Lecture 39: The Fate of the Universe
What is the ultimate fate of the Universe? The ultimate fate of\nthe Big Bang is either expansion to a maximum size followed\nby re-collapse (the Big Crunch) or eternal expansion into a cold,\ndark, disordered state (the Big Chill). Which of these is our\nfuture depends on the current density of matter and energy in the\nUniverse, Omega0. This lecture examines our current knowledge of\nthe matter and energy content of the Universe, which leads to the\nsurprising discovery that we live in a Universe that\nis Flat (Omega0=1), Infinite, and Accelerating! We will end the lecture\nby exploring the possible fate of an infinite accelerating Universe.\nRecorded 2006 March 2 in 1008 Evans Laboratory on the Columbus campus\nof The Ohio State University.