Universe

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Observable Universe (click to enlarge)

The Universe is the astronomical term for all of space-time and everything contained therein. Its true size and extent are unknown, but even its observable parts are incredibly vast and for all intents and purposes unreachable with TL-15 technology.

Please see the following AAB articles for related information:

Description (Specifications)

Due to the sheer size of the universe, no known race has fully explored the ends of the universe. What is known is mostly theory and conjecture based upon physical evidence from long-range observations by various sophont species over the course of millennia.

Scale and Structure

SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION:

Curvature/Flatness & Bounded/Unbounded

No information currently available

Cosmic Horizon & Observable Universe

No information currently available

Dark Energy & Inflation

No information currently available

Dimensionality & M-Theory

No information currently available

Brane Theory

No information currently available

Jumpspace

Though Jumpspace is sometimes described as an “alternate universe,” in reality all jump spaces, reachable or describable dimensions, and alternative realities whether finite or infinite exist within the "Universe" (or "Multiverse") as properly defined.

The dimensionality that we commonly experience in our everyday lives is usually referred to as "Normal Space" or "N-space", and consists of 4 dimensions: 3 of space and 1 of time. The era of modern physics dawned with the realization that there are more dimensions than these; modern cosmology places the number between 46-62 at a minimum, depending upon the particular theory of spacetime employed. Early 26-dimensional models of spacetime which only incorporated the "bosonic" force-carrying particle-fields had later been shown to be reducible to a 10 or 11 dimensional manifold in theoretical models encapsulating all known particles.

In those manifold models using 10-11 dimensions as their basis, the 6 or 7 extra dimensions (in conjunction with the 4 with which we are commonly familiar) typically manifest themselves as the fields associated with the 4 fundamental forces of nature (the gravitational, strong, weak, and electromagnetic fields) and are of dimensional-size comparable to the subatomic scale. An additional 36 have since been discovered that are comparable in scale, and are accessible only by jump drive.

Some modern Imperial theorists have suggested that the current model of jumpspace arising from the base-6 hierarchical model of 36 levels beyond the primary 10 or 11 dimensions of "normal" spacetime may in fact be mathematically equivalent to a base-9 model of cascading higher level jumpspaces, though this is currently still a matter of conjecture based upon theory. It is in fact possible that many other higher level dimensional manifolds may exist (in fact some theoretical models even suggest potentially an infinite number) which are as yet undiscovered by current Imperial science.

Jumpspace is related to normal Einsteinian space (or "N-space") in a non-linear fashion. As such, both velocity and positional information take on imaginary values for objects in jumpspace relative to Normal space, resulting in a transition from point-to-point in N-space with a typical expectation value of approximately 168 (±10%) hours (though the temporal probability curve extends along a steep normal distribution in both directions), the N-space distance of the jump limited only by the "weave" of the particular level of jumpspace with respect to the 4 dimensions of Einsteinian space. While in a particular "level" of jumpspace (or "J-space") the positional and velocity values for objects in the N-space universe have corresponding imaginary values relative to the object. Since t = d/v, the imaginary components of position and velocity cancel each other, yielding a common real-valued time coordinate in both the N-space and J-space environments. Thus, since gravity is uniquely a curvature of both temporal as well as spatial coordinates in Einsteinian-spacetime, the only interaction an object in a jumpspace manifold has with the N-space universe is the the complex-valued jumpspace "shadow" of gravitational sources in N-space that project into jumpspace via a complex non-linear (and not well understood) interaction.

Multiverse

  • Many World-lines Quantum Mechanical Interpretation
  • Inflationary "Foam" and Bubble Universes

Matter & Energy

Standard Model of Elementary Particles (with Graviton)

No information currently available

  • Forces: Intermediary Bosons
No information currently available
  • Matter: Fermions - Quarks & Leptons
No information currently available

Population: Galactic Clusters & Superclusters

SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION

  • Please also see article at Galaxy

Galaxies are not distributed uniformly throughout the universe, but rather tend to clump together hierarchically in groups.

Local Group
Local Group (click to enlarge)

Galaxias belongs to a cluster of galaxies known simply as the "Local Group". The three largest members of the Local Group, in descending order according to size, are the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), Galaxias, and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), the remainder of the Local Group being composed primarily of dwarf galaxies. The Milky Way subgroup of satellite galaxies centered on Galaxias contains more than 50 galaxies alone. In total, the Local Group contains at least 100 galaxies.

The closest members of the Local Group to Galaxias include:

All of the above galaxies are satellite galaxies of Galaxias with the exception of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). Some of these galaxies may in fact merely be close to Galaxias as opposed to actual proper satellites due to relative velocity, and several of the above may likewise be satellites of one another. Other galaxies also exist within the Local Group, either independently or as satellites of the larger galaxies such as the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), but are not listed here.

Virgo (Local) Supercluster
Virgo Supercluster (click to enlarge)

The Local Group itself is associated with a number of other galactic clusters that together form the Local Supercluster otherwise known as the Virgo Supercluster. In all, the Virgo Supercluster contains on the order of 100,000 galaxies.

