. | . |
New study asks: Why didn't the universe collapse? by Brooks Hays Copenhagen, Denmark (UPI) Dec 23, 2015
The models that best describe the Big Bang and birth of the universe have one glaring problem. Most of them predict a collapse almost immediately after inflation. There was nothing, then there was something. And then there was nothing again. As we know from living and breathing and looking up at a sky action-packed with cosmic activity, there's definitely something more than nothing out there. So why is there still something? Why did the universe's tendency to expand overcome its tendency to collapse? A new study published in the Physical Review Letters is just the latest to try to inch closer to a place where physicists might be able to answer those questions. In this particular paper, researchers try to work out the details of the relationship between Higgs boson particles and gravity -- a relationship scientists believe kept an early, unstable universe from collapsing. Their latest calculations confirm that the stronger the bond between Higgs fields and gravity, the greater the chance of instability and a transition to a negative energy vacuum state, a place with little energy only a few particles popping in and out of existence. A coupling strength above one would have certainly spelled doom for the early universe, scientists at the University of Copenhagen determined. The new math helps narrow the likely coupling range to between 0.1 and 1. But to further narrow the range scientists need more data. First, they need to better understand the nature of the Higgs bosson. And second, they need to gather data from the cosmic microwave background radiation and gravitational waves leftover by the Big Bang. "Presently it is not possible to draw a conclusion on whether the standard model is in trouble due to instability-related issues," study co-author Matti Herranen, an astrophysicist at Copenhagen, told Phys.org. "But it would be very interesting if the Higgs-gravity coupling and the scale of inflation could be constrained more tightly in the future by independent measurements, for example by observing primordial gravity waves resulting from inflation."
Related Links Understanding Time and Space
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |