Phantom energy

Phantom energy is a hypothetical form of dark energy with equation of state $\! w < -1$. If it exists, it could cause the expansion of the universe to accelerate so quickly that the Big Rip would occur. If this theory is true, because phantom energy is in everything, over time phantom energy will increase in strength like a curve that gets steeper. Eventually, the energy will get so strong that the energy inside atoms, which is extremely small, will push the atom apart causing it to explode. This will happen to all of the universe in an event known as the Big Rip.

One application of phantom energy in 2007 was to a cyclic model of the universe.

External links

• Robert R. Caldwell et al.: Phantom Energy and Cosmic Doomsday
• Lauris Baum and Paul Frampton (2007). "Turnaround In Cyclic Cosmology". Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 (7): 071301. arXiv:hep-th/0610213. Bibcode 2007PhRvL..98g1301B. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.071301. PMID 17359014.