19 October 2024

Distinction between the Big Bang, Planck Time, and the Onset of Cosmic Inflation:


Soumendra Nath Thakur
19-10-2024

Abstract:

This paper explores the critical distinctions between the Big Bang, Planck time, and the onset of cosmic inflation, elucidating their significance in the evolution of the universe. The Big Bang event, occurring at t=0, marks the origin of time and space, while Planck time (t=5.3912 ×10⁻⁴⁴ seconds) serves as the earliest point for meaningful discussion of these dimensions. The temporal inequality between these two moments indicates a fundamental change in the universe's physical state, even if the specifics remain beyond empirical reach. Following the Big Bang, cosmic inflation is theorized to have lasted approximately 10⁻³² seconds, commencing shortly after the Planck time. This inflationary period underscores the non-eternal nature of time and space, which emerged alongside the universe's expansion rather than existing prior to it.

Furthermore, this study aligns the modern understanding of time and space with Newton's perspective, which posited these dimensions as absolute and independent. While Newton's framework suggests an eternal existence of time and space, the current cosmological view reveals their emergence as tied to significant cosmic events. Consequently, both time and space are recognized as products of specific occurrences following the Big Bang, leading to the conclusion that the universe, in its entirety, is not eternal, but rather a result of its own dynamic evolution. This analysis highlights the transition from abstract concepts of time and space to their concrete implications in the physical reality of the cosmos.

Keywords: Big Bang, Planck Time, Emergence, Newtonian Perspective, Cosmic Inflation,

Cosmic inflation is theorized to have lasted for approximately 10³² seconds, beginning shortly after the Planck time (t=5.3912 × 10⁴⁴ seconds) rather than immediately at the moment of the Big Bang. The exact onset of cosmic inflation remains uncertain, but the Planck time serves as a crucial benchmark for understanding the universe’s transition into the inflationary phase.

The moment of the Big Bang (t=0) and the Planck time (t=5.3912 × 10⁴⁴ seconds) represent distinct stages in the evolution of the universe. The inequality in time between these two points indicates a fundamental change in the physical state, even though the precise nature of this change between t=0 and the Planck time remains beyond current empirical understanding. This transition highlights a shift in the underlying structure of existence, albeit imperceptible, as the universe moves from the Big Bang event to the Planck epoch.

Given the inflationary nature of the early universe, any changes within this interval between the Big Bang and the Planck time cannot be regarded as identical to the state of the universe at t=0. Therefore, the distinct existential states associated with t=0 (the Big Bang) and t=5.3912 × 10⁴⁴ seconds (Planck time) must be acknowledged due to the inequality in time.

Since the Planck time represents the smallest meaningful unit of time, any events occurring within intervals shorter than this are considered physically meaningless in current theoretical frameworks. Therefore, while inflation may conceptually be traced back to t=0, the nature of the Planck time compels us to define the inflationary period as occurring between the Planck time and approximately 10³² seconds. As a result, the duration of cosmic inflation can be understood as extending from the Big Bang to 10³² seconds, with meaningful physical interpretation beginning only at the Planck time.

Key Points of the Analysis:

• Distinct Phases: The Big Bang (at t=0) and Planck time (at t=5.3912 × 10⁻⁴⁴ seconds) mark separate stages in the evolution of the universe.

• Temporal Inequality: The time difference between these two events signifies a fundamental change in the physical state of the universe.

• Inflationary Dynamics: Cosmic inflation, theorized to last approximately 10⁻³² seconds, began shortly after Planck time.

• Planck Time as a Boundary: The Planck time represents the smallest meaningful unit of time, constraining our ability to describe events that occurred prior to it.

• Emergence of Time and Space: This paper supports the modern understanding that time and space emerged concurrently with the universe, rather than existing beforehand.

Additional Insights:

• Newtonian Perspective: The comparison of the Newtonian view of absolute time and space with modern cosmological interpretations offers valuable context for understanding the evolution of these fundamental concepts.

• Implications for the Universe: The analysis emphasizes the non-eternal nature of the universe, highlighting that both time and space originated from specific cosmic events.

1. The difference between the big bang event and Planck Time is 5.3912 ×10⁴⁴ seconds.

The Big Bang occurred at (t=0), and Planck time, which is approximately 5.3912 ×10⁴⁴ seconds, represents the smallest meaningful unit of time in quantum physics. It is the time scale at which quantum gravitational effects are expected to become significant, and it is far smaller than any other time scale in the universe.

2. The cosmic inflation since the beginning of the universe lasted about 10³² seconds

Cosmic inflation is theorized to have occurred around 10³² seconds after the Big Bang, a much larger time period compared to the Planck time.

The inequality Planck time 5.3912 ×10⁴⁴ seconds < Cosmic inflation 10³² seconds, is valid because 10³² seconds is indeed much greater than 5.3912 ×10⁴⁴ seconds.

Planck Time 5.3912 ×10⁴⁴ seconds < Cosmic inflation 10³² seconds

3. This means distinct stages in the evolution of the universe: The moment of the Big Bang (t=0) and the Planck time (t=5.3912 × 10⁴⁴ seconds) and the inflationary period as occurring between the Planck time and approximately 10³² seconds.

4. After inflation, the universe continued to expand, but at a much slower rate.

Conclusion:

The beginning of the universe, marked by the Big Bang at t=0, signifies the origin of both time and space. The Planck time (t=5.3912 ×10⁴⁴ seconds) represents the earliest moment at which time and space can be meaningfully described according to current physical theories, highlighting a distinct phase in the universe's evolution. While the specifics of the transition between t=0 and the Planck time remain beyond empirical understanding, this does not invalidate the origin of time and space.

In this context, the Newtonian view of abstract time and space—where time is considered an absolute, continuous flow and space as an infinite, unchanging stage—aligns in a subtle way with the modern interpretation. In Newton’s framework, time and space existed eternally and independently of matter and events. However, the modern cosmological view adjusts this by showing that time and space, while essential frameworks, only emerge meaningfully with the unfolding of the universe from the Big Bang. In other words, though Newton's absolute time and space are abstract concepts, the emergence of time and space in cosmology can be seen as the point where these abstract ideas take on concrete physical meaning, tied to the birth of the universe.

Time and space emerged in connection with events following the Big Bang. At t=0, neither time nor space existed in any practical or empirical sense; they unfolded as the universe expanded and evolved. The origin of space, represented by coordinates x=0, y=0, z=0, is tied to the Big Bang as the initial singularity. However, it is only after the Planck time that meaningful descriptions of space and time can be applied, a refinement of Newton’s idea where abstract time and space begin to "act" only when events occur.

The rapid inflationary expansion of the universe, occurring between the Planck time and approximately 10³² seconds, underscores the non-eternal nature of time and space as understood in modern physics. These dimensions, as we know them, did not pre-exist the Big Bang but instead emerged from the dynamics of the universe following t=0. While Newton’s view suggested time and space as eternal and fixed, the modern perspective situates their emergence with the occurrence of key cosmic events.

Thus, the universe is not eternal in its existence, and both time and space are the result of specific events following the Big Bang. This progression, from the Big Bang to the Planck time and through cosmic inflation, reflects the evolution of the universe from a state of non-existence to a structured framework of time, space, and physical reality. Newton's notion of absolute time and space is echoed in this, as time and space are treated as fundamental aspects of the universe, though modern physics shows their origin is tied directly to the birth of the cosmos.

#BigBang, #Time #Space #PlanckTime, #Emergence, #NewtonianPerspective, #CosmicInflation,

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