To what degree has big bang theory been substantiated as the true evolution of the universe?

The Big Bang Theory:

The Big Bang theory (unlike the show) is a way of explaining the origin of the universe. The term "Big Bang" refers to this initial event of rapid expansion when all space, time, matter, and energy in the universe were formed. It may be called the “explosion,” though it's somewhat misleading because it wasn't an explosion in space but an expansion of space itself that caused the still-expanding cosmos that we know today. Our story starts over 13.8 billion years ago when everything in the universe was condensed in a small singularity, a point of infinite denseness and heat known as the primordial stage. Suddenly, an explosive expansion began, inflating our universe outwards faster than speed of light. This is cosmic inflation which is: A very brief period of extremely rapid expansion that occurred about 10^-32 of a second, after the Big Bang, The residual radiation, or the Cosmic Microwave background (CMB), is now identified across the universe and provides a snapshot of the cosmos 38,000 years after the Big Bang.

After a few minutes of cosmic inflation, a stage of nucleosynthesis began which is the formation of light particles like hydrogen, helium, and lithium. This is described as reheating a stage where the universe is a flood of radiation and atoms that will evolve into galaxies and stars. The first stars by fusion created bigger atoms and groups of atoms. That led to more stars being born. At the same time, galaxies were colliding and assembling. As new stars were being born and dying, then asteroids, comets, planets, and black holes came into being this gradually made the Milky Way.

Shreds of evidence supporting the Big Bang Theory:

The Hubble Law:

This law indicates that all objects are moving away from us, This is a phenomenon that happens when there is expansion in all directions at the same time. That suggests a past where all this matter was closer to each other.

The properties of the last scattering surface:

In an accident in 1964 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson it was discovered that there is cosmic radiation in space the big bang theory states that approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled enough for electrons and protons react to form neutral hydrogen atoms, allowing photons to be motile. This event marks the last scattering surface, where the CMB photons first originated. The CMB is characterized by its nearly uniform temperature of about 2.7 K, with tiny fluctuations known as anisotropies. These anisotropies reflect the density variations in the early universe, which eventually led to the formation of galaxies and large-scale structures.

The relative abundances of the light elements (He-4, He-3, Li-7 and Deuterium):

These were produced in the cosmos in the time period of Little Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) in the first few minutes after the Big Bang. Their relative abundances suggest that there was an extremely hot and incredibly dense universe in the past rather than the state in which the last scattering surface of the universe occurred when it was hot and dense but not that much.

Shreds of evidence contradicting the Big Bang theory:

Nucleosynthesis prediction questionable:

Big Bang theory unequivocally predicts certain amounts of light elements, including lithium, helium, and deuterium, must be produced in the explosion that is hypothesized to have started the universe. In contrast, A new study by Lerner, presented at the January 2020 meeting of the American Astronomical Society, showed that both lithium and helium observations of abundances in old stars now differ from predictions by more than a dozen standard divergence and the gap has been widening at a very fast rate.

The LPP fusion article states:

“The oldest stars have less than half the helium and less than one-tenth the lithium than that predicted by Big Bang Nucleosynthesis theory.”

Cosmic expansion deniable:

The idea that the universe is expanding is a fundamental core concept in the theory of the Big Bang. However, observational data on thousands of galaxy characteristics

such as their sizes and brightness argue against such expansion which is rather unfortunate. Erice lerner, Chief Scientist of LPPFusion, M.N.R.A.S in the paper “Observations contradict galaxy size and surface brightness predictions that are based on the expanding universe hypothesis” said that none of the available 'expanding universe' 'galaxy growth' predictions seen to date correspond to real observational data.

Unexplainable questions:

The Big Bang theory states how a dense and heated matter known as singularity was formed but does not explain the reason for its initial existence. While the Big Bang explains much, it does not fully account for dark matter and dark energy, which is vital to understanding the universe's current state and future.

Conclusions:

To end, it can be said that the Big Bang theory explains the origin and development of the universe using data like the cosmic microwave background radiation or the current redshift of galaxies as key evidence. Despite the unresolved issues regarding the pre-Big Bang universe and dark matter, the theory stands firm in its place as one of the modern frameworks for cosmology.

Written By:

Minahil Malik

Glossary:

Anisotropies: Variations in temperature or density in the universe.

Big Bang: Universe's origin from a hot, dense state.

Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): Remnant radiation from the early universe's expansion.

Cosmos: The universe, encompassing all matter and energy.

Fusion: Combining light atomic nuclei, releasing energy.

Galaxy: Massive system of stars, gas, and dark matter.

Evolution: Development and changes in the universe over time.

Hypothesis: Testable explanation for a scientific phenomenon.

Last Scattering Surface: Boundary where early photons last interacted with matter.

Milky Way: Spiral galaxy containing our solar system.

Nucleosynthesis: Formation of elements through nuclear reactions.

Photons: Quantum particles of light and electromagnetic radiation.

Primordial: Relating to the universe's earliest stages or elements.

Radiation: Emission and transmission of energy in various forms.