A Siena professor is part of an international team of scientists whose recent findings suggest that what we thought we knew about the universe may be wrong.
John Moustakas, Ph.D, professor of physics and astronomy, and his colleagues have tracked how the structure of the cosmos has grown over the past 14 billion years, providing the most precise measurements to date of the evolution – and potential fate – of the universe. New findings were announced this month that were part of a years-long study of the history of the cosmos focusing upon dark energy, an invisible and enigmatic force that is accelerating the ongoing expansion of the universe. Moustakas and fellow researchers used three years of observations by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, which can capture light from 5,000 galaxies simultaneously.
“Astronomers have been trying to figure out the nature of dark energy since its discovery in 1999,” said Moustakas. “Our best idea is that it was something Albert Einstein predicted – a cosmological constant. However, the latest results from DESI suggest that it changes with time. It’s weaker today than what we thought. If these results hold up, it means the universe could some day – billions of years in the future – stop expanding and maybe even collapse back on itself.”
The latest findings have been picked up by a number of well-known media outlets, such as The New York Times, Science News, Space.com, the Associated Press and others. The DESI project was also listed as one of Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2024.
“One great thing about DESI is that we publicly release all our data and code, so you can check our results and maybe make some discoveries yourself!” said Moustakas.
Moustakas has been assisted in his research by Grace Scherer ’27, an astrophysics major who plans to continue her studies all the way to a Ph.D., then pursue a career in academia or with a government agency. Their work is supported by a multi-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.
“Doing research with Dr. Moustakas has honestly been a life changing experience,” said Scherer. “Our projects have allowed me to get ahead of the curve in some of my classes with the additional computing experience I now have, and the topics we’re studying fit right into my area of interest for graduate school.”
She said she’s been able to meet many new researchers involved in the DESI collaboration, and feels like she’s starting to make a name for herself in the field.
“Every time I meet with Dr. Moustakas, I am in awe at the opportunities that I have here at Siena, to collaborate on such a large research project and to work with such amazing faculty,” said Scherer.