cosmic inflation
Universe's initial surge
Cosmic inflation is a theoretical period of extremely rapid expansion in the very early universe, occurring a fraction of a second after the Big Bang.
During this brief moment, space itself stretched exponentially, smoothing out irregularities and explaining why the observable universe appears so uniform in all directions.
The theory accounts for features of the cosmos that the standard Big Bang model alone cannot explain: Cosmic inflation predicts the slight temperature variations we observe in the cosmic microwave background.
- Big BangUniverse's explosive origin
- slow rollIntentionally prolonged revelation
- dark energyForce accelerating universal expansion
- singularityPoint where values explode
- reheatingRestoring temperature to food
dark matter · cosmology · multiverse · gravitational waves · primordial · flatness · horizon · eternal · redshift · spacetime · exponential · expansion · rapid · bubble · epoch · general relativity · wrinkles · cooling
- astrophysicsblack hole, neutron star, supernova, black holes, neutron stars
- cosmologybig bang, Big Bang, big bang theory, universe, dark matter
- cosmic historybig bang, dark ages, star formation, recombination, nucleosynthesis
- cosmic mysteriesdark matter, dark energy, black holes, Big Bang, wormholes
- Big Bang Evidenceredshift, background radiation, temperature fluctuations
- cosmic timeepoch, era, eon, aeon, age