Saturday, December 13, 2008

Did our cosmos exist before the big bang?

[Loop Quantum Cosmology] has been tantalising physicists since 2003 with the idea that our universe could conceivably have emerged from the collapse of a previous universe. Now the theory is poised to make predictions we can actually test. If they are verified, the big bang will give way to a big bounce and we will finally know the quantum structure of space-time. Instead of a universe that emerged from a point of infinite density, we will have one that recycles, possibly through an eternal series of expansions and contractions, with no beginning and no end.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

All these theories. It is my take that we are litterally incapable of ever understanding the cosmos or how it all works or came about. (Just spelling it out like that seems ridiculous.)

Anonymous said...

^ Anonymous makes a good point.

And scientists may explain the whats and hows, but not the why.
Why a universe, or an infinite series of expansions and contractions of a universe/s.

We want to know, but we cannot.

~ Susan

Mac said...

For the record, I disagree with the "we'll never understand the universe's workings" sentiment.

As we're quite literally a part of the universe and not merely outside observers, I think we stand a chance of making sense of it -- and in the process perhaps making sense of ourselves.

mad30 said...

Enter: the Black Hole theoretics we were discussing a few entries back...?

Anonymous said...

What big bang?

Mac said...

I'm not convinced there was one Big Bang. I think it's more likely there are lots of bangs occurring all over; we can't observe them directly because spacetime topology is nothing if not gnarly . . .

Anonymous said...

Many views on the Origin of Universe are available. Most popular view is that universe was born with a big-bang from a highly dense energy point. But I have some different view on it. I think the universe was not born from a concentrated point or ball like structure but it has evolved from an infinite vast expanse of field of gravity. Philosophically or religiously we may call it field of consciousness or spirituality.
A great flow of current of gravitation force descended down from this source and has created many regions of pure gravitation force below it. This was the creation for quite some time in the first phase of the creational process. In the second phase, with a Big-Bang, when the current of gravitation force further descended down then electromagnetic forces and matter (weak and strong nuclear forces)manifested and the entire universe of the second phase was completed with the admixture of all the forces viz., gravitation force, electromagnetic forces, and matter (weak and strong nuclear forces. The completion of the whole cosmos in two phases was also hinted in one of the speeches of Prof. J.V.Narlikar some years back. When the process of creation of universe reverts back the matter merges into electromagnetic force and then finally electromagnetic forces merge into gravitation force and nothing remains except field of gravity. The cycle of universe completes like this.

Anirudh Kumar Satsangi