Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-5-2015
Abstract
In the context of a homogeneous Universe, we note that the appearance of aggressively expanding advanced life is geometrically similar to the process of nucleation and bubble growth in a first-order cosmological phase transition. We exploit this similarity to describe the dynamics of life saturating the Universe on a cosmic scale, adapting the phase transition model to incorporate probability distributions of expansion and resource consumption strategies. Through a series of numerical solutions spanning several orders of magnitude in the input assumption parameters, the resulting cosmological model is used to address basic questions related to the intergalactic spreading of life, dealing with issues such as timescales, observability, competition between strategies, and first-mover advantage. Finally, we examine physical effects on the Universe itself, such as reheating and the backreaction on the evolution of the scale factor, if such life is able to control and convert a significant fraction of the available pressureless matter into radiation. We conclude that the existence of life, if certain advanced technologies are practical, could have a significant influence on the future large-scale evolution of the Universe.
Copyright Statement
This is an author-produced, peer-reviewed version of this article. The final, definitive version of this document can be found online at Classical and Quantum Gravity, published by IOPScience. Copyright restrictions may apply. doi: 10.1088/0264-9381/32/21/215025
Publication Information
Olson, S. Jay. (2015). "Homogeneous Cosmology with Aggressively Expanding Civilizations". Classical and Quantum Gravity, 32(21), 215025-1 - 215025-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/32/21/215025