Fundamental Constants of our Universe Solving the Antimatter Asymmetry Just After the Big Bang

 Fundamental Constants of our Universe Solving the Antimatter Asymmetry Just After the Big Bang

The Mathematical Numbers that are Part of Our Universe and Make it Work Account for the Fact that there is Only Matter and Little Antimatter in Our Universe.

INTRODUCTION

The most basic question posed by our species is: how did life occur? How did we, the intelligent human species, evolve to ask this question? The more fundamental question we must consider is how our universe evolved so that life can exist in the first place. The first expectation is that science and physics will provide insight into the answer to this basic question of how our universe evolved. However, in reality, we may never understand the steps for the evolution of our universe. The complexity of our universe, along with the secrets hidden in this complexity, only sometimes give answers that we are able to understand.

Many modern scientists and physicists believe that mathematics is the language of our universe. Almost all of the great discoveries of how our universe works have been explained or understood through mathematics. Since history has shown us the power of mathematics when it comes to understanding our universe, it is only natural to believe that mathematics will continue to play a leading role in the future understanding of our universe. Given the importance of mathematics in our universe, we have to conclude that all forms of mathematics were an integral part of the initial condition of our universe. That is, mathematics has been part of our universe ever since before the Big Bang. If science can understand the mathematics of the universe, it could better answer the questions we posed about life in our universe. 

However, there is a problem. It is not so much the mathematics that has to be understood; instead, it is the physical constants of the universe that are an integral part of the universe and its mathematics that need to be understood.

DISCUSSION

Symmetry is one of the most fundamental concepts of our universe. The general meaning of symmetry is that if there is something in our universe, then the opposite of this something also exists in our universe. For example, some things are hot, like the sun, and others are cold, like moons around planets. While moving forward, it is also possible to stop and then move backward. While moving, it is also possible to turn and move to the right or turn and move to the left. 

One of the most significant symmetry issues within our universe is the issue of positive matter and energy. Our entire universe is made up of positive matter and energy. The opposite of positive matter and energy is negative matter and energy within our universe. The electron and the positron are the most straightforward examples of positive and negative matter. The electron is the positive matter, and it is part of every single atom that makes up everything that we know of in our universe. The positron is the exact opposite of the electron; it's an anti-electron, and for the most part, it does not commonly exist in our universe. The positron is a real particle, just like the electron, and occasionally, it will pop into existence within our universe. The problem is that the electron has positive energy while the positron has negative energy. So when the electron and positron meet up, they annihilate each other, releasing an enormous amount of energy.

At the instant of the big bang start of our universe, the universe was nothing but energy. There were no electrons, positrons, quarks, or other matter. As the Big Bang progressed, all of the energy in the universe began to form into electrons, positrons, quarks, and other forms of matter. Symmetry demands that as the energy starts to create matter, the number of electrons and positrons that form should be exactly the same. In other words, there should be the same number of positrons as there are electrons. If this had happened, our universe would not exist because all of the electrons and positrons would have met up with each other, and they would all be annihilated. However, something broke the electron and positron symmetry, causing an asymmetry in our universe where more electrons than positrons were formed. It is unknown how this asymmetry occurred, but it did because our universe exists today. 

At the moment of the Big Bang, electrons and positrons were not the only matter particles created. Several other matter particles, as well as their antimatter particles, were also formed. Symmetry demands the equal formation of all other matter particles and their antimatter particles. But, just like the electron and positron, if any matter particle and its antimatter particle meet, they annihilate each other. However, once again, the symmetry of matter and antimatter particles was defeated, and the asymmetry of more matter particles than antimatter particles prevailed. And this gave us the positive matter and energy in our universe.

For our universe to exist as it does, something happened at the moment of the Big Bang that prevented antimatter from annihilating all matter. In other words, one of the most fundamental concepts of modern physics, symmetry, was broken. However, what if symmetry was not broken during the Big Bang? What if symmetry was not an issue at the moment of the Big Bang? What if, at the moment of the Big Bang, positive matter and energy were all that was allowed to form in our universe?

The physical processes that occur in our universe, like the formation of atoms and molecules and the corresponding formation of all matter within the universe, are understood through the language of mathematics. Like every language, mathematics has many parts. When it comes to understanding nature, one of the most important parts of mathematics is what is known as the fundamental physical mathematical constants. Specifically, these fundamental constants are part of the mathematics that explains almost everything we know and understand in our universe. Specifically, if these fundamental physical constants did not exist, or their actual values were slightly different from what they are now, then molecules, atoms, and matter as we know it would not exist.  

