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Our View of the Universe

Our View of the Universe. History The Big Bang The Anthropic Principle. Physicists Find Elusive Particle Seen as Key to Universe.

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Our View of the Universe

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  1. Our View of the Universe History The Big Bang The Anthropic Principle

  2. Physicists Find Elusive Particle Seen as Key to Universe “ASPEN, Colo. — Signaling a likely end to one of the longest, most expensive searches in the history of science, physicists said Wednesday that they had discovered a new subatomic particle that looks for all the world like the Higgs boson, a key to understanding why there is diversity and life in the universe.” - New York Times, July 4 2012

  3. Integration of Science and Religion ?

  4. Worldview - 2012

  5. Worldview – 1700 BCE

  6. Ptolemy – 150 AD Source - http://www.vikdhillon.staff.shef.ac.uk/

  7. Copernicus – 1500 AD Heliocentric Model

  8. Galileo and Kepler – 1600s SN 1604 Elliptical orbits Phases of Venus 1610

  9. Sir Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) • Principia mathematica • Law of Universal Gravitation • Confirmed Kepler’sLaws of planetary motion  Static Universe Model (Einstein’ s universe)

  10. Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) • Newtonian mechanics did not reconcile with laws of electromagnetism • General Theory of Relativity (1916) E = mc 2 • Nobel Prize in Physics 1921  Led to Quantum Theory

  11. Georges Lemaitre, S.J. • Belgian priest and physicist • Applied general relativity to cosmology • derived equations describing universe of constant mass and expanding radius (1927). Theory of the Primordial Egg • Disputed by Einstein • Later known as Hubble’s Law • Pejoratively (Hoyle 1949) referred to as: • The Big Bang

  12. The Big Bang - Evidence • Edwin Hubble (1889 – 1953) • Hooker telescope at Mount Wilson CA • Discovered galaxies beyond the Milky Way • Measured distances by “brightness” • Light from distant galaxies is “red shifted”  Galaxies are all moving away • Hubble’s Law (1929) H = v/d

  13. Electromagnetic spectrum • Light behaves as both a particle (photon) and a wave • Shorter wavelengths/higher energy

  14. The Doppler Effect • Change in frequency of a wave (sound or light) for an observer moving relative to its source. • Applications – radar (police, weather), medical imaging

  15. The Big Bang - Evidence • Edwin Hubble (1929) • Assumes all galaxies emit similar light • Spectroscopically measured light from far off galaxies • Light from distant galaxies is “red shifted” , i.e. has longer wavelengths than light from nearby galaxies • Confirmation of Big bang theory. • Microwave Background Radiation (1964) • Princeton and Bell Labs (New Jersey) • New radio telescopes • Found microwave “noise” everywhere • Determined age of the universe (13.7 billion years) • Oldest galaxy – UDFy 38135539 (2011) • 13.07 billion light years away (600 MY after the big bang)

  16. But Why is There Anything at All ? • “The Laws of Nature” – mathematical relationships that describe what we observe. • The Law of Gravity • First and Second Law of Thermodynamics • Theory of Relativity ( E = mc2 ) • Each of these laws is defined by a constant which could (theoretcially) have different values than what we observe.

  17. The Fundamental Constants (Forces) • Strong nuclear force • holds subatomic particles together • Weak nuclear force • Causes radioactive decay • Higgs boson is part of this • Gravitational force • Electromagnetic force • Combines electricity and magnetism • Matter/anti-matter ratio • Expansion rate of the universe • H in Hubble’s Law  If any of these were even slightly larger or smaller the universe as we know it would not exist!!!

  18. Let’s Play! Roulette – spaces 1-36, 0, 00 • Chance of hitting a 7? 1/38 • Let it ride! 1/38 x 1/38 = 1/1444 • How about 3 times ? 1/38 x 1/38 x 1/38 = 1/54,872 • Hitting 6 times - 1 in 3 billion chance

  19. The Goldilocks EnigmaWhy is the universe “just right” for life? • Random chance – • We are winners of the cosmic lottery • Anthropic principle (AP) • Weak AP: universe must support our presence • Strong AP: “fine tuning” suggests there is an intentionality in universe’s creation • Multiverse hypothesis • There are many hostile universes, we just happen to be in one that isn’t hostile • Temporal Multiverse • Simultaneous Multiverses

  20. String Theory/M TheoryThe Theory of Everything (ToE) • All matter is composed of strings of infinitely small energy loops • Attempts to unify: • Quantum physics (behavior of very small things) • Relativity theory (behavior of very large things) • Is it testable?? • Advocates believe it will ultimately explain why the constants are what they are?

  21. Questions? • Why do YOU think the Big Bang should be accepted or not accepted? • Projects such as the Super Hadron Collider are VERY expensive – are they worth it? • Do you think a Theory of Everything will eventually be arrived at?  What then?

  22. Day 2 - Schedule

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