A Century of Time

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Theory ◽  
Wave Packet ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Tense Logic ◽  
Frame Dependence ◽  
The Big Bang ◽  
Temporal Becoming ◽  
Mctaggart’S Argument

This chapter argues for the position of temporal becoming across a wide variety of fields. The chapter's central sections address successively the metaphysics, physics and logic of time. It rebuts McTaggart's argument that temporal becoming involves a contradiction. It admits that special relativity's frame — dependence of simultaneity is inimical to temporal becoming. However it also argues that temporal becoming is rehabilitated both by general relativity's allowance of cosmic time functions and, more fundamentally, by the collapse of the wave-packet in quantum theory. Finally, the discussion considers the logic of time, especially tense logic, and applies this to recent cosmological speculation about the Big Bang and more generally to the idea of the beginning of time.

Gravitational waves: A probe to the physics in the early universe

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (28n29) ◽  
pp. 1545005
Author(s):  
Qing-Guo Huang
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Theory ◽  
Gravitational Waves ◽  
Early Universe ◽  
Upper Bound ◽  
Planck Scale ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Planck Data ◽  
Inflationary Scenario ◽  
Fundamental Scale ◽  
The Big Bang

Gravitational waves can escape from the big bang and can be taken as a probe to the physics, in particular the inflation, in the early universe. Planck scale is a fundamental scale for quantum theory of gravity. Requiring the excursion distance of inflaton in the field space during inflation yields an upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio. For example, [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. In the typical inflationary scenario, we predict [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] which are consistent with Planck data released in 2015 quite well. Subtracting the contribution of thermal dust measured by Planck, BICEP2 data implies [Formula: see text] which is the tightest bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio from current experiments.

scholarly journals Why did Supermassive Black Holes Already Exist in the Early Universe?

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Early Universe ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Supermassive Black Holes ◽  
Short Time ◽  
The Big Bang

Recent observations show that there are many more and much older black holes than previously known. What is particularly puzzling is that supermassive black holes containing more than a billion solar masses already existed in the very early universe. To date, there is no conclusive explanation for how such gravity monsters could have been created in such a short time after the Big Bang. The "Cosmic Time Hypothesis (CTH)" offers a solution to this problem [1]. According to this hypothesis, the early universe had much more time at its disposal than according to the "present-time scale" and the material-condensing forces were much stronger than now. Therefore, objects with extremely large masses could form in a very short "today-time".

scholarly journals Why Did Supermassive Black Holes Already Exist In The Early Universe?

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Early Universe ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Supermassive Black Holes ◽  
Short Time ◽  
The Big Bang

Recent observations show that there are many more and much older black holes than previously known. What is particularly puzzling is that supermassive black holes containing more than a billion solar masses already existed in the very early universe. To date, there is no conclusive explanation for how such gravity monsters could have been created in such a short time after the Big Bang. The “Cosmic Time Hypothesis (CTH)” offers a solution to this problem [1]. According to this hypothesis, the early universe had much more time at its disposal than according to the “present-time scale” and the material-condensing forces were much stronger than now. Therefore, objects with extremely large masses could form in a very short “todaytime”.

scholarly journals A tale of two populations: surviving and destroyed dwarf galaxies and the build-up of the Milky Way’s stellar halo

2020 ◽  
Vol 497 (4) ◽  
pp. 4459-4471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azadeh Fattahi ◽  
Alis J Deason ◽  
Carlos S Frenk ◽  
Christine M Simpson ◽  
Facundo A Gómez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Radial Dependence ◽  
Stellar Halo ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Big Bang ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Metallicity Distribution

ABSTRACT We use magnetohydrodynamical simulations of Milky Way-mass haloes from the Auriga project to investigate the properties of surviving and destroyed dwarf galaxies that are accreted by these haloes over cosmic time. We show that the combined luminosity function of surviving and destroyed dwarfs at infall is similar in the various Auriga haloes, and is dominated by the destroyed dwarfs. There is, however, a strong dependence on infall time: destroyed dwarfs typically have early infall times of less than 6 Gyr (since the big bang), whereas the majority of dwarfs accreted after 10 Gyr have survived to the present day. Because of their late infall, the surviving satellites have higher metallicities at infall than their destroyed counterparts of similar mass at infall; the difference is even more pronounced for the present-day metallicities of satellites, many of which continue to form stars after infall, in particular for $M_{\rm star}\gt 10^7 \, {\rm M}_\odot$. In agreement with previous work, we find that a small number of relatively massive destroyed dwarf galaxies dominate the mass of stellar haloes. However, there is a significant radial dependence: while 90 per cent of the mass in the inner regions (${\lt}20\,$ kpc) is contributed, on average, by only three massive progenitors, the outer regions (${\gt}100\,$ kpc) typically have ∼8 main progenitors of relatively lower mass. Finally, we show that a few massive progenitors dominate the metallicity distribution of accreted stars, even at the metal-poor end. Contrary to common assumptions in the literature, stars from dwarf galaxies of mass $M_{\rm star}\lt 10^7 \, {\rm M}_\odot$ make up less than 10 per cent of the accreted, metal poor stars ([Fe/H] ${\lt}-3$) in the inner $50\,$ kpc.

