How the Universe is Born from Nothing ⚡ экспресс
The birth of the universe from 'nothing' in quantum cosmology is described as a tunneling transition. For the first time, this work obtains an analytical expression for the probability of such an event in a closed model, including not only the exponential suppression but also a precise pre-exponential factor arising from Gaussian fluctuations around the instanton — the most probable trajectory in imaginary time. It's like a calculation that takes into account not just the height of the barrier, but also how it curves under your feet. The refined estimate gives a more reliable nucleation rate for universes, eliminating inaccuracies of previous approaches.
Quantum nothingness resembles water in a pot just before boiling. From time to time, a bubble spontaneously swells up — but not of steam, but of an entire universe. Such a bubble doesn't collapse; instead, it inflates into spacetime, triggering its own Big Bang. The only question is how often this happens.
Physicists took this metaphor seriously and calculated the exact probability. They used a mathematical trick: treating time as a fourth spatial dimension. The resulting formula resembles the one describing a particle passing through a wall. Previously, only the main factor was considered, which made the chance vanishingly small. Now they added quantum fluctuations — chaotic jitters inherent to every bubble at the quantum level. These turn a rough estimate into a precise calculation.
Ultimately, they obtained a simple formula where the chance of a Universe appearing from nothing is expressed through familiar physical constants. Most surprising: structurally, it barely differs from calculations for elementary particles — as if the entire cosmos behaves like one big quantum object.
🎯 In quantum physics, even a particle can pass through a wall. It turns out that mathematically, a whole universe is no different — it's the largest 'tunneling' object ever studied by scientists.