some assumptions built into it like 1041 00:50:11,765 --> 00:50:14,725 that still a mass halo, mass relation, a a relation between 1042 00:50:15,425 --> 00:50:18,245 how big the dark matter is, halo is for a galaxy 1043 00:50:18,245 --> 00:50:19,325 of a given, still our mass. 1044 00:50:19,865 --> 00:50:23,925 Um, that's not native. We already had to fit that to data. 1045 00:50:24,585 --> 00:50:27,845 And in fact, that was one of the things that gave me 1046 00:50:28,645 --> 00:50:31,645 problems with the dark matter paradigm in the first place, 1047 00:50:31,705 --> 00:50:35,845 is that the obvious thing to, uh, assume was 1048 00:50:35,845 --> 00:50:37,485 that there's a one-to-one relation. 1049 00:50:37,825 --> 00:50:41,245 You know, basically there's a fixed ratio between the amount 1050 00:50:41,245 --> 00:50:43,045 of dark matter and the amount of luminous matter. 1051 00:50:43,825 --> 00:50:47,895 Uh, and that is such an obvious thing, uh, to assume 1052 00:50:47,965 --> 00:50:50,415 that we assumed it all through the 1990s 1053 00:50:50,475 --> 00:50:53,775 and we fought really hard to not do that, right? 1054 00:50:54,075 --> 00:50:55,695 We did not want to abandon that. 1055 00:50:56,435 --> 00:50:59,055 Uh, and by the turn of the century we realized 1056 00:50:59,085 --> 00:51:00,335 that we had to do so. 1057 00:51:01,475 --> 00:51:03,775 And one of the reasons is the kind of data 1058 00:51:03,935 --> 00:51:05,535 that we've just been talking about, 1059 00:51:05,605 --> 00:51:07,055 that it simply doesn't work. 1060 00:51:07,875 --> 00:51:12,295 And so if you now 20 years later make a model that assumes, 1061 00:51:12,675 --> 00:51:17,015 um, that there is some magic stellar mass halo, 1062 00:51:17,015 --> 00:51:20,015 mass relation, well, you're already assuming a large part 1063 00:51:20,015 --> 00:51:22,895 of the answer that was established as something 1064 00:51:23,015 --> 00:51:24,575 that didn't work a long time ago. 1065 00:51:25,195 --> 00:51:27,495 Um, it's just been long enough we've forgotten that, 1066 00:51:27,495 --> 00:51:30,855 that we've granted ourself this role in fudge factor. 1067 00:51:31,555 --> 00:51:34,375 Um, even after that, it still doesn't work, right? 1068 00:51:34,515 --> 00:51:36,455 But I, I mentioned this particular case 1069 00:51:36,455 --> 00:51:39,455 because, um, Julio Navarro, 1070 00:51:39,505 --> 00:51:43,375 who's the inn in NFW Halos, built exactly a model like this, 1071 00:51:44,125 --> 00:51:46,135 it's like seven years ago now, and it's like, 1072 00:51:46,995 --> 00:51:48,055 and, and said it worked. 1073 00:51:48,075 --> 00:51:49,495 And I'm like, didn't I try that? 1074 00:51:49,635 --> 00:51:51,935 And sure enough, I went back and looked and, 1075 00:51:52,195 --> 00:51:55,375 and the last time I had touched the files was in 2000, 1076 00:51:56,195 --> 00:51:58,695 but it was exactly the same kind of model, 1077 00:51:59,275 --> 00:52:01,095 and I had dismissed it as not working. 1078 00:52:01,235 --> 00:52:03,535 And the reason was what I just described, 1079 00:52:03,535 --> 00:52:07,295 because I assumed something different about the ratio 1080 00:52:07,295 --> 00:52:08,655 between luminous and dark matter. 