09 Opening, Closing and Special Presentations

03 Special Presentation

Paper Title Page
THESPA01 Before the Big Bang: An Outrageous New Perspective and its Implications for Particle Physics 2759
 
  • R. Penrose
    Mathematical Institute, Oxford
 
  The second law of thermodynaics implies that big bang must have been an extraordinarily precisely organized state. What was the geometrical nature of this state? How can we resolve, in any scientific way, the mystery of how such precision came about? In this talk, a novel (and perhaps outrageous) solution is suggested, which involves an examination of what is to be expected of the very remote future of our universe, with its observed accelerated expansion. Some possible observational consequences of the proposal will be indicated, together with some apparent implications for particle physics, some of which are non-standard.