The Big
Bang theory has a problem, which can be explained by the following set
of questions:
- The farthest we can see is
the cosmic microwave background radiation,
which originated about 380,000 years after the Big Bang. We cannot see directly what
happened before, because it is hidden behind that radiation.
- It is true that we cannot see, but we can
deduce what happened in those first 380,000 years by applying the standard
physical theory, i.e. general
relativity. It is also possible to check those deductions, for
they offer predictions, such as the average
composition of the cosmos, which fit well with the experimental
data.
- The problem is, general relativity does
not take us to time zero, the Big
Bang itself. This theory can be applied only from 5×10-44
seconds after the Big Bang (the
Planck time), as quantum effects were predominant before
that time, and we do not have a physical theory that unifies quantum
mechanics with general relativity.