1081 00:52:09,165 --> 00:52:10,455 Well, I could update that 1082 00:52:10,515 --> 00:52:12,295 and then I could reproduce his result, 1083 00:52:12,555 --> 00:52:15,535 but I was just, it's another tology, right? 1084 00:52:15,575 --> 00:52:19,335 I was choosing, uh, relation between the masses, 1085 00:52:19,335 --> 00:52:21,815 the dark matter halo, and the luminous mass that made it. 1086 00:52:21,835 --> 00:52:23,375 So, um, 1087 00:52:23,795 --> 00:52:25,935 and that kind of thing is now so 1088 00:52:26,515 --> 00:52:28,335 deeply buried in our psyches. 1089 00:52:28,355 --> 00:52:29,655 It is very hard, right? 1090 00:52:29,705 --> 00:52:32,255 We've gotten way, way deep in this rabbit hole. 1091 00:52:32,355 --> 00:52:34,335 You know, once you're down a rabbit hole <laugh>, 1092 00:52:34,595 --> 00:52:36,775 you don't wanna change, right? It's, 1093 00:52:36,795 --> 00:52:39,015 - But I've spoken to two people today who have done exactly 1094 00:52:39,015 --> 00:52:40,015 that, who have changed, right? 1095 00:52:40,035 --> 00:52:42,975 But in different directions. So, so people do change. 1096 00:52:43,045 --> 00:52:44,575 They do look at the evidence and change, 1097 00:52:44,595 --> 00:52:46,095 but you've gone different ways. 1098 00:52:47,095 --> 00:52:51,615 - <laugh>, fair, fair, you know, some of us do, 1099 00:52:51,635 --> 00:52:54,255 but it's actually in minority in my experience. 1100 00:52:54,795 --> 00:52:57,855 Um, and it's, it's even more complicated than that. 1101 00:52:58,135 --> 00:53:01,975 'cause for the most part in, in the community, I think, 1102 00:53:03,085 --> 00:53:05,255 like for me, dark matter was something, 1103 00:53:05,275 --> 00:53:06,335 oh yeah, we need that. 1104 00:53:06,595 --> 00:53:08,015 Uh, when we make galaxies, 1105 00:53:08,175 --> 00:53:09,575 I wasn't really concerned about that. 1106 00:53:09,855 --> 00:53:12,935 I knew it was an element, but I was specifically trying 1107 00:53:12,935 --> 00:53:15,535 to understand these low surface brightness galaxies. 1108 00:53:16,555 --> 00:53:20,905 Um, and I did not care one way 1109 00:53:20,925 --> 00:53:23,105 or another about there being dark matter. 1110 00:53:23,205 --> 00:53:24,905 It was just one of the ingredients 1111 00:53:25,005 --> 00:53:26,325 that goes into these models. 1112 00:53:27,105 --> 00:53:30,725 Um, and so the data made me think carefully about 1113 00:53:30,725 --> 00:53:33,965 that in a way that I simply hadn't been obliged 1114 00:53:34,185 --> 00:53:35,445 to do before that. 1115 00:53:36,105 --> 00:53:37,885 Uh, and I think that's where most people are. 1116 00:53:37,955 --> 00:53:42,045 It's not that they, uh, there's simply not challenge 1117 00:53:42,425 --> 00:53:43,605 to change their minds. 1118 00:53:43,635 --> 00:53:45,685 It's not that important to what they're doing, 1119 00:53:45,985 --> 00:53:47,045 uh, day by day. 1120 00:53:47,445 --> 00:53:48,965 I mean, same thing for cosmology. 