PBS Space Time Season 2019 Episode 24 What Caused the Big Bang?

PBS Space Time season 2019 episode 24, titled "What Caused the Big Bang?", is an exploration of one of the most fundamental questions in cosmology: what caused the universe to come into existence? Host Matt O'Dowd takes viewers on a journey through the history of the universe, from the earliest moments after the Big Bang to the present day.

The episode begins with a brief overview of the standard model of cosmology, which describes the evolution of the universe from its earliest moments. This model is largely based on observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is thought to be the afterglow of the Big Bang. However, while the standard model can accurately describe the evolution of the universe from a few seconds after the Big Bang to the present day, it does not provide any explanation for what caused the Big Bang in the first place.

To explore this question, O'Dowd looks to a number of different theories and hypotheses that have been put forward over the years. One possible explanation is that the universe arose spontaneously from a vacuum fluctuation, a concept that is rooted in quantum mechanics. Another possibility is that the universe is eternal and has no beginning or end, but rather exists in an infinite cycle of expansion and contraction.

O'Dowd also discusses the concept of inflation, which is a theory that proposes that the universe underwent a period of rapid expansion in the fractions of a second after the Big Bang. This theory can help to explain why the universe appears to be flat and uniform on large scales, but it still does not provide an explanation for what caused the Big Bang.

Throughout the episode, O'Dowd describes the various challenges and obstacles that researchers face when trying to study the early universe. For instance, the extreme conditions that existed in the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang are difficult to replicate in a laboratory, which means that much of our understanding of the early universe comes from theory and observation rather than direct experimentation.

Despite these challenges, O'Dowd remains optimistic that researchers will continue to make progress in understanding the origins of the universe. He also notes that the question of what caused the Big Bang is not only important from a scientific standpoint, but also from a philosophical and existential one.

Overall, PBS Space Time season 2019 episode 24 provides a thought-provoking exploration of one of the most fundamental questions in cosmology. By combining theory, observation, and speculation, O'Dowd offers viewers a glimpse into the ongoing quest to understand the origins of the universe.