'via Blog this'
altro link
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/03/the-multiverse-is-looking-more-likely.html
Matt Strassler has a good post on what this experiment means, assuming the data will be verified and is correctly interpreted: http://profmattstrassler.com/2014/03/18/if-its-holds-up-what-might-bicep2s-discovery-mean/
He also addresses Linde’s multiverse claims in the comments, concluding he may be stretching the evidence a bit further than experiment justifies:
“It is true that both Linde and Guth see it as difficult to have inflation without having a hugely complex universe with huge separated regions, which is what one may call a “multiverse” in this context. They are great scientists and one has to take them seriously. But this is something we only know about from theoretical considerations; there’s no experimental evidence for it as of now. My own understanding of the theoretical considerations involved is too weak for me to have a strong opinion, and at this point I’m inclined to take the view that the issue is not settled yet, though a “multiverse” of this type is a possibility. I plan to write about this soon.”
- See more at: http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/03/the-multiverse-is-looking-more-likely.html#sthash.Z3wY47Fd.dpuf
Good point. That post by Matt Strassler is very good at explaining the tremendous implications that the observations by the BICEP 2 experiment would have if confirmed to be correct.
That sentence of his about the multiverse is also very accurate. Linde is an immensely good scientist but he is know among the cosmology community for pushing his ideas very strongly; one should always take his bold statements with a grain of salt. Even if the results of this experiment are correct, the multiverse idea would still be considered speculative by most cosmologists