1121 00:53:49,345 --> 00:53:52,085 Um, you know, if mon is correct, 1122 00:53:52,385 --> 00:53:55,325 and we do not understand a lot of the things 1123 00:53:55,325 --> 00:53:58,525 that we think we understand in terms of, uh, 1124 00:53:58,545 --> 00:54:00,645 our modern Lambda CDM cosmology 1125 00:54:01,705 --> 00:54:05,405 and, you know, putting on a cosmologist hat, I, 1126 00:54:05,845 --> 00:54:09,085 I get why we arrived at the model we are at. 1127 00:54:09,105 --> 00:54:11,245 And there are a lot of compelling reasons for that. 1128 00:54:12,185 --> 00:54:15,085 Um, you know, putting on a mon hat, I'm like, well, yeah, 1129 00:54:15,265 --> 00:54:18,605 you got this invisible mass plus now this dark energy 1130 00:54:18,825 --> 00:54:21,725 and, you know, <laugh>, these are the sort 1131 00:54:21,725 --> 00:54:23,765 of ancillary hypotheses or, 1132 00:54:23,785 --> 00:54:26,365 or tooth fairies if you want, that you have 1133 00:54:26,365 --> 00:54:29,485 to invoke when a theory is on its last legs. 1134 00:54:30,265 --> 00:54:34,175 And it's conceivable that we're doing that in order 1135 00:54:34,275 --> 00:54:38,375 to use the theory to approximate some deeper unknown theory 1136 00:54:38,445 --> 00:54:40,935 that hopefully would encompass both general 1137 00:54:40,935 --> 00:54:42,135 relativity and mind. 1138 00:54:42,915 --> 00:54:44,575 But we don't really have that theory 1139 00:54:44,835 --> 00:54:47,335 and there aren't really any people working on it. 1140 00:54:47,435 --> 00:54:50,335 And so who knows, you know, maybe it's impossible, 1141 00:54:50,395 --> 00:54:52,975 but, um, we haven't really tried that hard. 1142 00:54:53,495 --> 00:54:54,575 - I wondered if IL thought 1143 00:54:54,575 --> 00:54:57,615 that we do still need something else, something 1144 00:54:57,695 --> 00:55:01,255 that isn't dark matter to explain the way that things are. 1145 00:55:01,725 --> 00:55:03,695 - Well, if you look at scales smaller than a, 1146 00:55:03,695 --> 00:55:05,415 than a MegaPath and, uh, leave 1147 00:55:05,415 --> 00:55:08,535 beside the cosmological tensions for a moment, then, um, 1148 00:55:08,595 --> 00:55:12,115 for the galaxy scales and, um, and, 1149 00:55:12,135 --> 00:55:15,675 and larger, uh, cluster scales, then, uh, I think you 1150 00:55:16,635 --> 00:55:18,995 probably do need something else, 1151 00:55:19,175 --> 00:55:21,195 as in you need some adjustments to the properties 1152 00:55:21,195 --> 00:55:23,475 for dark matter, so it doesn't cluster so efficiently. 1153 00:55:24,015 --> 00:55:27,035 And in terms of the, uh, tightness 1154 00:55:27,035 --> 00:55:30,355 of the radial acceleration relation, um, yeah, I'm, 1155 00:55:30,355 --> 00:55:32,915 I'm still not entirely sure how that would arise. 1156 00:55:33,685 --> 00:55:35,675 There may be, for example, a hidden 1157 00:55:36,135 --> 00:55:38,915 or an unknown, maybe an unknown interaction 1158 00:55:38,915 --> 00:55:41,635 between the dark matter and the barons. 1159 00:55:41,775 --> 00:55:46,435 Uh, maybe, uh, that helps to keep the two in sort of line 1160 00:55:47,215 --> 00:55:49,315 and following the RAR maybe. 1161 00:55:49,815 --> 00:55:52,075 Um, so yeah, there, there is some chance that you, 1162 00:55:52,095 --> 00:55:53,875 you need some additional ingredients. 1163 00:55:54,095 --> 00:55:57,995 In fact, it's very likely because, um, for example, 1164 00:55:58,095 --> 00:56:00,675 if dark matter reached the very high central densities 1165 00:56:00,675 --> 00:56:03,795 that are predicted, um, many problems would arise 1166 00:56:03,795 --> 00:56:07,395 observationally, uh, including the rotation speeds 1167 00:56:07,395 --> 00:56:09,955 of galaxy bars in the centrals of galaxies becoming 1168 00:56:10,615 --> 00:56:11,835 slowed down by sort 1169 00:56:11,995 --> 00:56:14,195 of gravitational friction against the dark matter. 