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R. Barrett and P. P. Delsanto
However, at the Big Bang, and shortly thereafter, the disagreement must be
confronted head on. There is no place to hide.
As an aside, let us remark that similar issues arise wherever singularities
appear. Black holes are examples of singularities predicted by physical theory,
and the physics close to the central singularity in a black hole is not understood for the same reason that we discussed in the preceding paragraph.
In this region of intense gravitational attraction, the theories of Quantum
Mechanics and General Relativity are in conflict, and the black hole is
surrounded by an event horizon, from within which no light or other particles can emerge. Below the horizon, a cosmic censorship principle is acting:
we cannot see in there, so it is regarded by many as beyond the purview of
physics. Yet physicists have accepted the existence of black holes. For example,
observations tell us that a massive object, compatible with a black hole, has
been found at the centre of our galaxy. It has been named Sagittarius A * , and
has a mass equal to four million solar masses. It is now believed that black
holes are located at the centres of most galaxies.
In the last Chapter, we discussed the inflation model, and saw that it was
necessary to introduce an entirely new field, the inflaton field, to explain
the extraordinary homogeneity of the Cosmic Microwave Background. This
uniformity could not be explained by conventional theories because, even
over 13 billion years ago, the most distant parts of the universe were too far
apart to be accessed, one from the other, at velocities less than the velocity of
light.
Here, we are assuming that the velocity of light at this time was the same
as it is today. This is in accord with our belief that the physical constants
do not change, which we discussed in Chap. 3. Suppose, however, that our
belief is wrong and that the speed of light in these early times was much larger
than it is today. A Variable Speed of Light (VSL) model of early cosmology,
as an alternative to the inflation model, was proposed by John Moffat in
1992 [1]. This work was largely ignored, until in 1998 another physicist,
João Magueijo, published a similar idea in a more prestigious journal. An
unpleasant controversy erupted over which author had priority, with the
media largely ignoring Moffat’s work. Eventually the two physicists were
reconciled, and have since published further papers jointly. Light speeds up
to 60 times the current value of c have been suggested. A VSL model would
have implications in special and General Relativity, Maxwell’s equations of
electromagnetism and many other areas of physics.
Currently VSL models of early cosmology are outside the mainstream
of physics. However, the inflation theory is also not without its critics.
Paul Steinhardt, one of the original contributors to inflation theory, is now
R. Barrett and P. P. Delsanto
However, at the Big Bang, and shortly thereafter, the disagreement must be
confronted head on. There is no place to hide.
As an aside, let us remark that similar issues arise wherever singularities
appear. Black holes are examples of singularities predicted by physical theory,
and the physics close to the central singularity in a black hole is not understood for the same reason that we discussed in the preceding paragraph.
In this region of intense gravitational attraction, the theories of Quantum
Mechanics and General Relativity are in conflict, and the black hole is
surrounded by an event horizon, from within which no light or other particles can emerge. Below the horizon, a cosmic censorship principle is acting:
we cannot see in there, so it is regarded by many as beyond the purview of
physics. Yet physicists have accepted the existence of black holes. For example,
observations tell us that a massive object, compatible with a black hole, has
been found at the centre of our galaxy. It has been named Sagittarius A * , and
has a mass equal to four million solar masses. It is now believed that black
holes are located at the centres of most galaxies.
In the last Chapter, we discussed the inflation model, and saw that it was
necessary to introduce an entirely new field, the inflaton field, to explain
the extraordinary homogeneity of the Cosmic Microwave Background. This
uniformity could not be explained by conventional theories because, even
over 13 billion years ago, the most distant parts of the universe were too far
apart to be accessed, one from the other, at velocities less than the velocity of
light.
Here, we are assuming that the velocity of light at this time was the same
as it is today. This is in accord with our belief that the physical constants
do not change, which we discussed in Chap. 3. Suppose, however, that our
belief is wrong and that the speed of light in these early times was much larger
than it is today. A Variable Speed of Light (VSL) model of early cosmology,
as an alternative to the inflation model, was proposed by John Moffat in
1992 [1]. This work was largely ignored, until in 1998 another physicist,
João Magueijo, published a similar idea in a more prestigious journal. An
unpleasant controversy erupted over which author had priority, with the
media largely ignoring Moffat’s work. Eventually the two physicists were
reconciled, and have since published further papers jointly. Light speeds up
to 60 times the current value of c have been suggested. A VSL model would
have implications in special and General Relativity, Maxwell’s equations of
electromagnetism and many other areas of physics.
Currently VSL models of early cosmology are outside the mainstream
of physics. However, the inflation theory is also not without its critics.
Paul Steinhardt, one of the original contributors to inflation theory, is now