Exploring the Space Left Behind After the Big Bang

In summary, the Big Bang is not thought of as an explosion of stuff from some point outwards into empty space. It is more correctly called the expansion of space. There is no space outside of space for the expansion to take place into. Everything that is, is there on the surface of the expanding space. The mainstream model of the Big Bang is based on the theory of General Relativity, which has been well-tested and is a very accurate model. It is good to understand the mainstream model even if you hope it will be improved on eventually.
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reportman
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I hope this makes sense. When the bang event occurred and pushed everything outwards, shouldn't a space/field start developing between the bang event and the matter/gases being pushed outward? What would you call this field? Could there still be something left behind in this field?
 
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  • #2
reportman said:
Can we measure the distance between the first particle to enter the Bang event field and the last particle to enter? What would this distance indicate?

We need to get on the same page. Newcomers are often advised to read an article by a top cosmologist (Charley Lineweaver) who is also very good at explaining stuff to general audience.
It's called Misconceptions about the Big Bang and was published in the Scientific American. Have a look
http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~charley/papers/LineweaverDavisSciAm.pdf

The first page is blank so scroll down.

It's important to realize that the "Big Bang" is not thought of by professional cosmologists as an explosion of stuff from some point outwards into empty space. Wrong picture.
An opponent dubbed it Big Bang as an insulting derogatory epithet. He was a disappointed rival theorist so he gave it a catchy but misleading name which got into the public's mind and has cause a lot of misunderstanding.
 
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Thanks Marcus. I am VERY new to all of this. But at least I'm trying!
 
  • #4
reportman said:
Could there still be something left behind in this field?
there is no place in space that you could point to and say "the expansion started there". You seem to have the wrong picture, like a lot of people whose minds have been taken over by the words "big bang". For starters please read the Lineweaver Davis SciAm article I gave the link to. It helps a lot of people get on the right track and the whole idea gets a lot easier for them.
 
  • #5
reportman said:
Thanks Marcus. I am VERY new to all of this. But at least I'm trying!

Sure and my guess is that you will not have any substantial trouble. there are a lot of people at this site here that can help, answer questions, offer different approaches to understanding.

My personal favorite approach, which might not work for you, is to temporarily step down into a lower dimensional world where everything is 2D. Get to understand what expansion cosmology would mean in that toy version, and then try to extend that understanding back up to the 3D case. Don't rush yourself, get familiar with the 2D "diagram" of it first.

Google "wright balloon model" and watch the animated diagram as it expands
and imagine that all existence is concentrated on the 2D surface of a balloon
there is no inside or outside to the balloon. Everything that is, is there on the surface including small flat 2D creatures like thin amoebas sliding around on flat 2D planets circling 2D stars in paperthin 2D galaxies.

You can see the galaxies in the "wright balloon model" movie, and you can see little lightwaves wiggling along thru 2D space, across the balloon surface traveling between the galaxies. The galaxies stay in the same place relative to each other, they do not move latitude-longitude-wise, the distances between them just get bigger. In this 2D animation diagram only the lightwave wigglers move and they always travel the same speed across the surface

the link to it is also in my signature at the end of this post where it says "...wright/Balloon2.html" so you don't need to google it.

What was happening at the very very beginning of expansion is a somewhat more complex question. There is some indication that there might have been a contracting balloon (to put it in terms of the diagram) that got down to a critical size where contraction forces briefly reversed and caused it to rebound and start expanding. But there are various competing ideas. No need to rush, get to understand the expansion process more thoroughly first. Not an explosion. No surrounding space. Space itself expanding, you might say, and no space outside of space for it to expand into.
That is the conventional standard cosmic model. It might be wrong (any scientific theory might) but it is the simplest best-fit most reliably predictive model devised by people so far. Works extremely well and build solidly on General Relativity (our theory of how gravity and geometry operate) which has been well-tested. Good to understand the mainstream model even if you hope it will be improved on eventually.
 
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1. How do we know about the space left behind after the Big Bang?

Scientists use a variety of tools and techniques to study the remnants of the Big Bang, such as telescopes, satellites, and detectors. By observing the cosmic microwave background radiation, the distribution of galaxies, and other phenomena, we can infer information about the early universe.

2. What is the significance of exploring the space left behind after the Big Bang?

Studying the space left behind after the Big Bang can provide insights into the origins and evolution of the universe. It can also help us understand the fundamental laws of physics and potentially answer questions about the existence of dark matter and dark energy.

3. What do scientists hope to discover through exploring the space left behind after the Big Bang?

Scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the processes that occurred during the Big Bang, such as the expansion of the universe, the formation of galaxies and other structures, and the creation of elements. They also hope to find evidence of new physics that can help us further our understanding of the universe.

4. How far back in time can we explore through studying the space left behind after the Big Bang?

The cosmic microwave background radiation, which is the oldest light in the universe, allows us to look back in time to about 380,000 years after the Big Bang. However, scientists are also studying other phenomena, such as gravitational waves and high-energy particles, that can provide information about even earlier times in the universe.

5. Are there any limitations to exploring the space left behind after the Big Bang?

There are some limitations to our ability to study the space left behind after the Big Bang. For example, the cosmic microwave background radiation can only provide information up to a certain point, and there are still many unanswered questions about the early universe. Additionally, we are limited by the technology and tools available to us, but as technology advances, we may be able to explore even further back in time.

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