1170 00:56:14,855 --> 00:56:16,235 Um, which doesn't really happen. 1171 00:56:16,775 --> 00:56:21,445 Um, but, uh, I I, I do think that, uh, yeah, there, 1172 00:56:21,445 --> 00:56:23,185 there's a decent chance, um, 1173 00:56:23,285 --> 00:56:25,465 you almost actually do need some additional thing. 1174 00:56:25,465 --> 00:56:27,905 It can't be purely the Lambda CDM model, 1175 00:56:28,255 --> 00:56:29,905 even on the galaxy scales. 1176 00:56:30,565 --> 00:56:31,945 Um, yeah, 1177 00:56:32,445 --> 00:56:36,185 but the basic picture of the dark matter halos plus the an 1178 00:56:36,185 --> 00:56:40,705 inverse square gravity law, uh, being the, the main sort 1179 00:56:40,705 --> 00:56:44,185 of things that main, main thing that's going on that 1180 00:56:44,745 --> 00:56:46,385 I think is probably correct. 1181 00:56:47,165 --> 00:56:51,345 Um, it just, it might need to be, uh, tweaked in some way. 1182 00:56:52,135 --> 00:56:55,905 - What could possibly bring mon back into your kind 1183 00:56:55,905 --> 00:56:56,905 of like research area. 1184 00:56:56,905 --> 00:56:58,505 You thought, oh, yeah, no, I will look at it again. 1185 00:56:59,085 --> 00:57:03,305 - So, uh, the original mon field equations have been 1186 00:57:03,305 --> 00:57:06,985 falsified in high significance on, on the galaxy scales. 1187 00:57:07,125 --> 00:57:11,145 Uh, if, if additional tests of the 1188 00:57:11,875 --> 00:57:16,245 so-called, uh, dynamical friction may help 1189 00:57:16,705 --> 00:57:19,805 to clarify if, if there is dark matter. 1190 00:57:20,425 --> 00:57:24,445 So there have been some studies recently which show that, 1191 00:57:24,625 --> 00:57:26,165 um, essentially 1192 00:57:26,185 --> 00:57:28,965 as the large magnetic cloud is mo orbiting the Milky Way, 1193 00:57:29,225 --> 00:57:31,485 it, it seems to have experienced dynamical friction. 1194 00:57:32,105 --> 00:57:34,815 Um, but, uh, studies to try 1195 00:57:34,815 --> 00:57:38,535 and clarify like this issue further, uh, 1196 00:57:38,555 --> 00:57:41,255 and also sort of how much the milk curate disc has recoiled 1197 00:57:41,315 --> 00:57:46,215 due to the large mag cloud, which places a limit like it, 1198 00:57:46,215 --> 00:57:48,455 it measures the mass ratio between the two, right? 1199 00:57:49,115 --> 00:57:51,175 Um, and that's actually very different 1200 00:57:51,175 --> 00:57:52,535 to the ratio visible mass. 1201 00:57:53,035 --> 00:57:55,095 Uh, it's, it's more in line with, uh, 1202 00:57:55,095 --> 00:57:57,855 the ratio it's expect in the dark matter picture. 1203 00:57:58,395 --> 00:58:00,895 Um, but, uh, measurements like this, uh, in, in theory, 1204 00:58:00,915 --> 00:58:03,015 if someone were to, uh, if, 1205 00:58:03,015 --> 00:58:04,695 if these measurements would somehow to turn out 1206 00:58:04,695 --> 00:58:07,575 to be not correct, and actually the mass ratio 1207 00:58:07,575 --> 00:58:11,175 between the milky and the LMC is about one to 20 ish, 1208 00:58:11,385 --> 00:58:15,055 which is the ratio of the visible mass instead of the one 1209 00:58:15,055 --> 00:58:17,335 to five ratio that's observed and also more 1210 00:58:17,335 --> 00:58:21,285 or less expected in the standard model, um, then, uh, 1211 00:58:21,315 --> 00:58:23,365 that would obviously provide compelling evidence. 