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| Although there are many local ]ing mechanisms observed in ]oratory ]ation with plasmas, one problem in using a majority of them to explain cosmological redshifts is that it is difficult to account for a change in the energy of a ] going through ] without photon ] (changing the photon's direction of ].) In some non-linear optical phenomena there are forms of scattering in which the direction of propagation of the photons is not changed. Specifically, one promising candidate for astrophysical application is ], found locally in ] devices, as an example. This form of forward scattering causes a redshift and a broadening of spectral lines without changing the direction of propagation of the incident light. | Although there are many local ]ing mechanisms observed in ]oratory ]ation with plasmas, one problem in using a majority of them to explain cosmological redshifts is that it is difficult to account for a change in the energy of a ] going through ] without photon ] (changing the photon's direction of ].) In some non-linear optical phenomena there are forms of scattering in which the direction of propagation of the photons is not changed. Specifically, one promising candidate for astrophysical application is ], found locally in ] devices, as an example. This form of forward scattering causes a redshift and a broadening of spectral lines without changing the direction of propagation of the incident light. | ||
| ===History=== | |||
| In 1913, Norwegian explorer and physicist ] may have been the first to predict that space is not only a ], but also contains "]". He wrote: "It seems to be a natural consequence of our points of view to assume that the whole of space is filled with electrons and flying electric ions of all kinds. We have assumed that each stellar system in evolutions throws off electric corpuscles into space. It does not seem unreasonable therefore to think that the greater part of the material masses in the universe is found, not in the solar systems or nebulae, but in "empty" space. (See "Polar Magnetic Phenomena and Terrella Experiments" in ''The Norwegian Aurora Polaris Expedition 1902-1903'' (publ. 1913, p.720) | |||
| ===Future=== | ===Future=== | ||
Revision as of 19:07, 2 September 2005
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This is a controversial topic, which may be disputed. |
Plasma cosmology is a non-standard cosmological model which attempts to explain the large scale structure of the universe using electromagnetic interactions in astrophysical plasmas. The theory was largely developed by Nobel Prize recipient and plasma physicist Hannes Alfvén and subsequently refined by other plasma physicists such as Anthony Peratt and Eric Lerner.
Many processes are widely agreed to rely on astrophysical plasmas, including stellar fusion and active galactic nuclei. While the Big Bang model of cosmology suggests that the early universe was composed entirely of plasma from reheating until recombination, plasma cosmology proposes that many cosmological processes that are explained through gravitational physics in Big Bang cosmology are in fact electromagnetic in nature. A tenative list of such properties include scaleability, Birkeland currents (electric currents), double layers (charge separation), filamentation, plasma instabilities, and current circuits. Plasma cosmology as a cosmological model is outside the mainstream of academic cosmology.
Plasma cosmology originated in 1966 with the theory of Hannes Alfvén, published in his book Worlds-Antiworlds. Alfvén suggested that the universe is composed of ambiplasma, a plasma composed of pockets of matter and antimatter. The visible universe originated when a pocket of matter collided with an antimatter pocket, in a massive annihilation. The model was refined by Oskar Klein in 1971, but was abandoned because it is inconsistent with the observed isotropy of the cosmic microwave background and X-ray background. It has not been taken up by Anthony Peratt and Eric Lerner.
Overview
Despite the general importance of plasma in astrophysics, and the standard model's use of electromagnetic forces for describing local phenomena, the standard cosmological model asserts that these forces are not important at large cosmological distances. Unlike gravitation, which is attractive only, electromagnetism is both attractive and repulsive. Over large distances electromagnetic forces are believed to cancel each other because structures in the universe are generally neutral.
This is not always the case, however. The electromagnetic forces are orders of magnitude greater than the gravitational forces in certain astrophysical plasmas. Plasma cosmologists think that the evidence that led most cosmologists to postulate the existence of dark matter and dark energy is actually evidence that plasmas exhibit large forces between and within galaxies.
