The Universe’s Structure and Quantum Mechanics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35588/cc.v7d8353Keywords:
Cosmology, Measurement Problem, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Fluctuations, Emergence of the Seeds of Cosmic StructureAbstract
This paper addresses, from a didactic perspective, the basic aspects of contemporary cosmology, which includes one of the situations in which the conceptual problems afflicting quantum mechanics take on a particularly acute character. The fundamental ideas behind quantum mechanics are described, beginning with those most relevant to its daily practice in the laboratory, and then focusing precisely on these conceptual difficulties, which, despite its undeniable empirical successes, lead those who delve into its foundations to consider the theory as particularly problematic, concretely we focus on the so-called measurement problem or the "M" problem (as we usually call it to highlight its importance). We then briefly present the approach that our group has adopted in order to address these problems in their applications to black hole physics and cosmology. Specifically, within the cosmological context, we will discuss in some detail, the role attributed to quantum fluctuations of the field responsible for cosmic inflation ( an early epoch of highly accelerated cosmic expansion) in the process of generating the primordial seeds of structure in the universe. These seeds are believed to give rise to galactic clusters, galaxies, stars, and ultimately, the conditions conducive to biological evolution and the emergence of human beings.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Daniel Sudarsky
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