fine-tuning

fine-tuning

I’m currently working on a project titled “The Physics of Fine-Tuning”, whose goal is to consolidate the idea of fine-tuning across several fields of physics, ranging from particle physics to cosmology. The fine-tuning argument arises from the fact that the universe seems to be tuned for life (as we know it) to exist, in such a way that small changes in fundamental constants and parameters could render a universe incapable of hosting life (as we know it). Obvious “explanations” for this include the so-called anthropic principle, which states that the universe has to be such that the emergence of life is possible, otherwise we wouldn’t exist. Stronger and weaker versions of the anthropic principle exist, but also seem tautological. We produced a book to be used as a reference for future studies and compile the scattered ideas found in the literature in a single book. Another important aspect of the project is the development of an interactive website targeted at the broader audience, with derivations and applications of fine-tuning. In this direction, I have been studying the apparent fine-tuning of some fundamental(?) constants such as the cosmological constant and the impact of this small fluctuations of its values in the evolution of the universe. I have also been addressing the issue of habitability zones in the galaxy and the universe, and how its relation to the apparent fine-tuning of the universe. More details about this and other projects related to fine-tuning are available in the project’s website.