Did Matter Really Exceed the Speed of Light During the Big Bang?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the implications of general relativity (GR) concerning the rapid expansion of the universe during the Big Bang. It is established that while nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, the expansion of space itself can exceed this limit, allowing matter to be carried along without violating GR. Participants clarify that the apparent superluminal motion is due to the expansion of space rather than the acceleration of matter itself.

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It's generally accepted that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light (expect hypothetical particles that have yet to be discovered). This is in accordance with general relativity.

However general relativity seems to break down momentarily after the big bang because matter must have been accelerated at speeds greater than the speed of light during the rapid expansion phase.

So surely general relativity is wrong because this matter must have exceeded the speed of light?

Can anyone clarify this please?

Thanks.
 
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studentxlol said:
However general relativity seems to break down momentarily after the big bang because matter must have been accelerated at speeds greater than the speed of light during the rapid expansion phase.

To illustrate this effect imagine you are measuring the distance between two objects with a measuring rod for several times and get an increasing distance. In classical mechanics this means that the objects are moving. But in GR there is another possibility: Your rod is shrinking. That's what happens with our universe. The metric of space is changing with time and there is no limit for this kind of expansion.
 
studentxlol said:
It's generally accepted that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light (expect hypothetical particles that have yet to be discovered). This is in accordance with general relativity.

However general relativity seems to break down momentarily after the big bang because matter must have been accelerated at speeds greater than the speed of light during the rapid expansion phase.

So surely general relativity is wrong because this matter must have exceeded the speed of light?

Can anyone clarify this please?

Thanks.

Matter wasn't accelerating. Space itself was expanding and carrying matter with it.
 

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