Scientists have discovered that the ingredients of the universe were defined in the first three minutes after the Big Bang.
In the beginning, the Universe was incredibly small, dense and hot. Within this small volume, the Universe was full of particles such as electrons, neutrinos, photons, protons and neutrons, which constantly interacted with each other.
The first three minutes were crucial. During this time, the Universe expanded and cooled rapidly. Scientists have recreated similar conditions in laboratories such as the Large Hadron Collider. These experiences help us understand what happened during those first few minutes.
At the moment of the Big Bang, time itself began. Before this event, time as we know it did not exist. This means that the destiny of the Universe was not created just with the Universe, but also with the fabric of time itself.
As the Universe expanded, cooled from about a hundred billion degrees to a billion degrees in the first three minutes. This cooling allowed particles to form and interact in ways that set the stage for everything that followed, explains astrophysicist Pablo G. Pérez González, in an article published in .
Neutrinos, which are tiny particles, began moving freely after they stopped interacting with other particles. This change helped freeze the number of protons and neutronswhich are the building blocks of atoms.
During these first three minutes, the electrons and positrons began to annihilate each other, leaving only a few electrons behind. This left the Universe full of photons, protons, neutrons, electrons and neutrinos. Thus, the Universe it could begin to form atoms, stars, and eventually galaxies and planets.
An important part of this early universe was dark matter. Dark matter began to shape the Universe, helping galaxies form and providing the gravity needed to hold them together.
All these processes happened incredibly quickly – in just three minutes. From a hot, dense state, the Universe expanded and cooled, allowing particles to form and interact in ways that led to the complex cosmos we see today.
