Plasma cosmology: Encyclopedia II - Plasma cosmology - Overview

Plasma cosmology - Overview

The basic assumptions of plasma cosmology are,

1. since the universe is nearly all plasma, electromagnetic forces are equal in importance with gravitation on all scales.
2. since we never see effects without causes, we have no reason to assume an origin in time for the universe—an effect without a cause. Thus this approach, in contrast to certain interpretations of the Big Bang cosmology, does not permit any beginning for the universe.
3. unlike the steady state theory, the universe is not changeless. Rather, since every part of the universe we observe is evolving, it assumes that the universe itself is evolving as well.

Plasma cosmology also differs from big bang cosmology methodologically. Its advocates emphasize the links between physical processes observable in laboratories on Earth and those that govern the cosmos. Plasma cosmology is explained as much as possible in terms of known physics, using the theoretical and experimental results of laboratory plasma physics in cosmological applications. Proponents contrast this with the Big bang theory which has over the course of its existence required the introduction of such features as inflation, dark matter and dark energy that have not been detectable yet in laboratory experiments.

Plasma cosmology was first developed by Swedish physicist Hannes Alfvén in a book published in 1965. Alfvén is well-respected in the scientific community as the founder of modern plasma physics together with Oskar Klein, Per Carlqvist and Carl-Gunne Fälthammar.^[2] for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics. While plasma cosmology has never had the support of large numbers of astronomers or physicists, a small group of plasma physicists such as Anthony Peratt and Eric Lerner have continued to promote and develop the approach. These physicists have been able to propose theories for the origin of large scale structure (such as quasars, galaxies, and clusters and superclusters of galaxies), for the synthesis of light elements, and for the origin of the cosmic microwave background. Although their theories are not generally accepted by the scientific community, proponents argue that they could explain observations more easily, without introducing the "new physics" seen in the big bang theory. Critics of the plasma cosmology point out that detailed observational testing of big bang cosmology is not rivalled by plasma cosmology and that the big bang theory is supported by multiple complementary quantitative tests.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Overview", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki