Entropy and cosmology: Is our universe special?
seminar from group Science, Reason and Faith
Javier Sánchez-Cañizares, February 15, 2011
Javier Sánchez-Cañizares holds a PhD in Physical Sciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and a PhD in Theology from the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce. He is researcher of project "Mente-cerebro", and Deputy Director of group Science, Reason and Faith.
summary:
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated physical system never decreases over time. This temporal asymmetry is for the moment not derivable from the laws governing the fundamental interactions of nature. Starting from Roger Penrose's programs of study , the crucial role of the gravitational force and black holes in the growth of the entropy of the universe will be shown. Some estimates of this physical quantity will be given and a fundamental problem in the scientific understanding of the universe, which is not usually addressed by contemporary cosmological theories, will be highlighted.