The Big Bang

The equations of General Relativity allow us to deduct the

evolution of the universe. These universes are non-static (in
expansion). This fact seemed inconceivable for Einstein, for
primarily philosophical reasons. He thus introduced a
supplementary variable into his equations, called the
cosmological constant, which aim is to counterbalance the
gravity due to the matter contained in this universe.

But, a few years later, Hubble, by observing distant galaxies,

realizes that they move away from us, and that their
recessional velocity increases in proportion to their distance.
The Hubble law, which connects the recessional velocity and
the distance is expressed by a linear relationship : Vc = H * D,
where Vc represents the velocity, D the distance. H is called the
Hubble constant.

Hubble understands that the universe is expanding : what

other explanation could we find to explain this escape of the
galaxies, proportional to their distance ?

The expansion of the universe

You need to understand that this expansion is a property of
space-time itself. Galaxies don't drift away in a solidified space,
they are motionless in an expanding "web".
Actually , we measure the redshift of their spectrum. But the
wavelengths of the emitted radiation grow with the expansion,
like all the lengths. The "apparent escape" of the galaxies is
thus only the translation of a Doppler effect created by this
expansion of the universe.
One usual image used to describe this effect is a cooking raisin
cake : the cake inflates and the raisins move away the ones
from the others. The further they are, the faster they move.

Each raisin can

see its neighbours
moving away from
it, all the more
quickly as they
are far, but their
own size doesn't
change.

This expansion has no center. Each raisin can see the others
moving away, whatever their initial position. It is the same for
the galaxies in the universe.
Let us note that, if the distances between the galaxies increase
with time, it's not the same for distances inside the galaxies :
the gravitational force sets again this expansion and, hence,
allows the full galaxy to stay binded.

The past of the universe

Since the universe is expanding, it was thus smaller in the past
than nowadays.
But, if it was smaller, it was denser, hence hotter. We can
calculate that the temperature of the universe is divided by
two each time the distances double.

Let us extrapolate by moving back in the past : there was a

time where the universe was as small as we can imagine, and
at a very high temperature. The "birth" of the universe
happened from this tiny ball of energy which inflated.
So, we see that the universe had a beginning, and is expanding
: the old idea of a static and overlasting universe just
collapsed.

The Belgian Lemaitre was the first, in 1925, to propose this

theory that he had called " the primitive atom".

By derision, the astrophysicist Fred Hoyle in 1950, who

supported a different theory, gave to this one the name of "Big
Bang". This name is always in use nowadays.

Once again, take care not to see the Big Bang as an explosion
of matter inside an empty universe : the universe itself is
expanding.

To take again the analogy with the raisin cake, you must
imagine that nothing exists apart from the cake itself, and at
the very beginning, all the mixture is concentrated is a volume
as small as you can imagine, and which inflates with time.
Space and time are born with the Big Bang : before and
elsewhere are not meaningful words, because nothing can
exists outside the universe and before its creation.

The fossil radiation

In the same manner that a heated piece of metal keeps its
heat for a long time and radiates, then, if the universe has
been hot enough in its past, it must continue to radiate like a
black body.
But this radiation must now be found in the field of
microwaves, corresponding to a very low temperature : in
1948, George Gamow estimates it at 6 K ; and in 1965, Penzias
and Wilson indeed observe a radiation equivalent to a
temperature of approximately 3 K.

Since, COBE and WMAP satellites allowed finer measurements,

and the temperature of cosmological microwave background is
2.736 K. We can say that it is the current temperature of the
universe.

Fluctuati
ons of
the
fossil
radiation
,
measure
d by the
COBE
satellite
in 1990.
Influenc
es of the
motions
of Earth
and the
Galaxy
in space
have
been
taken
into
account.
This radiation is exceedingly uniform : red areas are hotter than
the blue ones for only 1 in 100,000 parts.

Source NASA / COBE.

The
same
fluctuati
ons,
measure
d by
WMAP
satellite
in 2003.
Notice
the
advance
of the
resolutio
n in
relation
to the
upper
picture
of COBE.

This radiation, whose spectrum is a nearly perfect black body

one, is the first really certain evidence of the theory of Big
Bang.
Very recently the temperature of a gaz cloud situated in front
of a 12 billion light years apart quasar has been measured by
the VLT.
This cloud is warmed up by the cosmological radiation, and the
measured temperature of 14 K is in agreement with the
estimated temperature of the cosmological radiation at this
time.

The expansion of the universe is sometimes presented as an

evidence for the Big Bang, but it is based on redshift
measurements, and some people think that this redshifts may
not be cosmological.

Références The microwave background temperature at the redshift of 2.33771 (R.

: Srianand)