Could Inflation Create a Universe from a Pre-Existing De-Sitter Vacuum State?

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In summary, Sean Carroll's book "From Eternity to Here" explores the connection between the arrow of time and the low-entropy event of the big bang. However, there is a question about whether inflation can fully explain the low-entropy beginning, as entropy was even lower before. Carroll proposes a scenario involving the creation of baby universes and inflation, but there is also the possibility that inflation simply created the current state on top of a pre-existing de-sitter vacuum state. This raises the question of whether this scenario can be distinguished from one where the universe is created "from scratch" with inflation.
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I really enjoyed Sean Carroll's book "From Eternity to here" and his explanation about the connection of the arrow of time and the low-entropy event which is called big bang.

There is something I did not understand though. He stated that inflation is not an explanation for the low-entropy beginning as entropy was even lower before. On the other hand, he proposed a scenario where baby universes are created and then blown-up by inflation (and also our universe).

I ask myself though why it should not be possible that inflation created the current state "on top" of a universe that was already in a de-sitter vacuum state. Entropy would still increase while new matter is created by the inflation process. Also, as inflation expands so fast a tiny region fluctuating into the the high-energy inflational state anywhere could be sufficient to shape a universe like ours.

As there was basically "nothing" there before (just de-sitter vacuum), could such a scenario be even distinguished from one where the universe is created "from scratch" with inflation (e.g., from the baby universes)?

thanks for your answer!
Oliver Mattausch
 
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dude01 said:
I ask myself though why it should not be possible that inflation created the current state "on top" of a universe that was already in a de-sitter vacuum state. Entropy would still increase while new matter is created by the inflation process. Also, as inflation expands so fast a tiny region fluctuating into the the high-energy inflational state anywhere could be sufficient to shape a universe like ours.
This is basically the idea that Sean Carroll and Jennifer Chen proposed:
http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0410270
 

What is inflation?

Inflation refers to the rapid expansion of the universe in the early stages of the Big Bang. It is a theory that explains why the universe appears to be flat, homogeneous, and isotropic on a large scale, despite being made up of many different parts.

How does inflation relate to baby universes?

Inflation predicts that small quantum fluctuations in the early universe could have led to the creation of multiple universes, including baby universes. These baby universes would exist in a separate space-time from our own and would have their own set of physical laws and properties.

Can we observe or detect these baby universes?

At this time, there is no way to directly observe or detect baby universes. However, some scientists are exploring the possibility of indirect evidence through studying the cosmic microwave background radiation or gravitational effects on our universe.

What implications does the concept of baby universes have for the multiverse theory?

The existence of baby universes would support the idea of a multiverse, where there are multiple parallel universes that exist alongside our own. It would also provide a potential explanation for the fine-tuning of physical constants in our universe.

What are some potential criticisms of the inflation and baby universe theory?

One criticism is that there is currently no concrete evidence for the existence of baby universes, making it difficult to test the theory. Another criticism is that it relies on the concept of eternal inflation, which is still a debated topic in the scientific community.

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