Penrose's Conformal Cyclic Cosmology

A revolutionary model proposing an infinite sequence of universes

- Sir Roger Penrose -

The Core Concept

Conformal Cyclic Cosmology (CCC) is a cosmological model proposing that the universe undergoes an infinite sequence of cycles, each called an aeon. Unlike traditional "Big Crunch" models, CCC does not require the universe to collapse between cycles.

Instead, Penrose's model suggests that the remote future of one aeon becomes the Big Bang of the next through a process called conformal rescaling—a mathematical transformation that preserves angles but not distances.

The cyclic process of Conformal Cyclic Cosmology

Key Mechanisms

Conformal Rescaling

A mathematical technique that allows the infinite future of one aeon to be identified with the Big Bang of the next by "resetting" the scale of spacetime.

Hawking Radiation

In CCC, the evaporation of black holes via Hawking radiation in the previous aeon plays a crucial role in setting up the low-entropy initial state of the next aeon.

Information Transfer

Gravitational waves from cataclysmic events in the previous aeon could potentially imprint on the Cosmic Microwave Background of the next aeon.

Solving Cosmological Puzzles

CCC addresses several fundamental questions in cosmology:

• The Low-Entropy Problem: Explains why the early universe had such an improbably low state of entropy
• The Initial Singularity: Provides a more physically plausible beginning than a true singularity
• The Fate of Information: Offers a mechanism for information preservation across universe cycles

Potential Observational Evidence

Hawking Points

Penrose claims to have found concentric circles and anomalous points ("Hawking Points") in the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation that could be imprints of supermassive black hole evaporation from previous aeons.

CMB Anomalies

Certain large-scale anomalies in the CMB, such as the "Axis of Evil," might be explained by gravitational influence from a previous aeon.

It's important to note that these claims are controversial and not widely accepted in the cosmological community. Many physicists argue that the observed patterns could be statistical fluctuations or artifacts of the analysis method.

CCC vs. Standard Cosmology

Unlike the standard ΛCDM model which predicts a single universe expanding indefinitely toward heat death, CCC proposes:

• An infinite cyclic universe model without a true beginning
• A mechanism for information preservation across cycles
• A natural explanation for the low-entropy initial state
• Testable predictions through CMB observations

CCC remains a speculative but mathematically sophisticated alternative to standard cosmology, offering unique solutions to long-standing cosmological puzzles.