scholarly journals Anisotropic quantum cosmology with minimally coupled scalar field

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (34) ◽  
pp. 1950283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saumya Ghosh ◽  
Sunandan Gangopadhyay ◽  
Prasanta K. Panigrahi
Keyword(s):  
Scalar Field ◽  
Wave Packet ◽  
Quantum Cosmology ◽  
Hamiltonian Formalism ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Type I ◽  
The Big Bang ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Big Bang Singularity

In this paper, we perform the Wheeler–DeWitt quantization for Bianchi type I anisotropic cosmological model in the presence of a scalar field minimally coupled to the Einstein–Hilbert gravity theory. We also consider the cosmological (perfect) fluid to construct the matter sector of the model whose dynamics plays the role of time. After obtaining the Wheeler–DeWitt equation from the Hamiltonian formalism, we then define the self-adjointness relations properly. Doing that, we proceed to get a solution for the Wheeler–DeWitt equation and construct a well-behaved wave function for the universe. The wave packet is next constructed from a superposition of the wave functions with different energy eigenvalues together with a suitable weight factor which renders the norm of the wave packet finite. It is then concluded that the Big-Bang singularity can be removed in the context of quantum cosmology.

scholarly journals A BGO set-up for the direct measurement of the D(p,γ)3He fusion cross section at LUNA

2020 ◽  
Vol 1668 (1) ◽  
pp. 012028
Author(s):  
Viviana Mossa
Keyword(s):  
Cross Section ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Fusion Cross Section ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Baryon Density ◽  
Reaction Cross ◽  
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis ◽  
Primordial Abundance ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Big Bang

Abstract The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) describes the production of light nuclides occurred during the first minutes of cosmic time. It started with the accumulation of deuterium, whose primordial abundance is sensitive to the universal baryon density and to the amount of relativistic particles. Currently the main source of uncertainty to an accurate theoretical deuterium abundance evaluation is due to the poor knowledge of the D(p, γ)3He cross section at BBN energies. The present work wants to describe one of the two experimental approaches proposed by the LUNA collaboration, whose goal is to measure with unprecedented precision, the reaction cross section in the energy range 30 < Ecm[keV] < 300.

scholarly journals The evolution of the universe in asymmetric cosmic time

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Nuclear Force ◽  
Vacuum Energy ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Vacuum Energy Density ◽  
De Sitter ◽  
Planck Time ◽  
The Big Bang ◽  
The Universe

