Testing alternate cosmology using a cloud of atoms
Testing alternate cosmology using a cloud of atoms While direct experimentation with the Universe remains beyond our reach, scientists have devised a method to replicate its early conditions. At the Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik in Germany, researchers have constructed a tabletop quantum field simulation mimicking the post-Big Bang Universe. This simulation involves manipulating a sample of potassium-39 atoms near absolute zero using magnets and lasers. By employing equations, they extrapolate findings at this miniature scale to explore potential characteristics of the early Universe. Preliminary results indicate the feasibility of simulating a Universe with varied curvatures. In a positively curved Universe, traversing any direction in a straight line leads back to the starting point, while a negatively curved Universe exhibits a saddle-shaped space. Marius Sparn, a PhD student at Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, notes that the current Univ...