The concept of cosmic inflation proposes that the universe experienced a rapid expansion in its early stages. This idea is widely accepted because it explains the flatness of space-time and the even distribution of matter on a large scale. However, there are multiple versions of inflation that do not align with our observations, leading to concerns about the need for fine-tuning in the theory.
Neil Turok, a renowned physicist formerly of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and currently at the University of Edinburgh, has put forward an alternative to inflation. Collaborating with Latham Boyle, Turok suggests a hypothesis that can explain the evolution of the early universe without the requirement for fine-tuning. Their proposition is a fascinating one: a parallel universe that extends in reverse from the big bang.
The idea of an unobservable anti-cosmos initially faced skepticism, with the observations of peculiar particles by the ANITA telescope turning out to be inconclusive. However, Turok and Boyle have further developed their theory. Through a series of papers, they argue that the parallel universe can account for the same phenomena explained by inflation, as well as other enigmas like dark matter and dark energy. They have even made testable predictions in an effort to persuade skeptics.
Thomas Lewton: Can you first explain how the idea of inflation became widely accepted?
Neil Turok: Inflation was originally based on…
