Inflationary cosmology on trial

Watch video of the Seyfert Lecture featuring Dr. Paul J. Steinhardt, the Albert Einstein Professor in Science and director of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science at Princeton University.

Steinhardt, who is also on the faculty of both the Department of Physics and the Department of Astrophysical Sciences, spoke at Vanderbilt March 17, 2011. He is the author of over 200 refereed articles, six patents, and three technical books. In 2007, co-authored Endless Universe: The Big Bang and Beyond, a popular book on contemporary theories of cosmology.

This talk introduces an alternative to the standard big bang model that challenges conventional ideas about space, time and the evolution of the universe.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• vanderbilt university
• big bang
• astronomy
• universe
• space

[ThermalHD]

Science is fun!

[sbergman27]

@wavyinfinity He & Turok provide testable predictions, at least 1 of which is currently being conducted. What more can be reasonably asked of a proposed model? All the way back to Newton, an accepted scientific theory has been a mathematical model which makes testable predictions which have survived experimental testing. This is a testable potential replacement for the initial Singularity and Inflation. And maybe has something to say about Dark Matter. Time and experiment will eventually tell.

[DiogenesofCalgary]

The universe is stable, no big bang. Dark matter around each galaxy has refracted the light coming in and out of the galaxy. This refraction has been incorrectly identified as red shift. Dark matter has mass and as such has an index of refraction. (1.0000246). The further away the less of the shorter wavelengths get through to the observer. No red shift, no expansion, no big bang, no dark energy. Take a look at my channel. I can't make a full argument here.

[person3enpassant]

@wavyinfinity I guess that I'm saying that it's as real as anything, really ;-) But it is falsifiable, has been for many years, & no-one has conclusively disproved special & general relativity at the same time as knowing that it's not the complete picture. The latteer theory itself prdeicts black holes & its own inadequacy at explaining what goes on "inside" them, for instance.

[aqouby]

I have an inflation excitation!

[wavyinfinity]

He just made a concept into a physical object. He mentioned space as something that can bend. This is reification. Why have these, "geniuses", not figured out that they are confusing mathematical models with reality? They are basically placing abstract ideas into physical objects. The concept love is not a heart. The concept justice is not a jail. Pinocchio was a wooden doll, not a boy who can do things.