Laniakea Supercluster

The Virgo Supercluster itself is a spur of the larger Laniakea Supercluster

  • Great Attractor
Local Superclusters
Local Superclusters (click to enlarge)

No information currently available

Observable Universe
Observable Universe (click to enlarge)
  • About 100-200 billion Galaxies

Quasar

A Quasar ( "Quasi-Stellar Radio-Source") or Quasi-Stellar Object ("QSO"), is a very luminous active galactic nucleus ("AGN") composed of a "feeding" supermassive black hole and its accretion disk. The term "quasi-stellar" was coined by early Solomani astronomers before telescopes were powerful enough to resolve the surrounding galaxy as compared to the luminous and point-like electromagnetic radio source of the active galactic nucleus constituting the quasar. Quasars emit electromagnetic radiation across the spectrum from radio thru X-ray or gamma wavelengths primarily along two opposite-vectored "jets" with luminosities that can exceed 1041 W (far in excess of entire galaxies). A quasar is contained within a volume of approximately the size of an average star system. Measured distances to quasars place them at ranges of between 180 million to over 8 billion parsecs from Galaxias, implying that these objects appear as they did approximately 8-12 billion years ago, which is fairly early in the history of the Universe. Quasars are useful reference points for aligning astrogational coordinate systems, due to their extreme distance and effective lack of parallax.

Dark Matter

Dark matter is a catch-all term for an inferred (and unidentified) type of matter whose existence (and gravitational influence) would explain certain astronomical observations including the observed motion, rotation, and structure of galaxies and some instances of gravitational lensing. The term "dark" refers to the fact that it does not emit or interact with electromagnetic radiation (which would otherwise make it observable thru telescopes), implying that it is invisible or "dark" to the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Almost 70% of the universe apparently consists of dark matter, based on indirect observation of its effects.

On the other hand, some astronomers speculate that the existence of dark matter is an erroneous inference, and instead argue for various modifications of the standard laws of general relativity in order to account for gravitational observations that do not require the invocation of the speculative existence of additional and unobserved forms of new matter.

Dark Matter should not be confused with Dark Energy, which is an apparently unrelated phenomenon.

Cosmic String

SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION: No information currently available

History & Background (Dossier)

None of the races, major or minor, have even explored more than a small fraction of just the one galaxy in which Charted Space is located, just one galaxy among the myriads of galaxies within the unfathomably large universe.

Origins

SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION:

Initial conditions & Big Bang

  • "Big Bang"
  • "Big Bounce": Loop-Quantum Gravity - No Oscillation

Planck Era (Time Zero)

  • Unified Field - Single Superforce

Grand Unification Era (10-43 seconds)

  • Universe Temperature: (XXX) K
  • 1st Symmetry breaking (GU Era): Gravity & Electronuclear Forces

Inflationary Era (10-36 seconds)

  • Universe Temperature: (XXX) K
  • Quantum fluctuations magnified - become responsible for large-scale structure
  • Validity questioned

Electroweak Era (10-32 seconds)

  • Universe Temperature: (XXX) K
  • 2nd Symmetry breaking (Electroweak Era): Gravity & Strong & Electroweak Forces

Quark Epoch (10-12 seconds)

  • Universe Temperature: 1015 K
  • 3rd Symmetry breaking: Gravity & Strong & Weak & Electromagnetic Forces
  • Higgs Mechanism
  • Quark-Gluon Plasma
  • Origin of Matter/Antimatter asymmetry ??

Hadron Epoch (10-6 seconds)

  • Universe Temperature: (XXX) K
  • Quarks combine into Hadrons
  • Universe mass Hadron-domianted
  • Spontaneous Hadron-Antihadron creation/annihilation equilibrium reactions

Lepton Epoch (1 sec)

  • Universe Temperature: (XXX) K
  • Spontaneous Hadron-Antihadron creation ceases
  • Hadron-Antihadron annihilation reactions eliminate most Hadrons (Matter/Antimatter asymmetry)
  • Universe mass Lepton-domianted
  • Spontaneous Lepton-Antilepton creation/annihilation equilibrium reactions

Photon Epoch (10 sec)

  • Universe Temperature: 109 K (Gamma radiation spectrum)
  • Spontaneous Lepton-Antilepton creation ceases
  • Lepton-Antilepton annihilation reactions eliminate most Leptons (Matter/Antimatter asymmetry)
  • Nucleosynthesis - Protons & Neutrons begin to form atomic nuclei (~ 3 min)
  • Plasma-dominated

End of Photon Epoch & Emergence of Atomic matter (~ 380,000 years)

  • Cosmic Background Temperature/Radiation: 3000 K (Visible spectrum radiation: "orangish-white" ambient glow)
  • Universe becomes transparent to radiation

1st Stars & Quasars (~ 150 million years)

  • Cosmic Background Temperature/Radiation: (XXX) K
  • Population III Stars form

TODAY (~ 13.8 Billion years)

  • Cosmic Background Temperature/Radiation: 2.725 K (Microwave spectrum radiation)

Future

SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION: No information currently available

  • Topology: Open (Saddlepoint) / Flat / Closed (See Above)
  • Closed Universe:
  • "Big Crunch"
  • "Big Bounce": Oscillating Universe

Elastic Theory of Universe Expansion

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: No information currently available

  • "Big Rip" - Dark Energy & Accelerating Expansion

Heat Death of the Universe

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: No information currently available

  • Substantial portion of protons may have decayed (t = ~1034 years)

References & Contributors (Sources)

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