#Time-Dilation Prove
5 messages in this thread
Sorry Nick, I'm testing a beta automated SIG program these days, and my last
message scrolled and/or I can't get at it. Did I coin what?
Rick
I was referring to "neutronium". From other replies, I gather it's a standard
term, at least in the science fiction community… so if you _do_ have a
copyright on it, Rick, you'd better speak up. 🙂
Nick
Another exotic element is 'positronium,' which consists of a positron and
electron orbiting each other. One romantic view of the death of the universe
suggests that after all the protons have decayed, the last remaining positron
time larger than the universe today; gradually approaching until they finally
annihilate, leaving only photons and neutrinos to radiate B-L-I-S-H in cold
infrared for eternity. Expect it around year 10^105, A.D.
Okay, Tom, I've got that marked on my calendar – I won't get taken by surprise.
There seems to be a crucial phrase or two missing from your message; did you
mean that the last positron and the last electron will be orbiting each other
with an orbital diameter greater than that of the universe as it is today?
Sounds like a thrilling place to be.
Nick
Yes, the last atom of positronium is expected to have a diameter greater than
the universe today. A new meaning to the word 'vacuum.'
A few swipes at the calculator suggests that if we call today's universe 36
billion light years across (4 * 10^9), and the last atom three-ish times that
(10 * 10^9, or 10^10 lightyears), the photons carrying the mutual
electromagnetic attraction of the positron and the electron will take precisely
10^10 years per one-way trip. Sounds like a long time, but in the time between
the years 9*10^104 A.D. and 10*10^104 A.D., the photons will be able to make 5
* 10^93 round trips, which is ample to bring these two far wanderers together.
Of course, if it turns out that protons don't decay, then it'll never happen.
Science is like that, sometimes.