![Energy distribution in an axion field.](images/42.gif) |
Energy
distribution in an axion field. |
The foundation of modern cosmology
was laid in 1981, when physicist Alan
Guth of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology developed an extension
to the standard Big Bang model of
the universe called the inflationary
theory. This theory allows astronomers
to trace the history of the universe
back to a tiny fraction of a second
after the Big Bang, when the strong,
weak and electromagnetic forces identified
by current theory were unified into
a single electronuclear force. With
Office of Science funding, Guth worked
out the cosmological consequences
of a phase transition in the universe,
which in its earliest moments supercooled
and then, in a fraction of a second,
rapidly expanded exponentially, by
many orders of magnitude. This model
has been further developed by Andreas
Linde of Stanford University, Paul
Steinhardt of Princeton University,
and others. Since the inflationary
theory was proposed, other developments
have emerged that may enable scientists
to probe events occurring at an even
earlier stage, perhaps even before
the creation event itself.
Scientific Impact:
The inflationary theory solves many
problems of standard Big Bang cosmology
models, explaining, for example, why
the universe appears so close to the
transition between endless expansion
and eventual contraction. The theory
also suggests why the universe appears
so homogeneous; at first it was so
condensed that it became uniform,
a condition well preserved by the
very rapid expansion.
Social Impact: Widely
accepted among theoretical physicists,
the inflationary theory helps humans
better understand nature and contributes
to improvements in science education.
Reference: Scientific
American Presents (ISSN 1048-0943),
Volume 9, Number 1, 1998.
URL:
http://www.sciam.com/specialissues/0398cosmos/0398linde.html
Technical Contact:
Prof. Alan Guth, guth@ctp.mit.edu
Press Contact: Jeff
Sherwood, DOE Office of Public Affairs,
202-586-5806
SC-Funding Office:
Office of High Energy and Nuclear
Physics |