Inflation in the universe, Circa 1986

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Expansion, Relativity, Universe, Big Bang Cosmology, Galactic Evolution, Particle Theory, Scalars

Scientific paper

The hot big bang (standard) cosmology provides a reliable and tested accounting of the Universe from 0.01 sec after the bang until today, some 15 Gyr later. However, very special initial data seem to be required to account for the smoothness and flatness of our Hubble volume and for the existence of the small primeval density inhomogeneities required for the formation of structure in the Universe. Inflation offers a means to account for these special initial data which is based on physics at sub-planck energy scales (somewhat less than m/sub pl/ approx. = 10 to the 19th power GeV) and is motivated by contemporary ideas in particle theory. At present essentially all inflationary models involve a very weakly-coupled (quantified by the presence of a dimensionless parameter of order 10 to the -12 or so) scalar field which is displaced from the minimum of its potential. Regions of the Universe where the scalar field is initially displaced from its minimum undergo inflation as the scalar field relaxes, resulting in a Universe today which resembles ours in regions much larger than our present Hubble volume (approx 10 to the 28 cm), but which on very large scales (somewhat more than 10 to the 28 cm) may be highly irregular. At present, the most conspicuous blemish on the paradigm is the lack of a compelling particle physics model to implement it. Some other unresolved issues facing inflation, including the confrontation between inflation and observational data are also reviewed.

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