Let’s put a shocking title, an old question, and a few drops of physics in the shaker. If we shake it well, we’ll just have to taste it. But will knowing what fate awaits the universe leave a good taste in our mouths? Here we gather the witnesses of all the people who have asked themselves this since ancient times. However, we’re off to an advantageous start: We can finally provide answers using cutting-edge science, and predictions come to a violent end, a big tear or Big Tear.

experimental data fit very well big tearHe pointed out that the probability of it happening is very high. The basis is that the universe contains enough dark energy to “stretch” it and expand it at an accelerating rate. The galaxies will move further and further apart, and the gravitational force will gradually decrease until the effect wears off. Planets and moons will lose their orbits and stars will leave the galaxies. Then that Great Tear of the universe will have come.

Dark energy is rapidly expanding the universe

The large-scale universe is definitely getting bigger. Specifically, the rate of expansion is accelerating. Einstein’s equations show that this is because it consists mostly of dark energy, which produces repulsive gravity. But can we develop more?

Before we go any further, let’s humbly admit that our models disguise our ignorance by erasing it as wisdom. In them we imagine dark energy as a very simply defined liquid. For this we would use variables inherited from thermodynamics.

We would have the pressure of that fluid on one side and its density on the other, that is, the amount of energy per unit volume. If we only had particles with small velocities, that energy would essentially be that of their masses. Therefore, it will be enough for us to think like Newton without depending on the gravity of Einstein. However, this is not possible because there are also very fast particles in our universe, such as photons and neutrinos.

With that in mind, we propose that the universe is a soup of different liquids with different properties. Thus, we ensure that Einstein’s equations tell us about the properties that different fluids must have for accelerated expansion to occur. Not only that, they tell us in what proportions these ingredients should be. Photons (neutrinos and other nonsense) we will have dark matter in the attractive gravity-generating components sector. And they clash with dark energy.

Expansion speed can be infinite

The most interesting type of dark energy is the cosmological constant and represents a very unique barrier. The most common working hypothesis to describe any of the liquids mentioned above is that pressure and energy density are proportional to each other.

But watch out! While energy density is always positive, dark energy has negative pressure. In fact, it should be negative enough. The number governing the ratio of pressure to energy density plays a crucial role in solving Einstein’s equations. This parameter tells us whether the universe is expanding rapidly in the first place. In other words, it determines whether the pressure is negative enough to produce the necessary thrust.

But even more negative pressure can lead to dramatic behavior: the rate of expansion can suddenly become infinite. In fact, the same would happen to the size (and scale factor) of the universe itself. And this destroys all known structures, leading to disastrous consequences. In fact, everything would be nonsense under these conditions. And also the change of change would suddenly become infinite.

There is proof of the end of the universe

The possibility of this happening is well known from a theoretical perspective. Surprisingly, the empirical data seem to support this. In other words, there is evidence that the universe may have an end. big tear.

It is appropriate to make a small nuance in order to avoid the protests of some colleagues. Depending on the sources consulted, this scenario is not necessarily the scenario most strongly supported by statistics. But, interestingly, the consensus is that the current uncertainty range includes the following. big tear among the most likely final destinations.

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Ghost dark energy is to blame

The type of dark energy that causes it end of the party violence is called dark energy ghost. To give a little more detail, it is necessary to resort to a system of units chosen for this purpose. Using it, we see that big tear occurs when the pressure in absolute value exceeds the energy density. If they are the same, we are dealing with a limit situation that is exactly the famous cosmological constant. This well-known type of fluid was introduced by Einstein. Paradoxically, his goal was to achieve a static universe without expansion. When Hubble proved the expansion of the universe, genius called it the biggest mistake of his life.

130 billion years left big tear

But back to the important thing. If the universe is to break into a thousand pieces, what things should we stop worrying about? Will those who consider continuing to pay mortgages for another 20 years breathe a sigh of relief? I’m afraid I’m not the bearer of good news. It may take about 130 billion years for the Great Tear to occur. This is equivalent to 10 times the current age of the universe.

This estimate is based on selecting a pair of values ​​within statistically valid windows. In the first place, we will put that dark energy represents 70% of the content of the universe. Second, we would make the relationship between pressure and energy density only 10% greater than the cosmological constant. And with that, voila! we guess big tear which will take a long time to arrive.

To fine-tune this entire panorama, we need to observe the universe at a larger scale in greater quantity and quality. Data provided by the James Webb (continued) or Nancy Grace Roman (planned) telescopes will undoubtedly add to this, along with data from other international efforts. And perhaps the most interesting thing is not to solve the mystery of the ultimate fate of the universe. Nor is there an opportunity to solve others that we have not mentioned. The really exciting thing will be the possibility of unknown mysteries being revealed. Because, as the physicist and Nobel laureate Kip Thorne said, “the right answer is rarely as important as the right question.”

Ruth Lazkoz, Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.