So, what is a fundamental physical constant, and how are they defined? The most straightforward answer to this question is that the fundamental physical constants must be measured. And these constants' measurement, or values, usually comes through experiments. The fundamental constants cannot be derived through mathematical processes or physical laws alone. They also cannot be decreed by a physical law. 

Consider the speed of light in a vacuum, 299,792,458 meters per second, or 186,000 miles per hour. These are two different numbers, but they measure the same thing. The only way to get these numbers for the speed of light is to measure how fast the light moves in the specific units of measure: miles per hour or meters per second. No known mathematical concepts can be used alone to determine how fast light moves. In other words, the speed of light is a fundamental constant.

What about the length of a second? Is that a constant? The answer is NO. We know that the second is the basic unit of time, but a human agreement defines the length of time. Specifically, the science community has agreed that one second will be the time it takes for 9,192,631,770 cycles of radiation that occur when a cesium 133 atom transitions between two levels. 

In describing a fundamental physical constant, we must consider another term: a basic physical law. Basic physical laws are different from actual physical constants. The most common example of fundamental physical laws is Newton's Three Laws of Motion. These fundamental physical laws describe how things move here on Earth and throughout the universe. Newton also formalized a fundamental physical law for gravitation that explained how gravity works between two bodies of mass. Newton's basic laws all have mathematical equations associated with them, describing the actions being observed. In the case of Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, contained within the mathematical formula is a specific number. This number is known as the Gravitational Constant, a fundamental physical constant. In other words, for the most part, fundamental physical constants are part of some basic physical laws. 

How many fundamental physical constants are there? So far, scientists have discovered fundamental constants in all branches of science, from physics to biology to chemistry and all other sciences. The current information suggests that there are at least 140 fundamental physical constants. As our knowledge base grows, scientists may discover additional fundamental constants. The National Institute of Standards and Technology maintains a list of fundamental constants: https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/pdf/all.pdf.

Are all 140 fundamental constants necessary to form our universe? The answer is yes. But were all of these fundamental constants necessary in the first second of the formation of our universe? In this case, the answer is no. So, how many fundamental constants were required at the beginning of our universe to get it started? This number can vary depending on who you ask or which reference paper you refer to. I will use the reference paper Ask Ethan: How Many Constants Define Our Universe, authored by Ethan Siegel, Ph.D., published in Starts With a Bang! This research paper lists 26 different fundamental physical constants to define our universe and bring it into existence as we know it. 

The 26 fundamental constants for the start of our universe generally work with the four principal forces of our universe: gravity, the strong force, the weak interaction, and electromagnetism. These four principle forces have been a part of the universe since the Big Bang. Specifically, the current hypothesis is that at the moment of the Big Bang, these four principal forces were all forged together as a single superforce. Within the first second after the Big Bang, the four principal forces started to break apart from the superforce as the universe expanded and cooled down. The first force to break off was gravity. Shortly after gravity, the strong force broke away. Shortly after, the strong force broke off, but within that first second after the Big Bang, the weak interaction split from the electromagnetic force, which divided into electricity and magnetism. The last thing to happen in this first second is the formation of the Higgs field. Lastly, about 10 to 12 seconds after the Big Bang, the elementary particles responsible for every piece of matter we see and know of in our universe start forming. The 26 fundamental constants and the four principal forces work together to create the matter we see and know of within our universe. 

So, where did all of these fundamental physical constants come from? The most straightforward answer to this question is that nobody knows; they were a part of the universe's formation, just like the four principal forces. In other words, they were just there. This is not much of an answer, but it is the best available. A secondary question is when did the constants become part of the universe. Again, there is no specific answer to this secondary question. However, in this case, there is other information available that we can use to provide an idea as to when these constants had to be a part of our universe. And that is the separation of the four fundamental forces.

As stated above, the fundamental constants work with the four principle forces to create all the matter that is a part of our universe. That is, fundamental constants help define the four principal forces. The most straightforward example of this is gravity. Back in 1687, Sir Isaac Newton published his law of universal gravitation. As part of this published law, Newton had the equation for the gravitational force experienced between two bodies of matter. Part of this equation is the gravitational constant. Even though this constant is not part of the 26 constants in the above reference paper, it is nonetheless one of the basic fundamental constants of our universe. 

In the early timeline, the four principal forces became individual forces in our universe immediately after the Big Bang. But fundamental constants are part of the definition of these individual principle forces and are part of the formation of the matter of our universe. In other words, the fundamental constants had to be part of the universe when the principal forces became individual forces so that matter could ultimately form within that first second after the big bang. This means that since fundamental constants are part of the principal forces, the fundamental constants had to be a part of the universe before the principal forces formed in the first instant of the universe after the Big Bang.

