July 17, 2024 | Jerry Bergman

Smooth Universe Baffles Big Bang Theory

 The smoothness problem is yet
another problem for big bang
cosmologists. No solution is in sight.

by Jerry Bergman, PhD

The nagging problems with Big Bang cosmology include not only the Hubble tension problem that I reviewed earlier.[1] There exists not just a single “discrepancy between how fast the universe appears to be expanding today and how fast it ‘should’ be expanding, based on what we see in the early universe.” Yet another, more subtle discrepancy is the universe is far too smooth.[2] The basic problem is “For the past decade, a suite of studies have all found that cosmic structure isn’t clumpy enough.”[3] The CMB’s [Cosmic Microwave Background] patchiness reveals how lumpy the primordial Universe was. If the Big Bang theory is correct, those little lumps should have grown into big lumps called galaxy clusters. Yet “we only see half as many big galaxy clusters as predicted.”[4] The next step is to determine why this major discrepancy exists. So far

scientists haven’t tracked down any errors in the measurements that can easily explain the lack of lumps — especially since studies use different methods and data sets. Furthermore, fixing the clumsiness parameter tends to exacerbate the Hubble tension [problem], and vice versa. Thus, looking for a cosmological model accommodating both the tensions is [A major problem for] … scientists (including Hildebrandt) [who] wrote an extensive review of outstanding cosmological oddities.[5]

What Happened at the 380,000-Year Event

The Universe’s birth refers to the time when the theorized Big Bang occurred. The assumption that the radiation broke free of matter refers to when matter cooled to a low enough temperature for electrons to combine with nuclei forming neutral atoms. This combination and the absorption of free electrons, caused the Universe to become transparent. Before this time, according to Big Bang theory, the entire universe was a thick opaque cloud of plasma consisting of independent electrons and nuclei.[6] As the universe expanded, it eventually cooled enough to allow the plasma to become atoms. Compression of a gas causes its temperature to rise. Expansion causes its temperature to decrease adiabatically (occurring without loss or gain of heat).

Chown explains that the cosmic background radiation relates to the smoothness problem because variations in its brightness over the sky indicates that clumped matter was produced, scientists believe, 380,000 years after the Universe’s creation by the Big Bang occurred. Theorists run the history of the Universe forward from this 380,000-year event when electrons combined with nuclei forming neutral atoms. They then estimated how gravity and dark energy amplified the primordial clumpiness into today’s clumpiness. When this was done, and the results were compared to reality, they discovered that today’s Universe is about ten percent smoother than the Big Bang theory predicted.

The Big Bang worldview claim is that the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the light produced during this 380,000 event. Thus, when Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered this CMB it was widely touted as conformation of the Big Bang:

The discovery in 1963 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson of the cosmic microwave background of the Big Bang set the seal of approval on the theory, and brought cosmology to the forefront as a scientific discipline. It was proof that the universe was born at a definite moment, some 15 billion years ago.[7]

History of Big Bang Cosmology

In the 1950s, two main theories existed about the origin of the universe. One was called the Steady State Theory proposed by Hermann Bondi, Thomas Gold, and Fred Hoyle. It postulated that the universe was homogeneous in space and time and the universe existed in “a steady state.”  The reason was it was believed that matter and energy was being created at the same rate that matter and energy  were being destroyed. Thus, the Universe always looked the same. A University of Virginia on-line college lecture explained the history that the Big Bang supporters claimed settled the debate. The rival to the Steady State Theory, the Big Bang Theory,

sought to incorporate the expansion of the universe into its framework. Edwin Hubble had shown in 1929 that galaxies are moving away from one another at remarkable speeds, implying that the space between galaxies is constantly expanding. A few physicists led by George Gamow had taken this notion and argued that the separation between galaxies must have been smaller in the past. If one stretched the idea to the limit, it meant that the universe had been infinitely dense at one point sufficiently back in time. … Gamow and his colleagues were able to show that … Everything in the universe had emerged from this incredibly dense and hot state in a cataclysmic event astronomers call “the Big Bang.”[8]

The University of Virginia lecture concluded that

The conflict between the theories was resolved by Penzias and Wilson in 1965. They had been using an ultra-sensitive microwave receiving system to study radio emissions from the Milky Way when they found an unexpected background of radio noise with no obvious explanation. It came from all directions and, after repeated checks, it appeared to emanate from outside the Galaxy. Penzias and Wilson finally realized that the mysterious radio signal was cosmic radiation that had survived from the very early days of the universe. It was proof of the Big Bang.[9]

Harvard University astronomer, and leading observational cosmologist, John Huchra concluded “The discovery of the 2.7 degree background [by Penzias and Wilson] was the clincher for the current cosmological model, the hot Big Bang. It opened a window on the Universe at a very, very early time, enabling astronomers and physicists to see the initial conditions from which the beauty of the present-day cosmos sprang.”  An article, published when Penzias died, observed that “American astrophysicist and Nobel laureate Arno Penzias, who has died aged 90, was responsible for one of the biggest cosmological revelations of the 20th century – the discovery of cosmic microwave background, the leftover radiation from the big bang.”[10] Arno Penzias was given the Nobel Prize in Physics “for confirming the Big Bang Theory….In the scientific world, Arno was a rock star who many believed had made the most important scientific discovery of the 20th century.”[11]

