|
A Brief History of the Universe
|
| Time* |
Temp (GeV)** |
Temp (K)** |
Characteristics
|
| 10-43 s |
1.2 x 1019 |
1.4 x 1032 |
Planck scale; quantum gravity; superstrings; spacetime foam? |
| 10-35 s |
1.0 x 1014 |
1.2 x 1027 |
Begin brief inflationary epoch; end of grand unified era |
| 10-32 s |
1.0 x 1014 |
1.2 x 1027 |
End of inflationary epoch; beginning of standard big bang evolution;
origin of matter-antimatter asymmetry |
| 10-11 s |
1.0 x 102 |
1.2 x 1015 |
End of electromagnetic and weak force unification |
| 10-6 s |
1.0 |
1.2 x 1013 |
Confinement: quarks and gluons become bound in the hadrons |
| 1 s |
1.0 x 10-3 |
1.2 x 1010 |
Weak interactions drop out of thermal equilibrium (weak freeze-out) |
| ~ 3 min |
1.0 x 10-4 |
1.2 x 109 |
End nucleosynthesis of light elements |
| 103 y |
1.0 x 10-8 |
1.2 x 105 |
End of radiation dominance; begin matter dominance |
| 105 y |
3.0 x 10-10 |
3.6 x 103 |
Electrons and protons combine to form atoms;
photons and matter decouple |
| 109 y |
8.0 x 10-13 |
~ 10 |
The first galaxies have formed by now
|
| ~ 1010 y |
2.3 x 10-13 |
~ 3 |
The present Universe |