New analysis of DESI data finds tensions with the standard ΛCDM model and motivates a dynamic dark energy alternative. The proposed model suggests collapsing massive stars produce black holes that are "cosmologically coupled," allowing some mass-energy to convert into dark energy as the universe expands. This idea can reconcile cosmological fits with positive neutrino masses and changes inferred dark matter amounts. Further observations and theoretical work are required to test the hypothesis.
Could Black Holes Be Fueling Dark Energy? New DESI Analysis Points to a Dynamic Link
New analysis of DESI data finds tensions with the standard ΛCDM model and motivates a dynamic dark energy alternative. The proposed model suggests collapsing massive stars produce black holes that are "cosmologically coupled," allowing some mass-energy to convert into dark energy as the universe expands. This idea can reconcile cosmological fits with positive neutrino masses and changes inferred dark matter amounts. Further observations and theoretical work are required to test the hypothesis.
17:54, 02.11.2025Science
Could black holes be tied to the accelerating expansion of the universe?
One of cosmology's deepest mysteries is the nature of dark energy, the unknown component driving the accelerating expansion of space. Traditionally modelled as a time-invariant vacuum energy (the cosmological constant), dark energy appears to make up roughly 70% of the current energy budget of the universe. A new study, published in Physical Review Letters, challenges that simple picture and explores a provocative alternative in which dark energy evolves over cosmic time and may be linked to the formation of black holes.
What the DESI data show
The research team tested competing dark energy models against high-precision measurements from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). Installed at Kitt Peak National Observatory, DESI maps the large-scale structure of the universe by measuring light from about a million galaxies using roughly 5,000 robotic positioners. These measurements of galaxy clustering and cosmic expansion reveal tensions with the standard ΛCDM model (which assumes constant dark energy), motivating exploration of alternative explanations.
The black-hole coupling hypothesis
The proposed alternative introduces a mechanism called cosmological coupling. In this framework, black holes formed from collapsing massive stars are not entirely energetically inert with respect to cosmic expansion. Instead, their internal energy evolves in step with the expansion of the universe, allowing a fraction of mass-energy to be transformed into a component that behaves like dark energy on cosmological scales. As successive generations of stars die and create black holes, the effective dark energy density would gradually increase, potentially producing the observed acceleration.
Key point: the model does not claim proven causation but proposes a self-consistent way to link stellar evolution, black hole demographics, and cosmic acceleration that can be tested with observations.
Implications for neutrinos and dark matter
One notable advantage of the model is its effect on cosmological parameter fits. Under ΛCDM some datasets push fits toward unphysical results — for example preferring negative neutrino masses to reconcile tensions. If dark energy grows because energy is progressively channeled into it from collapsed stars, the total matter content evolves differently, removing the need for such unphysical solutions and allowing consistency with laboratory-confirmed positive neutrino masses. This change also alters inferred amounts of dark matter, because the matter–energy budget and its evolution determine the growth of cosmic structure.
Caveats and next steps
While intriguing, the hypothesis remains tentative. Its viability depends on the specific form and strength of the cosmological coupling, on assumptions about black hole formation and demographics, and on the interpretation of DESI and other datasets (including the cosmic microwave background and galaxy surveys). Further theoretical work and independent observational tests — for example improved black hole population studies, other large-scale structure surveys, and refined cosmological parameter analyses — are required to confirm or rule out this scenario.
Bottom line: DESI-era measurements have opened space for dynamic alternatives to a fixed cosmological constant. Linking the life cycle of massive stars and black holes to a time-varying dark energy is a compelling, testable idea that could reshape our picture of cosmic evolution if future observations support it.