A new model of galaxy formation: From quantum fluctuations to cosmological structures
The Universe is full of diverse structures, from galaxies and galaxy clusters to ordinary planetary systems. How did they form and evolve? What is the role of quantum physics in the formation of even small structures?
A new model has been proposed by astrophysicist Fabrizio Illuminati to address these questions. His article is published in the journal Modern Physics Letters A.
The model links the microscopic scales of quantum fluctuations to the macroscopic scales of cosmic structures, using a modified theory of gravity that takes into account the stochastic behavior of complex systems.
The idea is that quantum fluctuations that occurred in the early Universe were amplified by cosmological dynamics to form the large-scale structures we see today. This is in line with the inflationary paradigm.
The inflationary paradigm is a theory of the early Universe that postulates a phase of exponential expansion of space in the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang. This phase is called inflation and solves some problems of the standard cosmological model, such as the flatness, horizon, and monopole problems.
The theory predicts the generation of primordial density fluctuations from quantum fluctuations, which eventually transform into large-scale structures in the Universe.
The inflationary paradigm is also supported by several observations, including the cosmic microwave background, the matter power spectrum, and the luminosity-distance relation.
However, the exact mechanism and physics of inflation are still unknown and are the subject of various models and scenarios.
Illuminati's model takes advantage of this. Unlike the standard model, which requires dark matter and dark energy to explain observations, his model does not require any additional or exotic substances.
Instead, it relies on a modified Newtonian potential, which includes Yukawa corrections that describe the dependence on the characteristic interaction lengths of the granular components of systems.
Using a simple scaling law, Illuminati obtains the typical size of different astrophysical structures. Galaxies and clusters easily grow from the fundamental scales of nucleons. All that is needed is time and the gravitational coupling constant, which can be relative depending on the scale of the structure. In fact, the distance determines the dependence on the interaction ranges.
The model is consistent with a statistical approach to the structure of space-time, which considers space-time as a granular and fluctuating entity. It also suggests that large astronomical objects may retain certain quantum signatures or "cosmological memory" of their origin.
This means that the theory is testable by future observations or even experiments, taking into account statistical data.
Illuminati hopes that his model will help to shed new light on the connection between quantum physics and cosmology and shed light on the origin of galaxies.