Chapter 26 - Thesis

   Joe had been here before. So had most of the other graduate students. The same professor called things to order. He did it the same way.

   "Okay, folks. Yes, we're here again. Can I have the first image, please?"

   It was nothing but Einstein's infamous equation. Even non mathematicians could quote it off by heart, it was that ubiquitous. Most people can't quote the formula for the area of a circle, but can recite this one off by heart. Which is really odd, Joe thought. Because they know what the formula for the area of a circle will do for you. Even if they don't know the circle area formula or know how to work it? They know the result. The square footage of a circular fenced in area.

   "Here's where we start, people. E=mc²... so simple. So short, so... concise. And it explains a lot. Take, for instance the total yield of a simple fission detonation, like the one over Hiroshima, that ended world war two. The mass of the fissionable material, times the velocity of light, squared. You keep your units straight like a good high school math student's taught to do it correctly? You get the energy released."

   "Its beautiful, and it covers all situations, right? So. Why are we all having problems applying it. Why doesn't any of our math and physics work, when we try to figure out the first tenth of a second after the big bang. I'm going to take another crack at this. I got some more ammunition this time around."

   "Energy. It equals the mass, times the constant. Which happens to be the velocity of light squared. And? That would seem to be our problem, wouldn't it. We're concerned with what goes on before the Higgs-Boson god particle shows up after the strings appear, and grants mass to the first particles that show up to the party."

   "Folks? Its not the problem. Its the solution."

   Everyone laughed. He was making a joke.

   "I'm serious. Everyone gets so fidgety, when this equation doesn't work. Its supposed to. Its supposed to apply in all situations. Well? Rest easy. Because it does. Like I said, its the solution."

   "I'll restate my thought experiment. We all agree there was a big bang, and that all the matter in the universe, is expanding out from a central point in space. No one contests it. We argue about the rate of expansion, but no one contests the basic premise. Neither do I. But I take issue with a couple things we all take for granted. I don't believe in dark matter. I don't believe in dark energy. Its just something someone made up, to explain things that aren't fully explained yet. Honestly? It reminds me of primitive people, making up stories about gods that live in the sky, to explain things."

   "And? I'll be damned, if I'm going to operate on the premise that the universe will keep expanding, and sit still and die out cold. No. It has to contract again, into black holes that eventually join up. Why? Because if the conditions for that aren't possible, you don't get a big bang in the first place. Which is utterly ridiculous."

   "Now. We pull this off? The next time some smart ass asks you... okay, if you don't believe in god, then who made the big bang, huh? Well, you can look at them and tell them that now you have an answer for them."

   "So. The problem. The energy of the big bang? Should be calculable. And, with this equation. The problem's obvious on its face. We have a mass of zero. Because no Higgs-Boson particle yet, to grant mass to particles. So, with a zero mass, it doesn't matter what constant we multiply it by, zero times anything is zero. First grade arithmetic there, folks. Easy stuff."

   "Clearly, the energy of the big bang, wasn't zero. Right?"

   Everyone chuckled.

   "Right. But we got another problem. Velocity of light. Light? Doesn't exist yet. Light, has a tiny mass. We know this, because its been proven that starlight bends around our own sun. And if gravity affects it? It definitely has mass. So? No light yet. No Higgs-Boson granting mass yet."

   "Another problem. You divide both sides of the super simple equation, by m? To solve it, eighth grade algebra one class. Dividing by zero, another big no no. Another problem."

   "The answer? Is staring us all right in the face. These aren't problems. They're clues to the answer. And? We're all looking at it. We just don't see it. Its the elephant in the room."

   "Now. First of all? The velocity of light isn't going to get it. Mainly because light doesn't even exist yet. It needs mass like any other particle. So? Honestly, c is just a constant. What we really have, is a search for the new constant. Because with light not existing yet? We're no longer beholden to the velocity of light squared. I mean, you can't use what you don't have. You can't invoke what isn't given."

   "No mass, that's a zero. And? We need a new constant. This isn't a problem, people. This? Is an opportunity! E=mc², works fine after about one tenth of a second after the big bang. But... we clearly observe, that there should be more mass. But there doesn't seem to be. So? We invent dark matter to explain it. Then? We run around claiming that over 90 percent of the mass in the universe? Is invisible, can't be detected, and you can't prove it exists. Honestly. Think about that plot line, would you? That's really thin."

   "Then, you need dark energy, too. Why? You have matter expanding and you can't explain all that extra energy. So? Now you go invent dark energy. And why not. Everyone bought the bullshit dark matter story, why not do that one again. I can't take it. So? Lets take another look."

   "Why invent dark energy. We have thousands of particle equations now after all this time, all more or less working. We know how much energy there should be. Gee. Why not just put THAT energy figure, into the equation. E, energy. Equal to? Mass is still zero, can't do anything with that one, but... we can put the energy figure we know that should be there? In place of the constant, c."

   "I know, its heresy. But, with no mass yet, and no light existing yet? You can put anything you want there! It... kind of becomes the constant! Its only for the unique conditions right after the big bang, and covering that one tenth of a second. Then? You get Higgs-Boson formation, which grants mass, and... now you get light. Then? You go back to normal, and everything works fine. I'm just concerned with the initial conditions."

   "So. Its a hunt for the proper constant to stick in there. Fortunately? We know how much energy there SHOULD be. We know how much mass there SHOULD be. Why not use these figures, instead of inventing dark matter and energy. And remember, with light not existing yet, there's no reason to be stuck with the velocity of light squared."

