Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Where galaxies really come from.
AU - Dimopoulos, Konstantinos
PY - 2009/11/1
Y1 - 2009/11/1
N2 - The fundamental paradox of the incompatibility of the observed large-scale uniformity of the Universe with the fact that the age of the Universe is finite is overcome by the introduction of an initial period of superluminal expansion of space, called cosmic inflation. Inflation can also produce the small deviations from uniformity needed for the formation of structures in the Universe such as galaxies. This is achieved by the conjunction of inflation with the quantum vacuum, through the so-called particle production process. This mechanism is explained and linked with Hawking radiation of black holes. The nature of the particles involved is discussed and the case of using massive vector boson fields instead of scalar fields is presented, with emphasis on its distinct observational signatures. Finally, a particular implementation of these ideas is included, which can link the formation of galaxies, the standard model vector bosons and the observed galactic magnetic fields.
AB - The fundamental paradox of the incompatibility of the observed large-scale uniformity of the Universe with the fact that the age of the Universe is finite is overcome by the introduction of an initial period of superluminal expansion of space, called cosmic inflation. Inflation can also produce the small deviations from uniformity needed for the formation of structures in the Universe such as galaxies. This is achieved by the conjunction of inflation with the quantum vacuum, through the so-called particle production process. This mechanism is explained and linked with Hawking radiation of black holes. The nature of the particles involved is discussed and the case of using massive vector boson fields instead of scalar fields is presented, with emphasis on its distinct observational signatures. Finally, a particular implementation of these ideas is included, which can link the formation of galaxies, the standard model vector bosons and the observed galactic magnetic fields.
KW - cosmology
KW - cosmic inflation
KW - structure formation
KW - particle creation
KW - black hole radiation
KW - quantum fluctuations
U2 - 10.1080/00107510903090223
DO - 10.1080/00107510903090223
M3 - Journal article
VL - 50
SP - 633
EP - 646
JO - Contemporary Physics
JF - Contemporary Physics
SN - 0010-7514
IS - 6
ER -