A controversial new theory claims the Big Bang never happened, challenging one of the most fundamental beliefs in modern cosmology.
Professor Richard Lieu of The University of Alabama in Huntsville has published research suggesting the universe wasn’t born from a single massive explosion.
Instead, he proposes that the cosmos grew through numerous rapid-fire bursts throughout history.
His alternative explanation, published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity, introduces the concept of “temporal singularities” that blasted new matter and energy into space.
Illustration of the Big Bang event 13.8 billion years ago
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This groundbreaking idea directly challenges scientific consensus that has stood since the 1960s.
According to Lieu, each of these ‘temporal singularities’ sent bursts of energy and matter into space, which eventually formed planets, stars and galaxies. These bursts weren’t confined to a single explosive beginning like the Big Bang theory suggests.
Instead, they have continued throughout cosmic history, collectively pushing the universe to expand.
“The new model can account for both structure formation and stability, and the key observational properties of the expansion of the universe at large,” Lieu explains.
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The first all-sky microwave image of the universe soon after the Big Bang
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These random bursts occur rarely and quickly, dissipating before they can be detected by current technologies like telescopes.
The traditional Big Bang theory proposes that the universe began as an infinitely small, hot point of densely packed matter and energy that exploded and continues to expand. However, this model cannot work without dark matter and dark energy.
Dark matter is theorised to be the invisible scaffolding holding cosmic structures in place. Meanwhile, dark energy is believed to be the undetectable force pushing the universe to expand faster.
Scientists have yet to prove these mysterious substances actually exist. Despite this, Lieu has attempted to rework our understanding of the universe to align with known laws of physics without relying on unproven forces.
The theory could explain why the universe is expanding rapidly without needing dark energy. It also addresses how galaxies and galaxy clusters formed without requiring dark matter.
“These singularities are unobservable because they occur rarely in time and are unresolvedly fast, and that could be the reason why dark matter and dark energy have not been found,” Lieu stated.
The physicist describes his approach as “radically different” from conventional models.
However, he acknowledged the theory had drawbacks. The temporal singularities he proposes are, by definition, unobservable, similar to dark matter and dark energy. There is currently far more indirect evidence supporting dark matter and dark energy than these temporal singularities.
His theory also fails to explain what causes these bursts in the first place.
