Abstract
The recent finding that gravitational waves (GW170817) traveled at the same speed as electromagnetic (EM) waves (GRB 170817A) from a binary neutron star merger does not necessarily mean that they traveled throughout their journey at speed c. Some recent works by the author (2015) Journal of Modern Physics, 6, 78-87, and 1360-1370; (2016), 7, 1829-1844; (2017), 8, 622-635 show that the diminished brightness of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) can be explained by assuming that dark energy, instead of having a negative pressure, has an index of refraction n, causing the speed of light through intergalactic space (IGS) to be reduced to c/n, with n≈1.5. It follows that GWs (not considered in the previous works) would also travel with speed c/n through IGS. However, speed of GWs and EMWs within galaxies themselves is c. A brief review of the model is given, together with other predictions, e.g., new values for the Hubble constant and age of the universe, and necessary absence of correlation of neutrinos with gamma ray bursts (GRBs), in agreement with numerous searches. In the previous works, there were implications of a unified theory. If the model holds, since GWs would experience the same speed reduction as EMWs, this would further support unification. An improved falsification methodology for a previously proposed astronomical test based on discordant redshifts is given.
Highlights
The purpose of this work is to point out that it does not necessarily follow that the gravitational waves (GWs) and EMWs traveled through the intergalactic space (IGS) with the vacuum speed of light, because of a new description of dark energy proposed by the author recently [5] [6] [7] [8], in which an alternative to the accelerating universe was introduced to provide another explanation for the increased apparent magnitude of the Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) that led to the accelerating universe [9] [10] [11]
The model assumes that dark energy is only in IGS, and that it does not have a negative pressure causing the universe to accelerate, but for z ≤ 1, later reduced to z ≤ 0.6, it has an index of refraction n, with n ≈ 1.5 that results in the speed of light through IGS to be reduced to ~2c/3
In the previous work [5] [6] [7] [8], there was no discussion of GWs, but because of the above finding that GWs travel at the same speed as EMWs, it follows that the model predicts that GWs travel through IGS with reduced speed c/n
Summary
The purpose of this work is to point out that it does not necessarily follow that the GWs and EMWs traveled through the IGS with the vacuum speed of light, because of a new description of dark energy proposed by the author recently [5] [6] [7] [8], in which an alternative to the accelerating universe was introduced to provide another explanation for the increased apparent magnitude of the Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) that led to the accelerating universe [9] [10] [11]. There is a brief description, based on earlier work [8], on how the model can be tested astronomically by searching for heretofore ignored possible galactic sources of discordant redshifts, together with an improved discussion over that given previously of how this type of search could be used to falsify the model
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