Boehmer, Lilly

English

Digital Commons @ Butler University

The Mall 2018-2019 Article 2019 Vacuum Decay: Erasing the Universe Lilly Boehmer Butler University, lboehmer@butler.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/the-mall Recommended Citation Boehmer, Lilly (2019) "Vacuum Decay: Erasing the Universe," The Mall: Vol. 3 , Article 29. Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/the-mall/vol3/iss1/29 This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Scholarship at Digital Commons @ Butler University. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Mall by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Butler University. For more information, please contact digitalscholarship@butler.edu.   112        Vacuum Decay: Erasing the Universe  Lilly Boehmer    The universe has a self-destruct button.  That is to say, a clean and efficient  way to end existence as we know it.  The ultimate catastrophe: Vacuum  Decay. Physics as it is presently relies  heavily on two ideas, the first of  which is Energy Levels. The higher  the level the more potential there is  for it to be set free. Imagine a  ball on a hill. No one would argue that  it would stay on the slope. Clearly it would  roll to the ground awaiting below it  seeking its ground state. The second idea  that holds physics together is Quantum  Fields. Imagine that these fields operate  as the rules governing the universe.  Physicists believe that all of the fields  have reached their lowest energy level.  Well, all except one. This lone rebelling  field is called the Higgs Field. Higgs is in charge  of how things interact and behave in  the universe. Higgs may be metastable  meaning that it has not reached the lowest  energy level. Imagine again  the analogy of the ball on a  hill. This is the Higgs field. It is only  in a small dip on the hill and not on  the lowest valley. It is satisfied  here for now but anything could send it  plummeting down the rest of the hill. This  would quickly release a massive amount  of energy moving at the speed of  light to devour everything in its     113 path. Deleting the universe with no  warning and no solution all in a   fraction of a second. Physics as it  is currently would no longer exist.  Life as it is known is impossible.     But do not fear for this all might be wrong.  It is only a frightening theory.  The world now has more immediate and  needless problems to concern ourselves with.                                    

Vacuum Decay: Erasing the Universe

https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1170&amp;context=the-mall

Vacuum Decay: Erasing the Universe

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Digital Commons @ Butler University