Understanding the Big Bang and Inflation Theory

What is the best accepted description of the time before the Big Bang?

• Inflation theory

• The universe was static and unchanging

• The universe was filled with stars and galaxies

• The universe exploded from a singular point

What is the 'bang' in the Big Bang according to inflation theory?

• The collision of two galaxies

• The formation of black holes

• A massive explosion of stars

• The exponential expansion of space

What type of field is needed to cause inflation?

• Scalar field

• Electromagnetic field

• Gravitational field

• Vector field

What is the Higgs field known for?

• Generating electromagnetic waves

• Giving elementary particles their mass

• Causing the universe to expand

• Creating black holes

What does the self-interaction of a quantum field provide?

• Kinetic energy

• Potential energy

• Thermal energy

• Nuclear energy

What is the main problem with old inflation theory?

• It cannot explain the Cosmic Microwave Background

• It predicts empty firewall bubbles

• It predicts a static universe

• It requires a singularity to start

Who proposed the idea of slow roll inflation?

• Isaac Newton

• Andrei Linde, Andreas Albrecht, and Paul Steinhardt

• Stephen Hawking

• Albert Einstein

What evidence supports the plausibility of inflation?

• The observation of supernovae

• The discovery of new galaxies

• The pattern of temperature fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background

• The existence of black holes

What is the result of quantum fluctuations during inflation?

• The formation of black holes

• Eternal inflation and multiple universes

• The collapse of galaxies

• The creation of stars

What is required to start the process of inflation?

• A collision of two galaxies

• A fraction of the Planck energy within a Planck volume

• A black hole

• A massive star