A septillion.chasrob said:
You're right. Maybe it's a typo for mass density equivalent, using e=mc2?Hornbein said:
Oops, my bad. I misinterpreted Wright. I failed to notice that he represented energy density as g/cc, not ergs/cc. Using e=mc2, I get 1091-92 ergs/cc. Closer to the value in the figure above.chasrob said:
The theoretical energy density of inflation refers to the energy density associated with the inflaton field, which is the hypothetical scalar field responsible for cosmic inflation. During inflation, the energy density is typically assumed to be constant, leading to an exponential expansion of the universe. The exact value can vary based on the specific inflationary model, but it is often expressed in terms of the potential energy of the inflaton field.
During cosmic inflation, the energy density of the inflaton field is significantly higher than the energy densities of matter and radiation. In the early universe, the energy density of inflation dominated, leading to rapid expansion. As the universe cooled and expanded, inflation ended, and the energy density transitioned to that of radiation and later matter, following the dynamics of the universe's evolution.
The energy density of inflation plays a crucial role in explaining the uniformity and isotropy of the universe observed today. It provides a mechanism for the rapid expansion that smoothed out any initial irregularities, leading to the homogeneous and isotropic universe we see. Additionally, the fluctuations in the inflaton field during inflation are thought to be the seeds for the large-scale structure of the universe.
While the theoretical energy density of inflation itself cannot be measured directly, its effects can be inferred from observations. For instance, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation provides clues about the conditions of the early universe, including the scale of inflation and the energy density through the analysis of temperature fluctuations and the spectrum of gravitational waves predicted by inflationary models.
The implications of the energy density of inflation for cosmology are profound. It helps explain the large-scale structure of the universe, the uniformity of the CMB, and the current accelerated expansion of the universe. It also influences the parameters of cosmological models, such as the Hubble constant, and provides insights into the nature of dark energy, suggesting possible connections between inflation and the current accelerated expansion phase.