Personal Notes

From my conversations with Arno A. Penzias, which I published in an article quoting him extensively, he made it clear that he did not agree with this interpretation. He acknowledged that his evidence proved the existence of the cosmic microwave radiation but refused to rule out other explanations for the origin of the Universe.[12] Many in the scientific community extrapolate from this discovery to argue that it supports the view that the physical universe created itself.  Penzias disagrees. He has stated that what it proves is that the Biblical, ex-nihilo-creation teaching is correct:

Since scientists prefer to operate in the belief that the universe must be meaningless—i.e., reality consists of nothing more than the sum of the world’s tangible constituents—they cannot confront the idea of creation [by God] easily, or take it lightly … I hope that we, as modern people, might be able to leave dogma aside and be willing to look at facts, at least the facts as we understand them today.[13]

To Arno Penzias, his astrophysics research has caused him to see “evidence of a plan of divine creation”[14]

Problems in documenting the smoothness problem

Chown explains the challenges in resolving the smoothness problem include observing clumping in the local Universe which is not simple. One reason is because a great deal of material is hidden from view such as the supposed theorized dark matter. Furthermore, from our vantage point, the shapes of many distant spherical galaxies are distorted into ellipses. The problem is that distant galaxies appear as mere blobs in the most powerful telescopes. Consequently, correcting for the distortion and alignment problems is difficult.

If the current prediction holds, cosmologists still must determine what has caused the conditions that smoothed out the matter in the Universe to the level research determined existed.[15] The many possibilities that exist include dark energy may have smoothed it out, the anti-gravity effect could slow matter clumping, or dark matter may interact with itself. These factors would, they assume, enable energy to be spread more evenly throughout the dark matter. Another possibility is that the dark matter is a mixture of cold, sluggishly moving particles and hot, relatively fast-moving particles.

Yet another possibility is that the supermassive black hole jets in the heart of some of the Universe’s most active galaxies could have smoothed matter out. Or one or more of these factors may be responsible for the smoothness problem. Or none of them may be responsible. The goal of Big Bang cosmologists is to explain the smoothness problem within a Big Bang cosmology framework. If cosmologists cannot solve the smoothness problem one reason may be that the Big Bang cosmology is wrong. It may have been created in the smooth level for reasons having nothing to do with its assumed evolution, but rather due to design constraints for reasons we do not at this point understand. More research may explain the reason within a non-Big Bang worldview.

Summary

It is now well-documented, judging from the cosmologists referenced above, that it is irresponsible to make naturalistic claims, such as the Big Bang is unequivocally fact proven by science. The main problem is, instead of studying the Universe to understand its construction, physics, and chemistry, cosmologists are now attempting to document the origin of the universe by using purely naturalistic means. This, in the long run may fail as it has likewise failed in understanding life on the Earth.

References

[1] Bergman, J.. “Cosmic tension: Modern cosmology has big holes. Leading cosmologists admit major problems with orthodox cosmology.” https://crev.info/2024/07/hubble-tension/, 2024.

[2] Carlisle, C.M., “The Universe is too smooth by half.” Sky and Telescope, .https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/the-universe-is-too-smooth-by-half, 9 February 2023.

[3] Carlisle, 2023.

[4] Carlisle, 2023.

[5] Carlisle, 2023.

[6] Harvard University Center for Astrophysics, “Early Universe,” https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/research/topic/early-universe, .

[7] University of Virginia, “Penzias and Wilson’s discovery is one of the century’s key advances.” https://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/USEM/Origin/notes/03/cosmology.html, 1998.

[8] University of Virginia, 1998.

[9] University of Virginia, 1998.

[10] Rowan-Robinson, M., “Arno Penzias Obituary,” The Guardian, 1 May 2024.

[11] “Arno Penzias Obituary,” San Francisco Chronicle, 22 January 2024. No author was given.

[12] Bergman, J., “Arno A. Penzias, Astrophysicist, Nobel Laureate,”  Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation 46(3):183-187, September 1994.

[13] Penzias, AA.,  Thinking About the Universe: Address by Dr. Arno A. Penzias on the Occasion of Being Awarded the 1983 Joseph Handleman Prize in Science, 57th Annual Convocation Jewish Academy of Arts & Sciences,. pp. 3-4, 11 May 1983.

[14] Bergman, 1994, p. 183.

[15] Shown. 2024. P. 65,


Dr. Jerry Bergman has taught biology, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, anthropology, geology, and microbiology for over 40 years at several colleges and universities including Bowling Green State University, Medical College of Ohio where he was a research associate in experimental pathology, and The University of Toledo. He is a graduate of the Medical College of Ohio, Wayne State University in Detroit, the University of Toledo, and Bowling Green State University. He has over 1,900 publications in 14 languages and 40 books and monographs. His books and textbooks that include chapters that he authored are in over 1,800 college libraries in 27 countries. So far over 80,000 copies of the 60 books and monographs that he has authored or co-authored are in print. For more articles by Dr Bergman, see his Author Profile.

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Categories: Cosmology, Physics

Comments

  • Ben Keshet says:

    b”h

    Thanks for telling of your personal conversations with Arno Penzias, showing what he did and did not believe about CMB. It’s ironic, but not that surprising, that a discoverer of a phenomenon might be ignored about the significance of the phenomenon, especially if it contradicts modern reductionist materialism’s tenets.

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