How does Heat Death work in a universe with negative curvature?

Edward Solomo

I'm assuming that the observer witnesses all other particles enter a horizon, be it an event horizon or the particle horizon. Thus the observer's observable universe would contain himself only. Is this understanding correct and can it happen in finite time? Also does such a universe have time (maximum entropy is achieved).

marcus

Forces hold stuff together, Edward. Depending on relative magnitudes, a galaxy like our Milky Way might remain intact.

Edward Solomo

I was reading that protons MIGHT decay in the very distant future (half life decay time is given by the lower bound 1.01×10³⁴). The decay process converts a proton into a positron and a pion (neutral). So after 10³⁴ years, half of the protons will be gone!

EDIT: Assuming that proton decay is real.

However if Proton decay is not real, can heat death be achieved in our Milky Galaxy, even as time elapsed goes to infinity? Or after a finite amount of time the Milky Way would be very cold but due to the Third Law of Thermodynamics, never reaches absolute zero (and thus there is always observable motion). Thus the Second Law predicts heath death, but the third law makes it asymptotic.

Chronos

What idea do you have in mind with respect to cosmological curvature? This looks like slapping the 'truth' out of a tuna to me.

Edward Solomo

Interestingly I was describing an effect known as the Big Rip, or at least the end result of such an event, where all particles other than the observer have entered an event horizon because of a rapidly expanding universe. This seems to be Heat Death in finite time within finite volume.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rip