one big question about the big bang remains: “What was it that banged?” The answer lies in his theory of cosmic inflation. “It sets up the conditions for the big bang—like a prequel ...

The prevailing theory describes a peculiar form of energy that can suddenly push out the fabric of space. On a rare occasion, a runaway process called "Inflation" can cause a vast expansion of ...

Science’s best guess at how the universe came into being includes the Big Bang followed by a moment of rapid inflationary expansion. However, this theory left a few mysteries and quirks in its ...

Spurred by the success of quantum chromodynamics and electroweak theory in describing ... of a second after the Big Bang. His 1981 paper heralded the virtues of inflation — an explanation ...

The Big Bang theory is "supported by a wealth of evidence," Vilenkin said. "Obviously, we have a very successful theory, but it leaves some very intriguing questions." According to Vilenkin, these ...

Get a sneak peek at Academy Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush and newcomer Johnny Flynn as Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein, in National Geographic's global event series GENIUS ...

His research focuses on cosmological inflation, dark matter and dark energy. Among other areas of interest, his work has explored the relationship between theories of cosmological origins and proposed ...

Given how unfathomably large the universe is, it is perhaps understandable that we haven't yet cracked all its secrets. But ...