Is Our Universe Decaying at an Astronomical Rate?

TL;DR

This paper discusses the possibility that our universe is decaying rapidly enough to prevent an infinite proliferation of Boltzmann brains, implying a finite number of observers and supporting the universe's decay at an astronomical rate.

Contribution

It proposes that the universe's decay rate must be rapid enough to avoid the Boltzmann brain paradox, offering a new perspective on cosmological stability.

Findings

Finite observers per volume imply universe decays quickly.

Supports universe decay at cosmological timescales.

Challenges the idea of a stable, eternal universe.

Abstract

Unless our universe is decaying at an astronomical rate (i.e., on the present cosmological timescale of Gigayears, rather than on the quantum recurrence timescale of googolplexes), it would apparently produce an infinite number of observers per comoving volume by thermal or vacuum fluctuations (Boltzmann brains). If the number of ordinary observers per comoving volume is finite, this scenario seems to imply zero likelihood for us to be ordinary observers and minuscule likelihoods for our actual observations. Hence, our observations suggest that this scenario is incorrect and that perhaps our universe is decaying at an astronomical rate.