It is the largest simulation of the smallest area in the universe. Everything has been possible thanks to computer simulations that have made it possible to describe the most infantile period of the formation of the universe.
What happened during the first billionth of a second after the Big Bang?
Our universe was born about 13.7 billion years ago in a massive expansion that blew up space like a gigantic balloon. This huge expansion is known as the Big Bang. And, although we cannot observe the first moments of the universe, it is possible to reconstruct it mathematically.
This is precisely what scientists from the universities of Göttingen and Auckland (New Zealand) have done to improve the capabilities of computer simulations with the intention of drawing the first moments of our cosmos. In doing so, they found that a complex network of structures formed in the first trillionth of a second after the Big Bang. The behavior of these objects, on a microscopic scale (which can fit in much smaller volumes than today’s rudimentary particles), mimics the distribution of galaxies in today’s universe.
The simulations also showed the scientists the formation of regions with high density held together by their gravity.
“The physical space represented by our simulation would fit into a single proton a million times,” explains Jens Niemeyer, director 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.”
Very small and ephemeral structures
Although the computer-simulated structures would be very short-lived and eventually “vaporize” into standard elementary particles, traces of this extreme early phase might be detectable in future experiments. Between the beginning and the end of the simulation, the studied area expanded about ten million times its initial volume (being even smaller than the interior of a proton).
“The formation of such structures, as well as their movements and interactions, must have generated background noise from gravitational waves,” says Benedikt Eggemeier, a doctoral student in Niemeyer’s group and first author of the study. “With the help of our simulations, we can calculate the strength of this gravitational wave signal, which could be measured in the future.”
What about black holes?
The researchers suggested that if structures collapse uncontrollably, they can form black holes. It is also possible that the consequences of such an event are also detectable, or they may be part of the elusive dark matter that continues to intrigue experts.
“On the other hand, if the simulations predict the formation of black holes, and we do not see them, then we will have found a new way to test models of the early or infant universe”, concludes Richard Easther, also a co-author of the work published in the journal Physical Review. D.
Referencia: “Formation of inflaton halos after inflation” by Benedikt Eggemeier, Jens C. Niemeyer and Richard Easther, 22 March 2021, Physical Review D.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.103.063525
