Present Age of the Universe - University of Arizona（当代的宇宙亚利桑那大学）.pdf

Present Age of the Universe: Determination from Matter and Radiation Dominated Models Written and Researched By: Jon Zizka Motoharu Kawazu Introduction In the beginning of time, the universe was smaller, hotter, and denser than it is now. The expansion is successfully explained through the big bang theory. However, the fate of the universe is uncertain. With matter and radiation, the universe’s expansion is subject to a deceleration, but is the deceleration enough to stop expansion or is the universe going to expand forever? How large a deceleration is based on the density of radiation, luminous matter, and dark matter as they compare to the critical density? If the total density of the universe exceeds the critical value, the universe is closed and at some time in the future, it will collapse into the big crunch. If the total density is less than the critical value, the universe is open and it will expand forever with a low deceleration. A flat universe will have a density equal to the critical value resulting in an expansion with critical deceleration. Today it is unclear how much an impact deceleration has on the universe because the precise value is uncertain. All three conditions are under investigation through ongoing research. Therefore, it is still unknown which theory if any will prevail as the consensus of the universes’ fate. Early theories of the universe started with scientists like Newton and Olbers. Newton initially figured that since the universe is made of a finite number of stars, the obj ects in the universe, under gravitational forces, should eventually come together to form a single blob of matter. This has not occurred, so Newton concluded that the universe must be static and possess infinite stars. If there are galaxies in every direction, then our sky should be compl