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Does the Emergence of the Universe Require a Creator?
In a word: no.
So, if a Creator is not needed for the universe to begin (or life, for that matter),
then what is left for them to create?
In a word: no.
So, if a Creator is not needed for the universe to begin (or life, for that matter),
then what is left for them to create?
SUMMARY:
- The key: if you have a natural mechanism that pretty much shows you how matter and everything else is created, then what is left to do is to find the evidence that it is in fact the very source of the universe itself.
- This natural mechanism, the spontaneous creation or annihilation of matter via quantum fluctuations, exists now and presumably for all eternity, in every pocket of the universe, or the larger cosmos if you consider the plausibility of a multiverse. And this mechanism could be verified by any experiment, which itself is relatively easy to set up. You might have heard of the Casimir experiment—the setup would be approximately the same.
- The relic microwave background radiation (CMB) is that evidence: the latest CMB data actually allows us to peer within the first trillionth of a second of the first moments—beyond the 300,000 years previous limit—of the emergence of the universe. What CMB represents—what are seen—within those moments are the quantum fluctuations that made all the universe possible. The universe itself is just those quantum fluctuations, magnified to the resolution of the current age of the universe. It bears repeating: what we now see as the universe is just the enlarged, magnified picture of the quantum fluctuations within the first trillionth of a second in the age of the universe.
- Quantum fluctuations are initial conditions: you cannot peer—or there is nothing more to see—further beyond it. They represent the ultimate beginning of what we know as our universe. Of us.
- “ABSOLUTE NOTHING” does not exist; it is a misleading mental construct resulting from the limited capabilities of our sensory organs. This is the reason our universe’s local version of space is sometimes called “false vacuum.”
- If our sensory organs were not limited, we would see a panoply of quantum fields permeating our immediate surroundings and beyond to all the parts of the universe. It means there is no “nothing” per se; rather, there has in fact always been something in the universe from the very beginning
- These fields include electroweak fields, strong nuclear force fields, gravity fields, the Higgs boson field, among many others
- Beyond these fields, quantum fluctuations produce pairs of particles and antiparticles.
- In the observed universe today, these particles and antiparticles always annihilate each other and leave behind radiations
- In the vicinity of black holes, however, pairs of particles and antiparticles do no always have time to annihilate one another because the black hole’s intense gravity absorbs one of the pair before it could reach the other one
- In the same way in the earliest time of the inflationary period, the ripping apart of space, which is faster than the speed of light, also makes it impossible for any pair to reach and annihilate one another
- The leftover particles from the initial inflationary conditions became what we know as matter and the rest of the structures of the universe—from planets, galaxies, superclusters, to the cosmic web with its cosmic filaments connecting all the structures of the universe
- The unique density signatures reflecting the original distribution of the first particles are now magnified in the cosmic microwave background revealed by the latest Planck space missions
- You can remove anything in the universe but you cannot do it with quantum fluctuations: they will persist no matter what you do. Which means: primordial quantum fluctuations are initial conditions. Like radioactive decay or quantum tunneling, they are not caused by any preceding event.
- BONUS: knowing these latest bits of information about the relationship of Inflation Theory and primordial quantum fluctuations will enable you to play around with bumbling astrophysicists (at YouTube, for example) who remain unaware of these latest developments in the field.
What is nothing?
Well, before we can explain how the universe can come from nothing, we must first define what "nothing" truly is. If you enter an empty room and are asked what is in the room, you would likely respond with "nothing." This is because your eyes are not capable of detecting anything present in the room. However, your basic knowledge and understanding of modern Biology/Chemistry would remind you that there are air particles and microbes also present in the room, despite the fact you cannot observe them with the naked eye. This same situation occurs when laypeople are asked about empty space. Modern Physics tells us that empty space is never truly "empty" at the quantum (atomic/subatomic) level due to the phenomenon of quantum fluctuation.
What are quantum fluctuations?
Quantum fluctuations describe how it is possible for the energy at any point in space to momentarily change (such as the amount of charge an electron appears to possess). This implies that a particle-antiparticle pair of energetic particles can spontaneously appear in empty space. This pair of spontaneous particles often collides quickly after spawning, again forming nothing. Quantum fluctuations are permitted to occur due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which states that it is not possible to determine both the position and the momentum (velocity times mass) of a particle at any one time. Other than just offering an explanation for how empty space isn't truly "empty," quantum fluctuations can also be applied to our understanding of black holes.