Microwave background
In the mid-1990s, a few mainstream cosmologists became interested in plasma cosmologies. This interest rapidly waned as precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), such as those by COBE, and the primordial helium abundances agreed well with the big bang theory.
Both Anthony Peratt and Eric J. Lerner have proposed that plasma cosmology could be consistent with the CMB. In particular, Lerner has shown that plasma cosmology can generate a microwave background by synchrotron radiation. This model fails to predict the CMB anisotropy peaks in the power spectrum or the black-body nature of the spectrum. In particular, it fails to predict the 1 degree mode on the sky or the strength of this feature. Apologists for plasma cosmology point out that researchers at the University of Durham have analyzed results from the WMAP probe and discovered cluster correlations in certain modes of the CMB's anisotropies. A specific kind of tiny measured anisotropies in the CMB are seen to correspond to the location of local galactic clusters. The Durham researchers attribute it to the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. Since the majority of inhomogeneities do not correspond to clusters, it is unclear how Lerner's cosmology could provide a detailed theory of the microwave background.
Redshifts
Although there are many local redshifting mechanisms observed in laboratory experimentation with plasmas, one problem in using a majority of them to explain cosmological redshifts is that it is difficult to account for a change in the energy of a photon going through plasma without photon scattering (changing the photon's direction of propagation.) In some non-linear optical phenomena there are forms of scattering in which the direction of propagation of the photons is not changed. Specifically, one promising candidate for astrophysical application is Forward Brillouin Scattering, found locally in laser fusion devices, as an example. This form of forward scattering causes a redshift and a broadening of spectral lines without changing the direction of propagation of the incident light.
History
In 1913, Norwegian explorer and physicist Kristian Birkeland may have been the first to predict that space is not only a plasma, but also contains "dark matter". He wrote: "It seems to be a natural consequence of our points of view to assume that the whole of space is filled with electrons and flying electric ions of all kinds. We have assumed that each stellar system in evolutions throws off electric corpuscles into space. It does not seem unreasonable therefore to think that the greater part of the material masses in the universe is found, not in the solar systems or nebulae, but in "empty" space. (See "Polar Magnetic Phenomena and Terrella Experiments" in The Norwegian Aurora Polaris Expedition 1902-1903 (publ. 1913, p.720)
Future
Plasma cosmology is not a mature theory, and much work remains to be done in this field. Lerner's model of quasar and galaxy formation can be compared with Halton Arp's observations of quasars and AGN. The non-linear redshift phenomena can also be compared with Arp's data and Peratt's data. Within plasma cosmology, there have been no published papers which make predictions on the primordial helium abundance (although this subject is addressed in Lerner's book), or which calculate correlation functions.
Figures in plasma cosmology
The following physicists and astronomers helped, either directly or indirectly, to develop this field:
- Hannes Alfvén - Along with Birkeland, fathered Plasma Cosmology and was a pioneer in laboratory based plasma physics. Received the only Nobel Prize ever awarded to a plasma physicist.
- Halton Arp - Astronomer famous for his work on anomalous redshifts, "Quasar, Redshifts and Controversies".
- Kristian Birkeland - First suggested that polar electric currents are connected to a system of filaments (now called "Birkeland Currents") that flowed along geomagnetic field lines into and away from the polar region. Suggested that space is not a vacuum but is instead filled with plasma. Pioneered the technique of "laboratory astrophysics", which became directly responsible for our present understanding of the aurora.
- Eric Lerner - Claims that the intergalactic medium is a strong absorber of the cosmic microwave background radiation with the absorption occurring in narrow filaments. Postulates that quasars are not related to black holes but are rather produced by a magnetic self-compression process similar to that occurring in the plasma focus.
- Anthony Peratt - Developed computer simulations of galaxy formation using Birkeland currents along with gravity. Along with Alfven, organized international conferences on Plasma Cosmology.
- Nikola Tesla - Developed the rotating magnetic field model.
- Gerrit L. Verschuur - Radio Astronomer, writer of "Interstellar matters : essays on curiosity and astronomical discovery" and "Cosmic catastrophes".
