# Gravitational waves and negative pressure

I was recently reviewing an article published by Dr. Harold White and Dr. Eric Davis (as seen here) which summarized the creation and activity of negative pressure for a supposed place-filler for the theory of dark energy. The article suggests that the energy density of a given volume can be equivalent to an opposing negative pressure within that volume (thus a positive energy density shall be equal to a given negative pressure). Additionally, the text of Gravitational waves in cosmological models with negative pressure (http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0264-9381/16/7/309/meta) discusses how gravitational waves also apply the equivalency of negative pressure and a positive energy density. Additionally, the curvature of the space is $keff = k-(8/3) G0s$, thus, depicting a similarity that appears eminent. So my question is, is this actually possible? Do gravitational waves behave like spatial negative pressure? If I am wrong (which I am relatively sure I may be), why am I wrong?

• Always be cautious of a paper with figures made in excel. – DilithiumMatrix Dec 24 '16 at 1:20

I would be surprised if gravitational waves represented negative pressure. The usual explanation for negative pressure is an energy that increases when volume increases. But I wouldn't have thought gravitational waves would work like that, as I would have thought they would redshift like light does when space expands. If so, then they would adiabatically expand the way light does. Why would the energy density in gravitational waves behave differently from light, in the presence of cosmological expansion?

Negative pressure hypothesis is capable of describing all cosmological phenomena except just one - The Dark Matter. It can describe/predict - gravity, dark energy (and so expansion of universe), oscillation of accelerated and slowed down expansion, black holes, big bang, inverse square law, curving of space, time dilation, length contraction, gravity waves, gravitational lensing, gravity shielding, (therefore probably the warp drives too), and the illusive 120 orders of magnitude of negative pressure at smallest (quantum) levels. All without contradicting GR.

I have my own "crackpot" way of explaining, but it can explain all the above with common sense, almost without any mathematics. However, I could not describe the missing dark matter (or missing mass) with it.

Therefore if someone is replacing dark energy with negative pressure, it makes all the sense in my mind. If gravity can be explained in terms of negative pressure, then why not gravitational waves?

## protected by Qmechanic♦Jan 24 '17 at 5:42

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