The Cosmic Time Hypothesis (CTH) presented in this paper is a purely axiomatic theory. In contrast to today's standard model of cosmology, the ɅCDM model, it does not contain empirical parameters such as the cosmological constant Ʌ, nor does it contain sub-theories such as the inflation theory. The CTH was developed solely on the basis of the general theory of relativity (GRT), aiming for the greatest possible simplicity. The simplest cosmological model permitted by ART is the Einstein-de Sitter model. It is the basis for solving some of the fundamental problems of cosmology that concern us today. First of all, the most important results of the CTH: It solves one of the biggest problems of cosmology the problem of the cosmological constant (Ʌ)-by removing the relation between and the vacuum energy density ɛv (Λ=0, ɛv > 0). According to the CTH, the vacuum energy density ɛv is not negative and constant, as previously assumed, but positive and time-dependent (ɛv ̴ t -2). ɛv is part of the total energy density (Ɛ) of the universe and is contained in the energy-momentum tensor of Einstein's field equations. Cosmology is thus freed from unnecessary ballast, i.e. a free parameter (= natural constant) is omitted (Ʌ = 0). Conclusion: There is no "dark energy"! According to the CTH, the numerical value of the vacuum energy density v is smaller by a factor of ≈10-122 than the value calculated from quantum field theory and is thus consistent with observation. The measurement data obtained from observations of SNla supernovae, which suggest a currently accelerated expansion of the universe, result - if interpreted from the point of view of the CTH - in a decelerated expansion, as required by the Einstein-de Sitter universe. Dark matter could also possibly not exist, because the KZH demands that the "gravitational constant" is time-dependent and becomes larger the further the observed objects are spatially and thus also temporally distant from us. Gravitationally bound local systems, e.g. Earth - Moon or Sun - Earth, expand according to the same law as the universe. This explains why Hubble's law also applies within very small groups of galaxies, as observations show. The CTH requires that the strongest force (strong nuclear force) and the weakest (gravitational force) at Planck time (tp ≈10-43 seconds after the "big bang") when all forces of nature are supposed to have been united in a single super force, were of equal magnitude and had the same range. According to the KZH, the product of the strength and range of the gravitational force is constant, i.e. independent of time, and is identical to the product of the strength and range of the strong nuclear force. At Planck time, the universe had the size of an elementary particle (Rp = rE ≈10-15 m). This value also corresponds to the range of the strong nuclear force (Yukawa radius) and the Planck length at Planck time. The CTH provides a possible explanation for Mach's first and second principles. It solves some old problems of the big bang theory in a simple and natural way. The problem of the horizon, flatness, galaxy formation and the age of the world. The inflation theory thus becomes superfluous. • The CTH provides the theoretical basis for the theory of Earth expansion • In Cosmic Time, there was no Big Bang. The universe is infinitely old. • Unlike other cosmological models, the CTH does not require defined "initial conditions" because there was no beginning. • The CTH explains why the cosmic expansion is permanently in an unstable state of equilibrium, which is necessary for a long-term flat (Euclidean), evolutionarily developing universe.

scholarly journals An Idea about Negative Cosmic Time in the Big Bang-Big Rip Cosmological Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abdalla Bakry ◽  
Ali Eid ◽  
A. Alkaoud
Keyword(s):  
Cosmological Model ◽  
Cosmic Time ◽  
Spherical Shape ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Big Rip ◽  
The Moment ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
The Big Bang ◽  
Negative Time ◽  
The Universe

In this article, we assume that the beginning of the universe was before the Big Bang. In the beginning, all matter in the universe was combined in an infinitesimal spherical shape. This sphere was compressed to an incomprehensible value for a period, and then exploded and expanded time and space. We are referring to the negative time before the Big Bang. The evolution of the universe before the Big Bang, passing through the moment of the explosion to the end of the universe at the Big Rip, has been studied. In this article, we try to answer the questions; did the universe exist before the Big Bang? What is the origin of the universe and how did it arise? What are the stages of the evolution of the universe until the moment of the Big Rip? What is the length of time for the stages of this development?

In Search of Quantum Gravity

1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Penrose ◽  
Martin Gardner
Keyword(s):  
General Relativity ◽  
Quantum Theory ◽  
Quantum Gravity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Second Law Of Thermodynamics ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
Flow Of Time ◽  
Physical Effects ◽  
The Big Bang ◽  
Radical Ideas

What is there that is new to be learnt, concerning brains or minds, from what we have seen in the last chapter? Though we may have glimpsed some of the all-embracing physical principles underlying the directionality of our perceived ‘flow of time’, we seem, so far, to have gained no insights into the question of why we perceive time to flow or, indeed, why we perceive at all. In my opinion, much more radical ideas are needed. My presentation so far has not been particularly radical, though I have sometimes provided a different emphasis from what is usual. We have made our acquaintance with the second law of thermodynamics, and I have attempted to persuade the reader that the origin of this lawpresented to us by Nature in the particular form that she has indeed chosen - can be traced to an enormous geometrical constraint on the big bang origin of the universe: the Weyl curvature hypothesis. Some cosmologists might prefer to characterize this initial constraint somewhat differently, but such a restriction on the initial singularity is indeed necessary. The deductions that I am about to draw from this hypothesis will be considerably less conventional than is the hypothesis itself. I claim that we shall need a change in the very framework of the quantum theory! This change is to play its role when quantum mechanics becomes appropriately united with general relativity, i.e. in the sought-for theory of quantum gravity. Most physicists do not believe that quantum theory needs to change when it is united with general relativity. Moreover, they would argue that on a scale relevant to our brains the physical effects of any quantum gravity must be totally insignificant! They would say (very reasonably) that although such physical effects might indeed be important at the absurdly tiny distance scale known as the Planck length - which is 10-35 m, some 100000000000000000000 times smaller than the size of the tiniest subatomic particle - these effects should have no direct relevance whatever to phenomena at the far far larger ‘ordinary’ scales of, say, down only to 10-12m, where the chemical or electrical processes that are important to brain activity hold sway.

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