1212 00:58:23,365 --> 00:58:28,125 The galaxies are purely bar, uh, in theory, uh, 1213 00:58:28,155 --> 00:58:29,205 that that could happen. 1214 00:58:29,585 --> 00:58:32,085 Um, and, uh, things like if you managed to prove 1215 00:58:32,085 --> 00:58:34,445 that even such a massive galaxy as LMC 1216 00:58:34,785 --> 00:58:35,965 or something that should be 1217 00:58:35,965 --> 00:58:38,285 so massive in the standard model, given it's stellar mass 1218 00:58:38,785 --> 00:58:43,165 and typical sort of stellar to dark halo mappings, um, if 1219 00:58:43,165 --> 00:58:45,685 that experience like no dynamical friction, uh, 1220 00:58:45,745 --> 00:58:47,445 or new place, really tight upper limit on it. 1221 00:58:47,625 --> 00:58:51,765 So there's some ways in, in theory that code, um, 1222 00:58:53,275 --> 00:58:57,265 maybe, uh, show that you don't have much dark matter 1223 00:58:57,365 --> 00:59:01,505 around galaxies, um, which in turn would, 1224 00:59:02,515 --> 00:59:05,695 um, show that, well, if you have to make do 1225 00:59:05,695 --> 00:59:07,815 with the visible mass, you, you'd have to modify the, 1226 00:59:08,195 --> 00:59:10,015 the law of, of gravity 1227 00:59:10,155 --> 00:59:12,815 or invent additional forces in in some way. 1228 00:59:13,025 --> 00:59:16,455 There is a very high likelihood of additional problems 1229 00:59:16,525 --> 00:59:20,695 with the Lambda CDM on even larger scales with, with regards 1230 00:59:20,695 --> 00:59:21,805 to the Hubble tension. 1231 00:59:22,425 --> 00:59:25,485 Uh, and, uh, this is what I'm working on now, the idea that 1232 00:59:26,285 --> 00:59:27,525 structure formation, uh, 1233 00:59:27,545 --> 00:59:30,205 and perhaps the law of gravity most likely needs 1234 00:59:30,205 --> 00:59:33,125 to be modified in much larger scales of, uh, several dozen, 1235 00:59:33,195 --> 00:59:35,365 like up hundreds of MegaPath. 1236 00:59:36,345 --> 00:59:38,725 Uh, and, uh, so hundreds of millions of light years. 1237 00:59:38,785 --> 00:59:40,005 And what, uh, 1238 00:59:40,135 --> 00:59:44,005 might happen there is if you form a significant local under 1239 00:59:44,005 --> 00:59:47,405 density, uh, well, you'd form densities as well, 1240 00:59:47,405 --> 00:59:49,085 but if we happen to be living in an under density, 1241 00:59:49,555 --> 00:59:51,285 then locally the universe would appear 1242 00:59:51,285 --> 00:59:53,925 to be expanding faster than it kinda actually is. 1243 00:59:54,525 --> 00:59:56,885 'cause there's additional outward motion due to the void. 1244 00:59:57,545 --> 01:00:00,125 Um, and that may solve the Hubble tension. 1245 01:00:00,665 --> 01:00:04,405 Um, we're actually able to recently use a model along those 1246 01:00:04,405 --> 01:00:05,845 lines that we published in 2020. 1247 01:00:06,865 --> 01:00:10,325 Um, it, it sort of had, uh, parameters 1248 01:00:10,345 --> 01:00:12,085 for like how the voy should work. 1249 01:00:12,545 --> 01:00:14,805 Um, but using that model, we are able 1250 01:00:14,805 --> 01:00:18,445 to correctly predict the, uh, a, a key feature 1251 01:00:18,445 --> 01:00:20,525 of the velocity field in the local universe 1252 01:00:20,525 --> 01:00:22,205 that was subsequently measured last year. 1253 01:00:22,425 --> 01:00:24,325 And that's a so-called bulk flow curve. 