Equation - cosmic event horizon

In summary, the equation used to calculate the distance of the cosmic event horizon at different times following the big bang is based on the gravitational constant, the radius of the universe, and the mass of the universe. The equation suggests that the distance of the cosmic event horizon has changed over time, and that it may be most accurate to use the event horizon rather than the particle horizon.
  • #1
Jay B
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TL;DR Summary
I'm trying to calculate the distance of the cosmic event horizon at different times following the big bang.
Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping someone can share an equation that would give the distance of the cosmic event horizon for a given time after the big bang. Thanks for any help!

Jay
 
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  • #2
Jay B said:
Summary: I'm trying to calculate the distance of the cosmic event horizon at different times following the big bang.

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping someone can share an equation that would give the distance of the cosmic event horizon for a given time after the big bang. Thanks for any help!
Before the cosmology guys get here, can you explain what you mean by the phrase 'cosmic event horizon?'
 
  • #3
Jay B said:
Summary: I'm trying to calculate the distance of the cosmic event horizon at different times following the big bang.

I'm hoping someone can share an equation that would give the distance of the cosmic event horizon for a given time after the big bang.
https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/big-bang-happen/
 
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Likes vanhees71
  • #5
pinball1970 said:
Before the cosmology guys get here, can you explain what you mean by the phrase 'cosmic event horizon?'
The distance past which light emitted today would never be able reach us because the expansion of space between Earth and that sphere is expanding faster than the speed of light (or will be).
 
  • #6
Ibix said:
Equation 28 in Davis and Lineweaver
https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0310808
Thanks for the link! I'm having a little bit of a hard time working through the equations, but I'll keep at it.
 
  • #7
I've seen this diagram on a few sites.
1659813101413.png

I went down this rabbit hole while watching a video about Mach's principal. It showed the following equation for the gravitational constant: G ≈ c^2 * radius of the universe / mass of the universe. I've always been interested in G, so I fiddled with it a bit. I used the current estimate of the cosmic event horizon to calculate a mass for the universe of about 2.01 * 10^53 kg, which is pretty close to the estimates I've seen. I figured that event horizon was the correct number to use since that would also be the distance beyond which there could be no gravitational interactions. I did go back and forth about if the event or particle horizon would be most appropriate, and I may well have chosen incorrectly.

Since the event horizon (Radius) has changed over time, this would necessitate that at least one other term is variable if the equation is to hold true meaning either G, c, or the mass of the universe has changed over time (or that I'm completely misunderstanding what I'm looking at). I'd be interested to hear how anyone else would interpret this.
 
  • #8
It should be the observable universe, so particle horizon and the mass within. You want all the things causally connected at present. Event horizons are about the extreme future.

The nuts and bolts of the Mach's principle are over my head, so I don't know what it does or doesn't imply about any constants.

Btw, it's not generally true that the event horizon is associated with recession velocities exceeding c. See Fig.1 in that paper from post #4. The latter is designated 'Hubble sphere' on those graphs. It coincides with the former only when the acceleration is exponential.
 

1. What is the cosmic event horizon?

The cosmic event horizon refers to the boundary in space beyond which light or any other form of electromagnetic radiation cannot reach an observer. It is the maximum distance from which light can travel to us since the expansion of the universe causes the light to redshift and ultimately disappear from our view.

2. How is the cosmic event horizon calculated?

The cosmic event horizon is calculated using the formula d = c/H, where d is the distance to the event horizon, c is the speed of light, and H is the Hubble constant. This formula takes into account the expansion rate of the universe and the speed of light to determine the maximum distance that light can travel to reach us.

3. What is the significance of the cosmic event horizon?

The cosmic event horizon is significant because it marks the boundary between what we can observe in the universe and what we cannot. Beyond this horizon, the expansion of the universe is so rapid that light cannot travel fast enough to reach us, making it impossible for us to see what lies beyond.

4. Can anything escape the cosmic event horizon?

No, nothing can escape the cosmic event horizon. This is because the expansion of the universe is accelerating, causing objects beyond the horizon to move away from us faster than the speed of light. Therefore, even if an object emits light, it will never reach us due to the increasing distance between us.

5. Is the cosmic event horizon the same as the observable universe?

No, the cosmic event horizon and the observable universe are not the same. The observable universe refers to the portion of the universe that we can see and observe, while the cosmic event horizon marks the limit of what we can observe. The observable universe is constantly expanding as light from more distant objects reaches us, while the cosmic event horizon remains fixed based on the current expansion rate of the universe.

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