rwmp said:Do the current models of inflation contain an implicit understanding that gravity is some how turned off during the inflationary expansion?
phyzguy said:Actually, far from having been turned off, current theories of inflation say that gravity was actually a repulsive force during inflation, and is what drove inflation. Here is an excellent website by Alan Guth, one of the inventors of inflation theory, that explains at a high level what the theory says.
http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Guth/Guth_contents.html
Inflation is a theory in cosmology that explains the rapid expansion of the universe in the early stages of its development. It suggests that the universe underwent a period of exponential expansion, lasting for a fraction of a second, shortly after the Big Bang.
No, gravity was not turned off during inflation. Inflation is a theory that describes how the universe expanded, but it does not alter the fundamental laws of physics, including gravity. However, the effects of gravity may have been temporarily weakened during inflation due to the rapid expansion of the universe.
Inflation helps to explain the smoothness of the universe by suggesting that the rapid expansion stretched out any irregularities or variations in density, making the universe appear more uniform on a large scale. This is known as the "flatness problem" in cosmology.
One of the key pieces of evidence for inflation is the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), which is a relic of the Big Bang. The CMB shows a uniformity in temperature across the entire observable universe, which is consistent with the predictions of inflation. Additionally, observations of the large-scale structure of the universe also support the theory of inflation.
Yes, there are alternative theories to inflation, such as the "Big Bounce" theory, which suggests that the universe undergoes cycles of expansion and contraction. There is also the "ekpyrotic universe" theory, which proposes that our universe was born from a collision between two higher-dimensional universes. However, currently, the theory of inflation remains the most widely accepted explanation for the early expansion of the universe.