What is the evidence for the Big Bang - Essay Example

?What is the Evidence for the Big Bang? The primary focus of this essay is to capture the essence of the Big Bang theory and present to the reader evidence that proves that the Big Bang notwithstanding its flaws is still the most valid and widely accepted theory that explains the evolution of our Universe. There is both, observational and mathematical evidence that corroborate the validity of the assumptions of the Big Bang Theory. Table of Contents 1.Introduction 3 2.The Expanding Universe 3 2.1. Misconceptions About the Big bang Theory 4 3.Corroborating the Big Bang Theory 5 3.1. Landmark in Cosmology-Edwin Hubble 5 3.2. Microwave Radiations 6 3.3. Galactic Evolution 6 3.4. The Make-up of the Universe 7 3.5. The Hadron Collider 7 4.Bridging the Gap Between Modern Science and Theology-the Big Bang Theory 8 5.Is there an Alternative Cosmological Model? 8 6.Where Are We Headed?-A Procession to the Big Crunch 9 7.Conclusion 9 Bibliography 10 1. Introduction To a curious mind gazing up from down below, the truth about the origin and evolution of the cosmos might still look like the hazy fleeting stars that sit millions of light years away. It was not just the tension-gripped scientists at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) who tried to uncover the mysteries and validate the theories of the origin of the universe with the large hadron collider experiment. From the breakthrough Hubble made to the particle accelerator at CERN, the question of the origin and evolution of the Universe continues to remain pivotal in cosmology and the mind of every human being. One theory pertaining to the evolution and origin of the Universe that has emerged as a demigod in cosmology is the Big Bang Theory. Largely accepted, evidenced and validated the Big Bang theory has, for over a century now, been the centre point of almost all experiments and studies pertaining to this topic. The purpose of this paper is to establish the validity of the Big Bang through scientific evidence. This paper will attempt to capture the essence of the theory, and compress the supporting (and negating) evidence for it thereby enabling the reader to develop a basic understanding of the subject. 2. The Expanding Universe According to the Big Bang theory, some 13.7 billion years ago, the Universe erupted from a single point of energy, wherein all matter that exists today was condensed in that tiny speck which exploded with an inconceivable force. This force sent outward splattering chunks of the Universe which created billions of galaxies and galactic bodies that exist in our Universe. The essence of the theory, however, is that the Universe has reached its current state by expanding rapidly from an extreme condition of density and temperature and to this day continues to expand and cool. Bound by human imagination and understanding it is difficult to comprehend what the Big Bang must have been like. It could have been nothing like hydrogen explosions today as there was no space or time prior to the Big Bang, in fact, space was created as the singularity expanded and formed the Universe. Rapid cooling caused atoms to form which later clouded together to form galaxies. The theory rests on the cosmological principle that the Universe is homogenous and isotropic. Vesto Slipher, Lemaitre and Hubble were the founding members of the Big Bang Theory. 2.1. Misconceptions About the Big bang Theory It is commonly believed that there was an explosion that erupted and consequently created the Universe. However, evidence that has been collected and validated over the past century does not exactly prove or disprove this. The Universe can be imagined as a balloon continuously stretching to create space. Another common misconception pointed out by German cosmologist Rudolf Kippenhahn, regarding the theory is the negation of the concept of singularity. It is believed by some that there was a cosmic egg existing in space, however, there was no space or time before the Big Bang and both were in fact created after the Big Bang. Esteemed cosmologist J.P.E Peebles asserts in the 2001 edition of Scientific American that Hubble’s Law which is emphasized as the basis for proving the Big Bang, does not in any way prove an explosion but only the fact that the development of the Universe came about as a result of rapid expansion and cooling. It can therefore be generalized that the theory’s primary focus is not to explain the creation of the Universe but its evolution to its current condition. 3. Corroborating the Big Bang Theory It is impossible to consolidate in this section all evidence supporting the Big Bang, however, the most important proofs that are accepted by the most reliable circles of astrophysicists and researchers will be contained in the following section. 3.1. Landmark in Cosmology-Edwin Hubble In 1929 came the breakthrough discovery by Hubble that changed the way people perceived the Universe. Hubble discovered that galaxies move away from our galaxy, the Milky Way, at speeds directly proportional to their distance from the Milky Way. This law is known as Hubble’s law and led to the development of a constant called the Hubble’s constant. In an expanding Universe the distance between any given two points would increase with the passage of time. Since it has been established that the Universe is expanding everything contained within is too. Light has the property of expanding its wavelengths as it stretched through space. If the optical part of the wavelength is studied it will reveal that in the electromagnetic spectrum red light has a longer wavelength than blue light, a phenomenon that came to be known as redshifitng. Therefore, greater the light travels through stretching space, greater will be the redshifting it experiences. As the speed of light is fixed, according to the Big Bang Theory the redshift observed from a distant object has to be directly proportional to the distance from that object. Not only does this observational evidence support the theory that the Universe is expanding but also seems to replicate what probably happened at the time of the Big Bang-matter being flung outward to create space. 