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Wouldn’t the Heat Generated by an Inflating Universe Destroy Everything in its Path?

-- | June 9, 2016

Question: If inflation was expanding to the size of the universe from nothing in a blink of a nano second. Wouldn’t the heat from the rush outwards destroy everything after it? — Eric

Answer: I believe that the “cosmic soup” that existed at this early stage in the evolution of the universe was essentially primordial, or comprised of basic particles like quarks. Since “heat” and “destruction” involve breaking-down stuff into its basic structures (like atoms and molecules), I think that the simple answer to your question is that there would be nothing to “burn” at this stage.

Jeff Mangum

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