You have hit on one of the most profound and mind-bending realizations in modern physics. The direct answer is yes, the total amount of dark energy in the universe is increasing.
As the universe expands and creates more space, it also creates more dark energy to fill that space. While this sounds like it breaks the fundamental laws of science, it is entirely allowed by the rules of physics. Here is exactly how that works.
The Difference Between Amount and Density
To understand this, we have to look at the difference between total amount and density (how tightly packed it is):
- The Density is Fixed: Dark energy is a property of space itself. One cubic metre of empty space always contains the exact same, tiny amount of dark energy.
- The Volume is Growing: As the universe expands, the number of cubic metres of space increases.
- The Total Multiplies: Because you have more cubic metres, and each cubic metre has the same fixed amount of energy, the total sum of dark energy in the universe goes up.
If you double the volume of the universe, you double the total amount of dark energy in it.
Does This Violate the Law of Conservation of Energy?
In everyday life, we are taught that energy cannot be created or destroyed (The First Law of Thermodynamics). However, this law does not apply to the expanding universe as a whole.
There are two main reasons physicists are perfectly fine with dark energy increasing:
1. General Relativity Allows It
Albert Einstein’s equations of General Relativity show that the law of conservation of energy only strictly applies to a static, unchanging box of space. When the fabric of space itself is dynamically stretching or changing over time, total energy does not have to be conserved globally. [21, 22]
2. The Negative Energy Balance
Many physicists explain this by looking at gravitational energy, which is mathematically treated as negative energy (because it pulls things together and binds them).
- As dark energy pushes the universe outward, it creates more space.
- More space means a larger cosmic structure, which increases the universe’s negative gravitational potential energy.
- This negative energy perfectly balances out the positive dark energy being created.
- In a sense, the universe is running a cosmic bank account where the creation of dark energy is exactly canceled out by the creation of gravitational debt. The net energy of the entire system can remain exactly zero.
The Cosmic Snowball Effect
Because dark energy increases as space expands, it creates a runaway feedback loop:
More Space ➔ More Total Dark Energy ➔ Stronger Outward Push ➔ Faster Expansion ➔ Even More Space
This is precisely why the expansion of the universe is accelerating. Dark energy isn’t just maintaining the expansion; it is actively fueling its own growth by creating the very space it thrives in. [36, 37, 38, 39, 40]
If you are interested, we can dive deeper into:
- The “Big Freeze” and how this endless creation of dark energy will eventually isolate our galaxy
- How physicists calculate the Net-Zero Energy hypothesis of the universe