Primordial Vacuum Fluctuations
A Quantum Fluctuation
Illustrating how it is possible for something to come from nothing in empty space at the quantum level, according to the phenomenon of quantum fluctuation. Particles and anti-particles may join to again form "nothing."
A Quantum Fluctuation
Illustrating how it is possible for something to come from nothing in empty space at the quantum level, according to the phenomenon of quantum fluctuation. Particles and anti-particles may join to again form "nothing."
The Relevance of Black Holes
Black holes represent an abomination in nature where gravity has gone awry. These are commonly formed when a very large star reaches the end of its life (after it has used up most of its hydrogen fuel and much of the core has turned to iron) and undergoes gravitational collapse. This collapse induces a supernova (a massive explosion that expels much of the outer star material) and the creation of a singularity from the remaining material. A singularity is a place in spacetime that appears to possess infinite density and is where the known laws of nature begin to break down due to our lack of understanding gravity at the quantum level.
A singularity has such a strong gravitational pull that any matter or energy coming within a certain range of it is inexorably drawn into the singularity. The outer limit for the range of this "point of no return" is referred to as the event horizon. These things result in the appearance of a "black hole" in the space surrounding the singularity (to the outer edge of the event horizon), where even light cannot escape. Black holes are occasionally surrounded by a bright accretion disk, consisting of the material the black hole is actively "feeding upon" (with some of the matter spiraling down into the event horizon slowly over time and the rest of the matter being carried away from the black hole in polar, relativistic jets).
Quantum fluctuations occurring just outside of the event horizon result in the black hole simultaneously shrinking and emitting radiation (known as Hawking radiation). This is because the particle that appears is capable of breaking free of the black hole's gravity (in the form of radiation), but the anti-particle is incapable of doing so and is consequently pulled into the event horizon, thus binding with a particle in the singularity and decreasing the mass of the black hole. This phenomenon partially explains why micro black holes are unstable and quickly evaporate (die). So, contrary to popular belief, there is nothing to fear from any micro black holes that might be created in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Black holes were actually the initial inspiration for attaining solid evidence supporting the Big Bang Theory, the same basic concepts and mathematical equations used to explain black holes (how everything can "disappear" down into a singularity) were simply reversed (by Stephen Hawking) to explain the Big Bang (how everything can "appear" from a singularity).
Black Hole Anatomy
This illustrates a large, actively feeding black hole, with the singularity in its center, the event horizon along its margins, and the bright accretion disk surrounding and feeding it. Sizes are exaggerated for illustrative purposes.
An Example of Hawking Radiation
Illustrating that quantum fluctuations help explain how black holes can shrink in size (due to the anti-particles falling into the event horizon) while emitting Hawking radiation (due to the regular particles escaping the black hole).
This illustrates a large, actively feeding black hole, with the singularity in its center, the event horizon along its margins, and the bright accretion disk surrounding and feeding it. Sizes are exaggerated for illustrative purposes.
An Example of Hawking Radiation
Illustrating that quantum fluctuations help explain how black holes can shrink in size (due to the anti-particles falling into the event horizon) while emitting Hawking radiation (due to the regular particles escaping the black hole).
How can the whole universe come from nothing on its own?
Now that we've established you can get particles from nothing, we have to explain how things scaled up in size from there. I'm going to focus on the theory of inflation in this discussion, as it is commonly the most accepted theory. The early universe is hypothesized to have been a singularity smaller than the size of a proton (although still a subject of debate, it was likely a product of the quantum fluctuations mentioned earlier). Inflation describes how this singularity can, by random chance, expand to a great size (by a factor of ~10[SUP]78[/SUP]; approximately 10 to the 78[SUP]th[/SUP] power) in a very short time (~10[SUP]-32[/SUP] seconds; approximately 10 to the negative 32[SUP]nd[/SUP] power).
This was a self-perpetuating process that led to the expansion of the universe beyond the quantum realm and has since slowed down drastically (as the universe is still expanding). Typically, people refer to this initial rapid expansion as "inflation of the universe" and the slow expansion that is still ongoing as "expansion of the universe." Keep in mind that either of these expansion processes can be thought of as a balloon inflating/stretching, as opposed to the universe simply "leaking" into the empty space around it. This means that during expansion processes, all points on the "balloon" become farther apart (unless gravity/momentum is directing the action, otherwise).
