A physicist and theologian from the University of Navarra explains in what sense the universe is special

Professor Javier Sánchez-Cañizares. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

Is the universe in which we live special? Javier Sánchez Cañizares, PhD in Physics and Theology, posed this question during a seminar organized by the group of research 'Science, Reason and Faith' (CRYF) of the University of Navarra. And the answer, based on thermodynamic arguments, was affirmative: as he revealed, "the probability of finding ourselves in a state of the cosmos such as the one we currently inhabit is only 1 part against ₁₀10¹²³123 , something like the probability of finding a given atom in several trillion trillion trillion universes. It can be said that our universe is as special as that issue".

In his exhibition, the expert introduced the physical notion of entropy - which gives an idea of the 'disorder' of a system - and referred to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which postulates that the entropy of an isolated physical system never decreases over time.

Applying this law to the evolution of the universe, it means that the universe moves toward states of higher entropy or disorder, as indicated by training and the growth of black holes. For that reason, entropy had to be very small in the remote past of the cosmos: "The most likely thing would be to find an equilibrium state at the initial end of the evolution curve of the universe, but it is not so. There we have a state of minimum entropy," said the professor of the Schools Ecclesiastical.

The gravity factor

With respect to the reasons for this fact, Javier Sánchez Cañizares rejected what would seem to be the simplest solution: that the leave entropy was due to the small initial size of the universe and that it has increased due to its expansion. Instead, he pointed to another factor, gravity. Entropy," he clarified, "grows uniquely with the condensation of systems by the gravitational force. At the origin of the universe, it was homogeneous, but from the point of view of gravity that meant having leave entropy, because there was not yet condensation of subject". He also indicated that black holes "are the objects in the cosmos with the highest entropy".

Finally, the CRYF member expressed the desire for a greater dialogue between science and faith to respond to the challenges of the study of the universe. In this sense, he alluded to a quotation by Roger Penrose, a mathematician from Oxford University, who proposed that "to explain the extraordinarily special nature of the Big Bang, we can either believe in an initial act of God or continue searching for a scientific theory to solve it". Precisely, the CRYF's work aims, in the words of Professor Sánchez Cañizares, "to show rationally that the search for such a scientific theory does not contradict the action of God".