Cosmic Inflation in Relation to the Big Bang Theory (Simplified)

Cosmic Inflation in Relation to the Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is the most widely used and accepted theories for explaining the origins of our universe. Cosmic or Cosmological Inflation, and the theory thereof, offers an explanation as to how the Big Bang explosion took place. The Cosmic Inflation Theory proposes that in the early stages of the universe, before the gradual expansion after the big bang, there was an extremely rapid and exponential expansion of the universe. The inflation increased the size of the universe by a factor of nearly 1026 in only a minuscule fraction of a second. Early support for the theory of cosmic inflation is shown in the work of scientists Vesto Melvin Slipher, Alexander Friedmann, and Edwin Hubble; all of which theorized that the universe was expanding, Slipher and Hubble through analyzing spectral shifts. In the most basic sense, the fabric of our universe is growing.

Although it is tempting to delve into the detailed explanations of every aspect of the cosmic inflation theory, I’ll refrain and just cover the primary concepts: homogeneity, isotropy, and cosmological principle. Homogeneity, in terms of our universe, means that in all directions from our perspective the universe appears the same; it is the same in all locations. Isotropy is somewhat the reciprocal and means that our universe is the same from any locations looking in all directions. In other words, no matter from which point observations are made, there is no distinctive variation that would indicate direction. The cosmological principle is the two spatial invariance principles but from the perspective of the universe as a whole. It is, in a sense, is the sum of the two principles of homogeneity and isotropy. On a large scale the universe is both homogeneous and isotropic, an observation that can be supported by studies of large-scale structure in the universe and analysis of the microwave background radiation such as that done by WMAP and COBE.

These...