Universal expansion can be thought of as a form of increasing entropy (disorder), which follows the known laws of physics. Although the exact mechanism driving inflation is poorly understood, scientists have determined that the chances of inflation occurring at random (to create the known universe) are greater than zero. This means that the random creation of a universe is inevitable, thus supporting the hypothesis that other universes outside of our own may also exist. If one totals up all of the energy/matter and space in our universe, it is found to equal zero. So, the law of conservation of energy still holds true, despite the fact the way the energy is distributed makes it appear otherwise.
Universe Inflation and Expansion
An exaggerated diagram illustrating how the universe could rapidly inflate to a macroscopic size and continue expanding at a slower rate. The balloon pics on the left show a much simpler version of the concept that space, itself, expands.
Black Holes Share Similarities with the Big Bang
An oversimplified diagram illustrating how a reversal of the basic concepts/calculations behind black holes (large to small) can yield a good understanding of the Big Bang Theory (small to large).
Couldn't the Big Bang just be a result of Divine influence?
According to the Hartle-Hawking State, the universe technically had no beginning in space or time, as the concepts of space and time are macroscopic properties (larger than the quantum realm) that did not exist until after the universe formed.
The latest Planck space missions returned with data resolving longstanding issues about Inflation Theory, the Big Bang Theory, through the cosmic background radiation.
In our universe quantum fluctuations have been expanded into the largest structures we observe and clouds of hydrogen have collapsed to form kangaroos. The larger end of this hierarchical range of structure—the range controlled by gravity, not chemistry, is what inflation is supposed to explain.
Inflation produces structure because quantum mechanics, not classical mechanics, describes the universe in which we live. The seeds of structure, quantum fluctuations, do not exist in a classical world. If the world were classical, there would be no clumps or balls to populate classical mechanics textbooks. Inflation dilutes everything—all preexisting structure. It empties the universe of anything that may have existed before, except quantum fluctuations. These it can't dilute. These then become the seeds of who we are.
One of the most important questions in cosmology is: what is the origin of all the galaxies, clusters, great walls, filaments and voids we see around us? The inflationary scenario provides the most accepted explanation for the origin of these structures: they used to be quantum fluctuations, though the mechanics are largely the same. During the metamorphosis of quantum fluctuations into CMB anisotropies and then into galaxies, primordial quantum fluctuations of a scalar field get amplified and evolve to become classical seed perturbations and eventually large scale structure. Primordial quantum fluctuations are initial conditions. Like radioactive decay or quantum tunneling, they are not caused by any preceding event.
Therefore, no time existed for a Creator to create anything. Magic was not required for the universe to simply "pop" into existence.
Cosmic Microwave Background:
Matter—in the Form of Galaxies, Superclusters, Cosmic Filaments (Large-Scale Structures or LSS)—As Telltale Signature Remnants of Quantum Fluctuations
(Click to Enlarge)
Filaments of the Cosmic Web: Connecting the Structures of the Universe
Matter—in the Form of Galaxies, Superclusters, Cosmic Filaments (Large-Scale Structures or LSS)—As Telltale Signature Remnants of Quantum Fluctuations
(Click to Enlarge)
Filaments of the Cosmic Web: Connecting the Structures of the Universe
======================
REFERENCES
Confirmed: All Matter is Merely Quantum Fluctuations
Planck Mission and Cosmic Microwave Background Confirm Quantum Origins of the Universe
Birth of the Universe Thru Quantum Fluctuations: Illustrated Formalism
All Quantum Fluctuations: Within Trillionth of a Second Into the Age of the Universe
How Does Inflation Produce All the Structure in the Universe?
Origin of the Universe
Planetary Scientist Carolyn Porco on Children, Education, the Universe
COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION
The UNIVERSE: COSMIC FILAMENTS VIEW
Quantum Fluctuations and the Big Bang
- - - Updated - - -
We are amplified quantum fluctuations
COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION
The UNIVERSE: COSMIC FILAMENTS VIEW
Quantum Fluctuations and the Big Bang
We are amplified quantum fluctuations
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