1254 01:00:24,985 --> 01:00:28,845 Um, so there, there's, uh, definitely, and, 1255 01:00:28,845 --> 01:00:31,125 and I should say the bulk flows are also much faster than 1256 01:00:31,325 --> 01:00:33,125 expected in the standard cosmological model. 1257 01:00:33,545 --> 01:00:35,685 So, uh, there's definitely a high chance 1258 01:00:35,705 --> 01:00:38,005 of some modifications to Lambda CDM. 1259 01:00:38,105 --> 01:00:40,605 Um, I, I don't want people to think that it's sort of going 1260 01:00:40,825 --> 01:00:42,245 to, to work, uh, 1261 01:00:42,335 --> 01:00:45,405 completely without any further modifications. 1262 01:00:46,025 --> 01:00:47,045 Um, that's, 1263 01:00:47,045 --> 01:00:49,925 that's not really possible given the current evidence. 1264 01:00:50,425 --> 01:00:55,205 Um, but um, that doesn't mean uh, that the, um, 1265 01:00:55,945 --> 01:00:59,045 modern field equations provide a viable alternative. 1266 01:00:59,745 --> 01:01:01,655 - Let's have one final thought from Stacy. 1267 01:01:02,195 --> 01:01:04,655 - We do not understand how the universe works. 1268 01:01:05,195 --> 01:01:06,375 We think we do, 1269 01:01:07,235 --> 01:01:09,975 but neither we, we don't know what the dark matter is. 1270 01:01:10,035 --> 01:01:11,135 We just know we need it. 1271 01:01:11,915 --> 01:01:15,815 Um, and we don't really understand how mon can be true 1272 01:01:15,875 --> 01:01:19,615 as a theory, and I think that's a wonderful thing, right? 1273 01:01:19,645 --> 01:01:23,775 There's still fundamental physics to be learned about 1274 01:01:23,795 --> 01:01:24,895 how the universe works, 1275 01:01:25,355 --> 01:01:28,535 and so, um, it's not like science is over. 1276 01:01:28,645 --> 01:01:31,575 It's not like we're filling in the last few decimal points 1277 01:01:31,755 --> 01:01:32,855 of, of everything. 1278 01:01:33,245 --> 01:01:36,015 There's fundamental issues here still to be addressed, 1279 01:01:36,115 --> 01:01:38,815 and so that's a good thing. We're, we're not done 1280 01:01:38,815 --> 01:01:39,815 - Here. 1281 01:01:39,815 --> 01:01:41,855 I'd like to thank Stacy and Idra nil for talking to me 1282 01:01:41,855 --> 01:01:43,815 for this episode of the Physics World Stories Podcast. 1283 01:01:44,155 --> 01:01:45,255 And if you'd like to know more, 1284 01:01:45,375 --> 01:01:48,095 I can highly recommend Keith Cooper's feature on 1285 01:01:48,095 --> 01:01:49,215 the physics world website. 1286 01:01:49,355 --> 01:01:51,975 It is, of course, the first of three, 1287 01:01:52,365 --> 01:01:54,215 this one entitled Cosmic Combat, 1288 01:01:54,605 --> 01:01:56,815 delving into the Battle Between Dark Matter 1289 01:01:56,995 --> 01:01:58,055 and Modified Gravity. 1290 01:01:58,435 --> 01:01:59,495 The Second Coming. 1291 01:01:59,565 --> 01:02:03,055 Soon we'll explore some of Dark Matter's, recent successes 1292 01:02:03,235 --> 01:02:06,175 and the serious challenges that it's also facing. 1293 01:02:06,705 --> 01:02:08,135 Thank you very much for listening, 1294 01:02:08,155 --> 01:02:09,255 and we'll be back next month 1295 01:02:09,325 --> 01:02:12,175 with something else from this wonderful world of physics, 1296 01:02:16,605 --> 01:02:17,735 physics world.