If you are reading this, there is a high probability that you are a person of the 21st century, who sometimes thinks about the ultimate fate of the universe, without dreaming, however, to influence it in any way. But there is also the possibility that you, dear reader, will become an immortal member of the galactic civilization in the distant future. As you peer into the face of a cosmic apocalypse, you pause and search for pertinent information in ancient records on the Internet.
What the end of the universe will be
Perhaps the future has already arrived, you have become a member of the galactic community and are reading this now. Keep in mind that at the beginning of the 21st century, we were significantly limited by the current possibilities of science and technology. You have already become part of a civilization conquering the stars, which can use the energy of an entire star. Who knows? You may have already found a hypothetical solution, or you may have found it in the past.
Back in 2018, people did not know what kind of end awaited the universe. The first to come to mind were a few fairly old concepts: Big Freeze and Big Compression. In an expanding universe, however, everything either had to expand forever or ultimately shrink and shrink. If the universe continued to expand, its heat death would occur. If it began to shrink, everything would shrink into a fiery singularity.
In 1979, physicist Freeman Dyson proposed several survival strategies. To resist the Big Shrinkage, he proposed to a highly developed civilization "to crack open the closed universe and change the topology of space-time so that part of it collapses and the other part expands forever." Then he argued that such an advanced civilization could cope with eternal expansion, but further development changed everything.
The fact is that in 1998 people discovered that the expansion of the universe is not only happening, but also accelerating. BBC author Adam Becker reached out to Dyson in 2015 on the matter, and Dyson said he had diminished in optimism, and the nicest possibility was that the acceleration would slowly slow down. Otherwise, the universe will become too fragmented and cold.
In 2018, astrophysicist Dan Hooper pondered the long-term survival of galactic civilization and suggested that annihilation could at least be delayed. Just as the one awaiting judgment day can collect and preserve canned food, so an advanced civilization can preserve the sun. She could yank medium-sized stars out of place and drag them to other areas of space for safe storage.
Promotional video:
If stealing stars is not your style, physicist Alan Guth, who, incidentally, developed the theory of cosmic inflation, told the BBC that galactic civilization could create its own pocket universe. Run into it and save yourself from the destruction of the previous one.
These are just a few schemes that could be used to avoid cosmic stagnation - and they do not imply a Big Rip or a Big Change, during which your favorite universe cools down due to a low-temperature vacuum bubble that has arisen or is suddenly bursting with dense, phantom energy.
Perhaps you could become Star Lords in the distant future, but ultimately you will not be able to win. The universe, as we understand it, will last an incredibly long time before it changes. But after that, the conditions of its existence will not be very pleasant. Hopefully you have some stars by your side when this happens.
Ilya Khel