Thermodynamic Equilibrium and the Temporary Universe

Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual model in which the universe begins and ends in a single state:a unified field in stillness. A burst from that stillness produced a hot quark–gluon plasmaholding quarks of every flavour; as it cooled, the stable matter that survived was built from upand down quarks (protons are uud, neutrons are udd). The plasma is described as a vortexgeometry with two opposed states: an upper state (hot, dense plasma: expansion andentropy) and a lower state (the quark–gluon content that carries most of the mass-energy:thermodynamic equilibrium, or inertia). The two states cancel in a zero-sum balance, so theuniverse as a whole stays at net zero while matter, energy and forces appear locally astemporary energy and mass. Because expansion began at its lowest acceleration and thestrong force was weak when the plasma was hottest (asymptotic freedom), structure formedslowly and in stages, paced by cooling over billions of years. As expansion accelerates, theequilibrium side accelerates with it and shapes all matter and energy, calling for moreequilibria, energy, mass and force; the mix of contents shifts toward dark energy while thebalance continues, because the mix changes and no matter is added; bound systems, held bytheir own forces, do not expand. In the model's final state the temporary energy fades and thefield returns to stillness, eternal and with no time. Keywords: unified field; quark–gluon plasma; vortex geometry; thermodynamic equilibrium; inertia;entropy; accelerating expansion; dark energy; stillness.