The information above concludes that the fundamental constants were part of the universe before the Big Bang. 

It should be noted that currently there are no theories or hypotheses as to how or when the fundamental constants became a part of the universe.

Other conclusions regarding when the fundamental constants became a part of the universe are possible. However, the theory of a superforce and the timeline of when the fundamental forces separated from the superforce is just that, a theory. If there are changes to the superforce theory, or even if there are changes to the Big Bang theory, then when the fundamental constants become part of the universe, they will also face changes. Whereas if the fundamental constants were part of the universe before the Big Bang, then changes to current theories do not affect the fundamental constants and their part in forming matter in our universe.

Modern physics has shown that the basic building blocks of matter are quarks and electrons. More specifically, the up and down quarks (which comprise the proton and neutron) with the electron. The above-listed reference paper shows us that fundamental constants are associated with the mixing and combining quarks to form protons and neutrons. Another fundamental constant is elementary electrical charge, which, in simplest terms, is the electrical charge of an electron and proton. The proton charge results from the combined charges on the up and down quarks that make up the proton. The current theory is that the total charge of the universe is zero. That is, the total amount of positive charge on a proton is the same amount of negative charge on an electron. 

The current theory is that the up and down quarks combined to form protons and neutrons within the first second after the Big Bang. Therefore, the 26 fundamental constants listed in the reference paper above and other fundamental constants had to be in place within the first second after the Big Bang. Additionally, these constants all had to work together smoothly and consistently to form the basic building blocks of atoms and molecules of matter that make up our universe. In other words, for the fundamental constants of our universe to work together, they must be fine-tuned to their specific mathematical values to give us the universe we know. 

Given how the constants consistently and efficiently work with the basic matter particles of our universe to make our universe, the simplest solution is the conclusion stated above: the fundamental constants were part of the universe at the beginning of the Big Bang. The follow-up conclusion from the first is that the fundamental constants had to play a part in developing the basic particles they would be working with through the principle forces. That is, the fundamental constants dictated that only the positive matter and energy particles that give us our universe could form at the beginning of the universe. In other words, antimatter asymmetry was the direction of our universe at the beginning. Specifically, the positive matter and energy universe we live in was dictated by the fundamental constants that existed at the beginning of the Big Bang. Although negative energy and matter were able to form at later stages of our universe, they were not consistent with the fundamental constants responsible for the beginning of our universe.

Given the information covered above, a second conclusion is that the fundamental constants only allowed for the existence of positive matter and positive energy in the early universe. 

This conclusion tells us that our early universe had no antimatter asymmetry. The fundamental constants were a part of the universe before the Big Bang and were responsible for forming the positive energy and matter present in the earliest parts of our universe.

CONCLUSIONS

The fundamental physical constants are a basic mathematical necessity for the formation and evolution of our universe. Without these constants, the universe as we know it would not exist. 

The modern cosmological theory says that the basic particles responsible for making all the matter in our universe existed in the first second after the Big Bang. Currently, the cosmological theory also says that due to symmetry requirements, antimatter particles were also created in the first second after the Big Bang. The current theory further states that during the first second after the Big Bang, the matter and antimatter that were created combined, destroying the antimatter. However, modern theory says that there was slightly more matter than antimatter for an unknown reason. Therefore, matter survived, allowing our universe to survive in its current form.

Current theory does not solve the antimatter asymmetry problem. No matter the theory or hypothesis regarding the formation of antimatter in the first second, the fact that more matter than antimatter formed represents a matter to antimatter asymmetry. However, we know that antimatter can always be made in the later stages of our universe. This is where matter-antimatter symmetry is a part of our universe. Specifically, just because antimatter can exist in small quantities now doesn't mean it had to be here at the beginning of our universe. The fundamental constants allowed for the formation of matter and, in essence, suppressed but did not eliminate the formation of anti-matter. On a small-scale basis, fundamental constants don't interfere with creating a small amount of antimatter.

The information covered in this paper presents two hypotheses:

First Hypothesis: The fundamental constants were part of the universe before the Big Bang. 

Second Hypothesis: The fundamental constants only allowed our early universe to be comprised of positive matter and energy. 

It is important to note that neither one of these hypotheses changes or affects any current modern hypothesis or theory. Instead, they work with modern theories and hypotheses to provide a more complete view of our universe. 

Furthermore, based on the first hypothesis, any changes or updates to current cosmological theories for the Big Bang do not affect how matter and energy are formed in the earliest stages of our universe.