Quote:
Originally Posted by sjastro
Inflation theory is considered a form of vacuum metastability event in which case whether the metastability event "outruns" the Universe or not, will depend on how long the Event itself lasts, or the transition period from going from a higher vacuum state to a lower state.
Regards
Steven
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Yes, that's true.
However, if you have a section of the Universe undergoing such an event, within the Universe itself, and the bubble of that event traveling outwards at near "c", it can only have a finite size at any one time. If the object into which it's expanding is also expanding, but at a much faster rate, even given an infinite period of time, it will never catchup with the larger object's expansion. Not unless the larger object slows down.
If the metastable bubble expanded to encompass the Universe instantaneously, or at a velocity much in excess of the Universal expansion rate, then it could destroy the Universe into which it expanded. It would have to undergo its own inflationary episode.
If the Universe was expanding at an infinite rate, and the nucleating metastable region was also expanding at that same rate, the Universe would always remain infinitely larger than the bubble, no matter even if it was measured over an infinite period of time. Even if that region had begun expansion one attosecond after the Universe had done so and both were expanding at an infinite rate from the very beginning. That's the problem with infinities....they make no common or even "uncommon" sense.