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Expanding Space: the Root of all Evil?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

Matthew J. Francis ,
Luke A. Barnes ,
J. Berian James  and
Geraint F. Lewis
Matthew J. Francis*
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Luke A. Barnes
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Rd, Cambridge, UK
J. Berian James
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia Institute for Astronomy, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
Geraint F. Lewis
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
*
DCorresponding author. Email: mfrancis@physics.usyd.edu.au
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Abstract

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While it remains the staple of virtually all cosmological teaching, the concept of expanding space in explaining the increasing separation of galaxies has recently come under fire as a dangerous idea whose application leads to the development of confusion and the establishment of misconceptions. In this paper we develop a notion of expanding space that is completely valid as a framework for the description of the evolution of the universe and whose application allows an intuitive understanding of the influence of universal expansion. We also demonstrate how arguments against the concept in general have failed thus far, as they imbue expanding space with physical properties not consistent with the expectations of general relativity.

Keywords

cosmology: theory
Type
Research Article
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , 2007 , pp. 95 - 102
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2007

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