See also
- Cosmology : Non-standard cosmology, Timeline of cosmology
- Physics : Cosmic microwave background radiation, Theoretical astrophysics, Theoretical physics, Plasma physics, Rotating magnetic fields, Astrophysical plasma, Magnetohydrodynamics, Pathological science
- Other: List of protosciences, Quasar, Redshifts and Controversies
- The ambiplasma model, or the Alfvén-Klein model, is the original model of plasma cosmology.
- Electric Universe model, which is another non-standard cosmology based on plasma physics that incorporates Velikoskian catastrophism as well as a non-standard model of stellar physics called the "Electric Star hypothesis." It does not appear to be taken seriously by most plasma cosmologists. It is not mentioned in the books, websites, or journal publications of Alfven, Peratt, Lerner, et al. (With one exception: On page 4 of his book The Big Bang Never Happened, Lerner stated "hat I describe here is not... a Velikovskian fantasy." This may serve as an indicator as to how plasma cosmologists view Velikovskians.) Plasma cosmologists have likewise ignored the electric star model, and have always accepted the standard (fusion) theory.
Links and resources
- Wright, E. L. "Errors in Lerner's Cosmology".
- Lerner, E. J. "Dr. Wright is Wrong". Lerner's reply to the above.
- Peratt, Anthony, "Plasma Universe". (Frameset)
- Peratt, Anthony, "Plasma Universe". (Navigation : no frames)
- Peratt, Anthony, "Plasma Cosmology" (Related Papers.)
- Wurden, Glen, "The Plasma Universe". Los Alamos National Laboratory. University of California (U.S. Department of Energy). (General Plasma Research)
- Marmet, Paul, "Big Bang Cosmology Meets an Astronomical Death". 21st Century, Science and Technology,Washington, D.C.
- Eastman, Timothy E., "Plasma Astrophysics". Plasmas International. (References, Parameters, and Research Centers links.)
- Goodman, J., "The Cosmological Debate".
- Goodman, J., "The Case for Plasma Cosmology"
Publications
- IEEE Xplore, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 18 issue 1 (1990), Special Issue on Plasma Cosmology.
- G. Arcidiacono, "Plasma physics and big-bang cosmology", Hadronic Journal 18, 306-318 (1995).
- J. E. Brandenburg, "A model cosmology based on gravity-electromagnetism unification", Astrophysics and Space Science 227, 133-144 (1995).
- J. Kanipe, "The pillars of cosmology: a short history and assessment". Astrophysics and Space Science 227, 109-118 (1995).
- O. Klein, "Arguments concerning relativity and cosmology," Science 171 (1971), 339.
- W. C. Kolb, "How can spirals persist?," Astrophysics and Space Science 227, 175-186 (1995).
- E. J. Lerner, "Intergalactic radio absorption and the Cobe data", Astrophys. Space Sci. 227, 61-81 (1995)
- E. J. Lerner, "On the problem of Big-bang nucleosynthesis", Astrophys. Space Sci. 227, 145-149 (1995).
- B. E. Meierovich, "Limiting current in general relativity" Gravitation and Cosmology 3, 29-37 (1997).
- A. L. Peratt, "Plasma and the universe: Large-scale dynamics, filamentation, and radiation", Astrophys. Space Sci. 227, 97-107 (1995).
- A. L. Peratt, "Plasma cosmology", IEEE T. Plasma Sci. 18, 1-4 (1990).
- C. M. Snell and A. L. Peratt, "Rotation velocity and neutral hydrogen distribution dependency on magnetic-field strength in spiral galaxies", Astrophys. Space Sci. 227, 167-173 (1995).
Related Books
- H. Alfvén, Worlds-antiworlds: antimatter in cosmology, (Freeman, 1966).
- H. Alfvén, Cosmic Plasma (Reidel, 1981) ISBN 9027711518
- E. J. Lerner, The Big Bang Never Happened, (Vintage, 1992) ISBN 067974049X
- A. L. Peratt, Physics of the Plasma Universe, (Springer, 1992) ISBN 0387975756