The Cosmic Microwave Background Could Decode Signals From Past Universes

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The chances that when we look at the cosmic microwave background carefully enough we'll decode signals from previous universes? Well, it depends on who you ask because there's also this model by Roger Penrose. And whether or not there's been anything seen there is very controversial. Most most people say that there are weird little fluctuations, they're probably statistical noise. But it's possible as we keep examining the cosmic microwave back, we might see something that indicates some previous cycle or some kind of interaction with another kind of universe. There's also a model where you have little bubble universes that start through the inflation process and those bubbles could collide with each other and we could see a feature of that in the

Cosmologists are always talking excitedly about the Big Bang and all the cool stuff that happened in the 14 billion years between then and now. But what about the future? We don't know for sure, but we know enough about the laws of physics to sketch out several plausible scenarios for what the future of our universe will hold. Katie Mack is a cosmologist who is writing a book about the end of the universe. We talk about the possibilities of a Big Crunch (and potential Big Bounce), a gentle cooling off where the universe gradually grows silent, and of course the prospect of a dramatic phase transition, otherwise known as the "bubble of quantum death." Which would make a great name for a band, I think we can all agree.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Katherine (Katie) Mack received her Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University. She is currently an Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University, where her research centers on theoretical cosmology, including dark matter and black holes. She is also a member of NCSU’s Leadership in Public Science Cluster. Her upcoming book, The End of Everything, will be published in 2020.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.