About this model:
This simulation models the spontaneous birth, existence, and decay of space at the Planck scale.
Rules:
- Each cell represents a Planck-scale volume, which can be in an "excited" (space exists) or "vacuum" (no space) state.
- Excitation (birth of space) occurs if exactly 3 neighbors are excited, or with a small probability (fine-structure constant).
- Excited cells have a finite lifetime, determined by the "cell lifetime" parameter.
- The probability of decay (return to vacuum) depends on the cell's age, the cosmological constant, and the gravitational constant.
- Excited cells lose age each tick, faster if isolated or overcrowded.
- When age reaches zero, the cell returns to vacuum.
Scientific context:
This model demonstrates how homogeneous (uniform) regions of space can spontaneously emerge in multiple locations, without the need for an inflationary phase of rapid expansion. When such regions merge, they naturally possess the same structure and properties, explaining the observed large-scale uniformity of the universe. Thus, the model provides an alternative to inflation for explaining the homogeneity of space.