   "So. We stick energy we'd like to see in for E. We know what mass should be, even though its technically zero. The mass is there, by the way. It just exists as pure energy. Matter can be neither created nor destroyed, it just changes form. Until particles get mass, its just... energy. So. Energy, equals... zero times our new constant for this situation."

   "So. Rather than just guess? We have no mass. Which means no gravity. And no light either. So? Take any of the normal existing field equations. And? Simply remove these items. Working with what you have left behind... you simply solve for c. I've done this, over and over with different field equations... and I keep arriving at the same constant. 1.196883216×10²¹."

   "Now. In the course of running all this through, putting the constant in and checking it works and fits every equation? I happened to have to take the square root of it. And? Curiously, the square root is... 34,596,000,000..."

   "Anyone recognize it? I thought it looked familiar. If you use miles per second as the velocity for light, that's c squared, in the normal calculations. Its 186,000... squared. Which means? We have a very unique situation, for a very brief moment of time. We have early particles trying to begin to form, but until Higgs-Boson formation, and mass gets granted... we have a huge ball of energy turning into matter, and... mass-less particles."

   "Now. We have a tremendous amount of energy, and with no mass... we have a temporary new speed limit for a brief period. Mass and light and gravity don't exist yet. The velocity of light is not the cosmic speed limit... yet. This temporary speed limit, is... 34,596,000,000 miles per second. It falls to 186,000 miles per second, the velocity of light, as soon as Higgs-Boson forms and mass gets granted to particles."

   "Now. The curious thing about starting the explosion at that velocity? Anyone? T in the normal relativity equations, when you plug in this temporary constant... goes negative. The... energy wave? Until it has mass... arrives where its going, before it gets there. As mass gets granted to more particles, things slow down, and... when light gets its mass granted finally, we get to where we already can sing along to the song and dance number."

   "Any early questions, before I go on? Serious questions only."

   After a few seconds, only one hand went up.

   "If I pretend I'm giving this half a chance? I mean, just supposing out loud. What... are you saying the temporary constant is, then."

   "Holy shit. Someone was paying attention. I'm... thanks! Uh, yeah. I mean, the number's the number, but... really? It represents... the velocity of light, to the fourth power instead of squared."

   The hand that got raised, was attached to a face. The brow furrowed, then...

   "So. You're implying... that until mass gets granted by the god particle, that... the velocity of light is temporarily..."

   "Yes. 34 billion, 596 million... miles per second. Only for a tiny fraction of a second, constantly falling towards 186,000 miles per second. Since we're concerned primarily with the first tenth of a second, until normal physics can take over? You're talking about an energy wave going out, arriving before it leaves... about 3.4 billion miles. Instantaneously. There, that's your inflation right there."

   The brow furrowed more.

   "And. You claim, that you ran some of the standard field equations through this... temporary system."

   "Yes. Um, I hesitate to call you my first fan, but..."

   Everyone chuckled, but... did not yet laugh.

   "I'm not heckling. Yet."

   "Did... you have a standard field equation in mind?"

   "Oh yeah. My internship? I'm one of those poor assholes that have to crunch the CERN numbers every time they fire that damn accelerator up."

   "Uh... so you have a favorite field equation you're familiar with, then."

   "Same one. Every time. I'm sick of it, I can recite it in my sleep. I was wondering what the odds were, it was one of the field equations you already worked through."

   "Hold on, just a second..."

   Joe walked off, and came back with a thick stack of printed pages. It was thick as hell. He dropped it on the sturdy little wooden table next to the podium he was speaking at. Paper gets quite heavy when you get enough of it in a stack, and it made a quite pronounced THUNK as it hit the table and reverberated.

   "I just happen to have some, right here. Do... you have a CERN number?"

   "Oh yeah. One, four, eight, eight..."

   "Hold on. I have them in order... gonna take me a few seconds... that, should be about... three inches down..."

   He carefully lifted off several inches of the thick stack, and turned it over. He lifted off about a hundred pages at a time in the same fashion, several times. Then, he slowed. A few more, and... pay dirt. He walked over, the guy was sitting in the front row. He handed him a thin stack of papers. The guy started looking, and remarked on it.

   "This is the original field equation... you said---"

   "Every field equation is listed in its original form. Then? The second half is the same one worked out. Twice. Once, to solve for the constant. Then? Another time, to show that derived constant, solves it."

   "Okay. How many of these, do you have."

   "All of them. I mean, unless CERN shit out a few new ones I don't know about yet."

   The guy chuckled.

   "No. I hear you. Tell you what. I run this one for work? Every shift I put in at my workstation here, for my internship. Go ahead and finish your presentation. I'll be done before you're done talking, I bet. I'm just curious."

   "Great. So... back to where I was..."

   Joe went on. The second time another grad student with the same internship job crunching numbers wanted his "pet" equation? Joe gave him the same treatment. Both ended up sitting aside to themselves, going over it for a rough glance.

   When he was done, someone asked how in the hell he got all the equations done, since the last time he had presented this idea.

   "Actually? I had some help."

   "From?"

   "Uh... my girlfriend? Did a couple, and... I actually traveled to another universe. Where aliens helped me. I brought back the equations with me."

   Everyone laughed, he delivered his joke with such a straight face.

   "Yeah, I know. And? What with time dilation and all... it took, what. A little over 4,000 years. As an observer watching would see, but... I actually arrived back, before I left, so..."

   More chuckling at his little joke.