HOME  INTERVIEWS  RESOURCES  NEWS  ABOUT

View by:  Subject  Theme  Question  Term  Person  Event

The name for this peculiar gravitationally repulsive state is not well-established. Sandra Faber referred to it as a vacuum with a finite energy density, and sometimes as a false vacuum. In my own technical articles I call it a false vacuum, although I have to explain that for most inflationary models this usage stretches the meaning for which the phrase had previously been used in particle physics. In this article I will refer to it as a repulsive-gravity material. It may seem strange to see the words "vacuum" and "material" used to describe the same thing, but keep in mind that this stuff is strange. The word "vacuum" is used to emphasize that it is different from ordinary matter, while I am calling it a material to emphasize that it is different from an ordinary vacuum!

To return to the previous topic, click on your browser's 'Back' button.

Cosmic Questions

Did the Universe Have a Beginning? Topic Index
Eternal Inflation

How Does Inflation Work?

Introduction
Evidence for Inflation
Eternal Inflation: Mechanisms
Eternal Inflation: Implications
Did the Universe Have a Beginning?

Source:


Alan Guth

Related Media:

A Beginningless Universe?
Did the Universe Have a Beginning?
Did the Universe Have a Beginning?
Was the Universe Designed?
Are We Alone?
Interview Index
Hubble Deep Field Animation
  Media Index

Other Resources:

Is the Big Bang a Moment of Creation?
Big Bang Cosmology and Theology
Glossary Terms
Books
Bonus Material Home...