3.2. Microwave Radiations It has been sufficiently established so far that the expansion of the Universe had begun from a point of extreme density and high temperature. The human mind would therefore beg to ask the question of what happened to those abnormally high levels of heat and density. Research on microwave radiations and infrared radiations has been trying to solve this mystery. Soon after Hubble’s breakthrough discovery the loopholes in previous cosmological models became apparent and that is when the next important discovery, the presence microwave radiations in the observable Universe was made. In 1965 Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered remnants of the heat produced from the Big Bang in the form of background microwave radiations. These radiations appear as faint clouds of gas that are believed to be hotter than the younger clouds of gas formed subsequent to the cooling and expansion. The fact that these clouds of gas are hotter, indicate towards the evidence that they are remnants of the heat produced directly as a result of the Big Bang. The research into Microwave radiations did not end here; in 1989 NASA launched its space mission COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite) which had three components; DIRBE (Diffused Infrared Background Experiment), DMR (Differential Microwave Rdaiometer) and FIRAS (Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer). Findings from all three instruments confirmed the assumptions posited by the Big Bang. 3.3. Galactic Evolution A major assumption of the Big Bang Theory is that it violently flung all matter and energy outward which caused conglomeration of stellar bodies in a haphazard fashion. The galaxies that are observed today should also therefore be largely irregular. The Hubble Space Telescope in its 1996 mission discovered in the regions of Hubble Deep Field, Hubble Ultra Deep Field and Hubble Deep Field South that there existed small irregular galaxies outside our galaxy. Quasars are another important indication of the Big Bang. Quasars are blackholes present at the centre of galaxies that release energy as a result of heating up. These blackholes absorb dust and gas and under the right conditions transform them into heat and emit them as energy. For these Quasars to have formed, there have had to be a time in the post Big Bang eon, where high temperature and outward splattering of matter and energy created the ideal conditions for these Quasars to develop. 3.4. The Make-up of the Universe Elements that make up our Universe also seem to be a result of the Big Bang. The two lightest elements, Hydrogen and Helium, are the ones that happen to be most abundant in our Universe. The proportions in which these elements are present invariably indicate that a Big Bang must have occurred to create conditions which caused this chemical make-up of the Universe. Again, the intense heat and the subsequent rapid cooling, conditions that were the key characteristics of the Big Bang (that have also been artificially recreated in astrophysics laboratories), provide a theoretical framework for the proportions of Hydrogen and Helium present in the Universe today. 3.5. The Hadron Collider The Large Hadron Collider experiment conducted by CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) captured the attention of all and sundry. CERN is the largest nuclear facility in the world and boasts research facilities parallel to none. The Large Hadron Collider has by far been the most successful experiment in terms of replicating conditions as close to those as were present at the time of the Big Bang. The Hadron Collider is a particle accelerator, an instrument that mimics the epoch right before the Big Bang and collides particles at infinitesimal speeds, creating collisions that create matter from antimatter thereby supporting the belief that the Big Bang could’ve created space and time from a cosmic egg existing in no space or time. 4. Bridging the Gap Between Modern Science and Theology-the Big Bang Theory However strong or weak the evidence with regards to the Big Bang might be there will always be a group of people whose beliefs are founded not entirely on the basis of scientific and observational evidence but religion. Religion is deemed as a supreme and most reliable source of guidance about and information on humans and the Universe. Ideas like “God created the Universe and everything within it” become the basis for the believers for arguments on creationism and evolution. In Islam, the Holy Verses are perfectly in harmony with the findings of the Big Bang Theory and actually corroborate it. The preachers of Biblical scriptures, happen to be some of the most bitter critics of the Big Bang Theory. According to them the Big Bang is just creating divide between religion and its preachers. 5. Is there an Alternative Cosmological Model? The Big Bang Theory is not the only cosmological model that has been used to explain the process of evolution and creation. Several other models, including the steady-state model among others have tried explaining the process of cosmological evolution however, due to several missing links the theories never gained much popularity or confidence as opposed to the Big Bang Theory. 6. Where Are We Headed?-A Procession to the Big Crunch Having established that the Big Bang Theory is correct as it stands, the next most likely question that should arise in the mind of the reader will be regarding the consequences of the Big Bang. Cosmologists believe that if the Universe keeps expanding and cooling there will arrive a point when there will occur a heat death; a phenomenon that will be characterized by the Universe becoming an enormous cooled mass of nothingness. The mathematical proof for this phenomenon is derived in Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. 7. Conclusion As the Universe keeps expanding, so does the human understanding of the evolution and creation of this Universe. Results yielded by dedicated research of astrophysicists, cosmopologists and agencies such as NASA and CERN have gone on define parameters that constrict the brilliance of cosmological evolution in the postulates of the Big Bang Theory. Notwithstanding the grey areas in this theory, it will not be an overstatement to say that this theory alone has provided the most important and reliable basis and understanding of cosmological evolution. Tested, proved and validated over the past century by the most gifted minds in the field of Science, the Big Bang Theory was and remains to be an unswerving milestone in the history of the Universe. Bibliography CERN. The Large Hadron Collider. 2008. 20 Febryary 2012 . Daily, Science. Big Bang. 2010. 20 February 2012 . Gish, Duane. The Big Bang Theory Collapses. 1991. 20 February 2012 . NASA. Lambda Data Products. 2010. 20 February 2012 . Science, All About. Big Bang Theory-An Overview. 2012. 20 February 2012 . Scranton, Bjorn Feuerbacher and Ryan. Evidence for the Big Bang. 26 January 2006. 20 February 2012 . Read More