... the entire observed universe can evolve from a tiny speck, it's tempting to ask whether a universe can in principle be created in a laboratory. Given what we know of the laws of physics, would it be possible for an extraordinarily advanced civilization to create new universes at will? The first thing to think about is the list of necessary ingredients. Curiously, scientific theories ... the inflationary theory the universe evolves from essentially nothing at all, which is why I frequently refer to it as the ultimate free lunch. Does this mean that the laws of physics truly enable us to ...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... age old questions. Perhaps, some day when our technology permits the inferences and uncertainty of astronomy can be figured out and theories will be as concrete as the laws of physics, mathematics, and the other sciences. Until then astronomers will continue to infer from the evidence at hand and uncertainty will dominate a field where "revelation is simultaneously exposing innumerable new questions ... ...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , 2002). Like White Dwarfs, Neutron stars also have a maximum possible mass which would be analogous to the Chandrasekhar limit. The quantitative calculation of this mass is uncertain however, because nuclear physics is not complete. Nevertheless, there are still good arguments that no matter how strongly repulsive nuclear forces become at huge densities, they cannot resist gravity if the mass of an ... ...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate