- #1
jerromyjon
- 1,244
- 189
Does the expansion of space cause cosmological red-shift or does EM red-shift cause space to expand?
jerromyjon said:If expansion causes the wavelength of EMR to shift what would have happened in the early universe when inflation expanded space at such a phenomenal rate?
jerromyjon said:Were there even photons at this point or just gravitational waves and density waves?
To my understanding the universe expands exponentially in case the cosmological constant is its only ingredient. So, having in mind that the 'condensation' of matter happened at the end of the inflationary era, the amount of the positive cosmological constant should be arbitrary then. Or do I miss something? I think only today - knowing more about the dynamics and the matter content etc. - we identify a certain amount of said constant.PeterDonis said:The universe was filled with what's called an "inflaton field" (at least in the simplest model of inflation), which is something like a very large and positive cosmological constant
timmdeeg said:the universe expands exponentially in case the cosmological constant is its only ingredient
timmdeeg said:having in mind that the 'condensation' of matter happened at the end of the inflationary era, the amount of the positive cosmological constant should be arbitrary then.
PeterDonis said:The only things like "waves" that were present were quantum fluctuations in that inflaton field.
Torbjorn_L said:The expansion would supercool the universe, and else dilute any inflaton particles however created
The red shift phenomenon is the observed shift in the wavelengths of light from an object in space towards the red end of the spectrum. This occurs when an object is moving away from the observer.
Red shift is caused by the Doppler effect, which is the change in frequency and wavelength of a wave due to the relative motion between the source of the wave and the observer. In the case of red shift, the object is moving away from the observer, causing the wavelengths of light to appear longer and shift towards the red end of the spectrum.
Yes, the observed red shift of light from distant galaxies is a result of the expansion of the universe. As the universe expands, the space between galaxies also expands, causing the galaxies to move away from each other and creating the red shift effect.
Red shift is used in astronomy to measure the distance and speed of objects in space. By analyzing the amount of red shift in the light from a distant object, astronomers can determine how fast the object is moving away and how far away it is from Earth.
Yes, red shift is one of the pieces of evidence that supports the Big Bang theory. The observation of red shift in light from distant galaxies suggests that the universe is expanding, which is a key component of the Big Bang theory. Additionally, the amount of red shift in the light can also be used to calculate the age of the universe.