Phantom energy
Encyclopedia
Phantom energy is a hypothetical form of dark energy
with equation of state
. If it exists, it could cause the expansion of the universe to accelerate
so quickly that the Big Rip
would occur. Phantom energy is in everything, if this theory is true, over time phantom energy will increase in strength like a curve that gets steeper. Eventually, the energy will get so strong, that the energy inside atoms, which is extremely small, will push the atom apart causing it to explode. This will happen to all of the universe known as the big rip.
One application of phantom energy in 2007 was to a cyclic model
of the universe.
Dark energy
In physical cosmology, astronomy and celestial mechanics, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe. Dark energy is the most accepted theory to explain recent observations that the universe appears to be expanding...
with equation of state
Equation of state (cosmology)
In cosmology, the equation of state of a perfect fluid is characterized by a dimensionless number \! w, equal to the ratio of its pressure \! p to its energy density \! \rho: \! w=p/\rho...
. If it exists, it could cause the expansion of the universe to accelerateAccelerating universe
The accelerating universe is the observation that the universe appears to be expanding at an increasing rate, which in formal terms means that the cosmic scale factor a has a positive second derivative, implying that the velocity at which a given galaxy is receding from us should be continually...
so quickly that the Big Rip
Big Rip
The Big Rip is a cosmological hypothesis first published in 2003, about the ultimate fate of the universe, in which the matter of the universe, from stars and galaxies to atoms and subatomic particles, is progressively torn apart by the expansion of the universe at a certain time in the future...
would occur. Phantom energy is in everything, if this theory is true, over time phantom energy will increase in strength like a curve that gets steeper. Eventually, the energy will get so strong, that the energy inside atoms, which is extremely small, will push the atom apart causing it to explode. This will happen to all of the universe known as the big rip.
One application of phantom energy in 2007 was to a cyclic model
Cyclic model
A cyclic model is any of several cosmological models in which the universe follows infinite, self-sustaining cycles. For example, the oscillating universe theory briefly considered by Albert Einstein in 1930 theorized a universe following an eternal series of oscillations, each beginning with a...
of the universe.
External links
- Robert R. Caldwell et al.: Phantom Energy and Cosmic Doomsday