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Originally Posted by dleviwing  Take the MBR wavelength as the diameter of a sphere. Use Planck’s constant to calculate Planck mass. Divide the MBR sphere volume into the volume between galaxies and then multiply that by the Planck mass. Is there really any mass missing? |
I strongly doubt any of the mass is missing. The universe would likely have been gone long ago if it were. Nature seems to always balance itself out nicely, and contain just exactly how much of everything it needs (in the long term - short term aberrations such as Homo Sapiens excluded, of course).
So why can't we see or detect it is the proper question to ask. A few possibilities to consider, keeping in mind that energy and mass are equivalent (let's start at 96%):
1) the universe likely contains 9 or 11 dimensions. We see 3 (I'm ignoring time for now). Mass/Energy(M/E) has been shown to be spread quite equally throughout the universe. So let's average the 9/11 dimensions to 10. We see only 3/10's of the universe 96/10*3=28.8. So we're already down to ~29%.
2) we don't see any of the anti-matter, and quantum physics demands it's there [I think since all real structures existing outside pure math have both an inside and outside, we likely only see one or the other). 28.8/2=14.4%. Dropping like a rock.
3) how about all that electromagnetic energy radiating around all over the place? You may think of photons not having mass, but mass and energy are equivalent, therefore, some conversion factor must exist, however small. By the way, you can't just count that emitted by those radiating bodies we see today. All bodies that ever existed & radiated,or supernovaed, & oh, those quasars, in the last 14B or so years must be included, Convervation of Energy (CoE) demands it. Let's maybe take 1.4% [real math-brainiac help requested here]. We're down to 13%
4) How about black holes? Just how much stuff have all the black holes that ever existed in the last 14B years sucked up? CoE says we have to count it. Maybe another 1%? We're at 12%
5) Don't forget all those mundane & exotic particles zipping around. Free electrons, protons, nuetrinos, zinos, winos, tilyapuketrinos - at least 90% of that won't even be detectable in the rotation of galaxies or anything else we can reasonably observe currently. Let's be generous at 2%. We're down to T-minus-10 and counting.
6)
5) how about the fabric of spacetime itself? That virtual sea of strings & quarks & quantum loops, particles popping in and out of existance (the Dirac Sea, I've heard it put). Virtual is a crappy word. It's either there or not. Likely like a glacier, meaning 90% of the universe exists below the 'sea level' that causes a particle to 'pop out' (Anyone got an idea how to quantify this?). That takes the Tminus10 to a big fat 1%.
Anyone know where that silly little 1% is (3mm - old TV ad).
Speculative stuff, I admit, but I love to speculate, & see where the holes arise.
Jeff.
- Is is unorthodox to be unorthodox? If not, what is it? - me.
- He who flames first risks being burnt - (me, circa. 1987).