Alice Pisani Publishes 100,000-Void Science Review as Surveys Expand Cosmology Tests
Updated
Updated · WIRED · May 23
Alice Pisani Publishes 100,000-Void Science Review as Surveys Expand Cosmology Tests
1 articles · Updated · WIRED · May 23
A new Astronomy & Astrophysics Review paper led by Alice Pisani argues cosmic voids have become prime laboratories for testing gravity, dark energy and the Hubble tension.
More than 100,000 voids are expected to be mapped by DESI and Euclid, while simulations now model hundreds of thousands of voids—vastly improving the data and theory behind the field.
Those under-dense regions, ranging from 10 million light years to more than 300 million light years across, offer cleaner signals because matter interferes less with measurements of tracers, neutrinos and cosmic expansion.
The review also highlights a bolder possibility: a 2 billion-light-year local supervoid could help explain the Hubble tension, a hypothesis researchers say upcoming surveys may test decisively within a decade.
What unexpected physics might next-gen telescopes find lurking in the universe's vast and 'empty' cosmic voids?
How can 'empty' space tell us more about elusive neutrinos than our most advanced labs on Earth?
If we aren't in a giant void, what is the leading rival theory for the universe's expansion crisis?
Mapping the Universe’s Emptiness: 2026 Advances in Void Cosmology and Their Impact on Fundamental Physics
Overview
Cosmic voids, once a niche topic, are now at the forefront of cosmology, marking a new era of precision science. Recent breakthroughs highlight how these vast, empty regions offer a pristine environment to study the universe’s large-scale structure and the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter. Their size and isolation make them powerful tools for testing cosmological models with clarity. This transformation is driven by new research and advanced methods, fueling excitement as scientists realize the unique potential of voids to reveal fundamental laws of physics and reshape our understanding of the cosmos.