Creation of photons

[mr.spaceman]

I have a simple question

 

Where the first photons were created? Inside the first generation of stars? or at the beginning, when electromagnetism was created?

[swansont]

AFAIK they have been around since the beginning, though the early universe was opaque — they would not have been able to travel far before scattering.

[derek w]

AFAIK they have been around since the beginning, though the early universe was opaque — they would not have been able to travel far before scattering.

 

Are the photons driving the early expansion of the universe by giving up some of their energy to the protons and electrons?

Edited August 1, 2012 by derek w

[swansont]

Are the photons driving the early expansion of the universe by giving up some of their energy to the protons and electrons?

 

You should get an answer from a cosmologist, but AFAIK the expansion of space is quite separate from this.

[ACG52]

Are the photons driving the early expansion of the universe by giving up some of their energy to the protons and electrons?

 

 

No, those photons are what make up the CMBR.

[QuantumBullet]

A photon is the carrier particle for the Electromagnetic force. Quite the same as Gluons are the carrier particles for the Strong Nuclear force.

 

In the extremely early universe, all 4 universal forces (Gravity, Strong/Weak Nuclear, and Electromagnetic) were unified into 1 signle force. As symmetry breaking occured (within the first fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second after the Big Bang), one by one the forces split off from each other, resulting in 4 distinct forces to govern the physical universe.

It is widely accepted that Gravity was the first the separate, followed by the Strong Nuclear, then the Weak Nuclear forces. It would have been the latter symmetry breaking that created the EMF, and hence the propogation of photons.

 

Note that this was prior to the existence of any baryonic matter (i.e protons, neutrons..). As for the the first 'atoms', it wasnt until around 380,000 years AFTER the Big Bang, when the temperature of the Universe has cooled to around 4,000K that it was cool enough for atoms to be able to condense. These newly forms atoms were then able to snare the rogue electrons flying around the cosmos, and create the first Hydrogen atoms. With the fog of electrons now thinner, photons were able to travel alot further before being absorbed, and hence the Universe ceased to be opaque for the first time since the beginning.

 

And as for the first generation of stars would have been a considerable amount of time even after this; the newly formed atoms would need to condense into large enough clumps to initiate the gradual building of material necessary to make a star. It would need to have a large enough size/mass the ignite, and commence fusion....and considering the temperature of the Universe was around 4,000K when the Universe was 380,000 years old, which is comparable to the surface temperature of a star, again it would have been a considerable amount of time after this before the first stars ignited.

 

So in short, no, the first photons did not appear along with the first generation of stars.,

Edited December 13, 2012 by QuantumBullet