The Return of the Phoenix Universe

TL;DR

This paper discusses a new cyclic universe model where most of the universe is consumed by black holes, but a small region emerges anew, explaining dark energy's small positive value and cosmic evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a novel cyclic cosmology model that avoids previous observational constraints and explains dark energy's small positive density.

Findings

Most of the universe becomes black holes

A small region emerges anew from black holes

Dark energy's small positive density is explained

Abstract

Georges Lemaitre introduced the term "phoenix universe" to describe an oscillatory cosmology with alternating periods of gravitational collapse and expansion. This model is ruled out observationally because it requires a supercritical mass density and cannot accommodate dark energy. However, a new cyclic theory of the universe has been proposed that evades these problems. In a recent elaboration of this picture, almost the entire universe observed today is fated to become entrapped inside black holes, but a tiny region will emerge from these ashes like a phoenix to form an even larger smooth, flat universe filled with galaxies, stars, planets, and, presumably, life. Survival depends crucially on dark energy and suggests a reason why its density is small and positive today.