IMAGE
CAPTIONS
upper left corner:
if there's more than one universe, maybe they come in different sizes
and flavors, like bubbles! (Our universe is the light green bubble,
enlarged at lower right.)
lower right corner:
the texture of our universe is lumpy, as the WMAP observation shows
PERSONAL:
My new, biggest, most fun project, called Zander.
(billions of more pictures available by request.)Anthony
Aguirre, PhD
Assistant Professor of Physics
Department
of Physics
University of California, Santa Cruz
1156
High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831.459.2449
aguirre@scipp.ucsc.edu
FQXiOne theory of the early universe, called "inflation," posits that the universe underwent an enormously rapid growth phase very early in its history. This theory explains some otherwise-puzzling features of the Big Bang, and makes specific predictions about the texture of the observed universe, recently confirmed in a spectacular fashion by the WMAP results (right). But inflationary theory has a downside: once it starts, it cannot end everywhere;