The results of the simulation show the growth of tiny, extremely dense structures very soon after the inflation phase of the very early universe. Between the initial and final states in the simulation (top left and right respectively), the area shown has expanded to ten million times its initial volume, but is still many times smaller than the interior of a proton. The enlarged clump at the bottom left would have a mass of about 20kg.
Photo: Jens Niemeyer, University of Göttingen
Never having been especially interested in physics which, compared to biology, I found dry and uninteresting - probably wrongly - this subject is not something I can claim any great understanding of, but this simulation addresses the first few microseconds after the Big Bang, in the instance before the larger structures such as elementary particles came into existence.
It has been said that the initial density of the universe at this time was some trillion times that of water. Just how dense can be judged from the fact that, according to this computer simulation, some 10-24 seconds after the BB, bodies smaller than a proton had a mass of about 20 Kg! These 'inflaton halos' were responsible for the rapid inflation of the nascent Universe.
The simulation was done by theoretical physicists at the Universities of Göttingen, Germany and Auckland, New Zealand. The press release from Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen gives the details:
Sadly, the groups findings, published a few days ago in the journal of the American Physical Society, Physical Review D, is behind a paywall, however, the abstract is available online here.Astrophysicists at the Universities of Göttingen and Auckland simulate microscopic clusters from the Big Bang
The very first moments of the Universe can be reconstructed mathematically even though they cannot be observed directly.The physical space represented by our simulation would fit into a single proton a million times ove. "It is probably the largest simulation of the smallest area of the Universe that has been carried out so far.Physicists from the Universities of Göttingen and Auckland (New Zealand) have greatly improved the ability of complex computer simulations to describe this early epoch. They discovered that a complex network of structures can form in the first trillionth of a second after the Big Bang. The behaviour of these objects mimics the distribution of galaxies in today's Universe. In contrast to today, however, these primordial structures are microscopically small. Typical clumps have masses of only a few grams and fit into volumes much smaller than present-day elementary particles. The results of the study have been published in the journal Physical Review D.
Professor Jens Niemeyer, Co-author
Institut für Astrophysik
Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany.
The researchers were able to observe the development of regions of higher density that are held together by their own gravity.The formation of such structures, as well as their movements and interactions, must have generated a background noise of gravitational waves. With the help of our simulations, we can calculate the strength of this gravitational wave signal, which might be measurable in the future."The physical space represented by our simulation would fit into a single proton a million times over," says Professor Jens Niemeyer, head of the Astrophysical Cosmology Group at the University of Göttingen. "It is probably the largest simulation of the smallest area of the Universe that has been carried out so far." These simulations make it possible to calculate more precise predictions for the properties of these vestiges from the very beginnings of the Universe.
Benedikt Eggemeier, First author
PhD student
Institut für Astrophysik
Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany.
Although the computer-simulated structures would be very short-lived and eventually "vaporise" into standard elementary particles, traces of this extreme early phase may be detectable in future experiments. "The formation of such structures, as well as their movements and interactions, must have generated a background noise of gravitational waves," says Benedikt Eggemeier, a PhD student in Niemeyer's group and first author of the study.On the other hand, if the simulations predict black holes form, and we don’t see them, then we will have found a new way to test models of the infant Universe."With the help of our simulations, we can calculate the strength of this gravitational wave signal, which might be measurable in the future."
Professor Richard Easther, Co-author
Department of Physics
University of Auckland, New Zealand
It is also conceivable that tiny black holes could form if these structures undergo runaway collapse. If this happens they could have observable consequences today, or form part of the mysterious dark matter in the Universe. “On the other hand,” says Professor Easther, “If the simulations predict black holes form, and we don’t see them, then we will have found a new way to test models of the infant Universe.”
As a nod to any creationists who might have found the courage to read an article about scientific research, they might like to note that nowhere in the simulation was there any allowance for the intervention of magic to set aside the laws of physics and make things happen that wouldn't happen naturally. Everything that happened in the simulation is the result of the operation of natural laws and materialist forces with no supernatural involvement. Indeed, the inclusion of supernatural (and by inference, unpredictable) forces would have rendered the entire simulation meaningless.
As I have said many times before, to do good research, scientists need to behave like Atheists.
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