The Mysteries of Time and Existence Before the Big Bang

The question of what existed before the Big Bang is one of the greatest mysteries in cosmology. If time itself is said to have begun with the Big Bang, then '13.9 billion years ago' as a concept becomes incoherent. Nonetheless, exploring the nature of the primordial state and the timeline of the universe offers fascinating insights into the origins and mysteries of our cosmos.

1. Time and the Big Bang

According to current theoretical understanding, time as we recognize it began with the Big Bang. This means that there is no moment that can be referred to as '13.9 billion years ago', since time itself did not exist before the Big Bang. Thus, the question 'what was in existence 13.9 billion years ago' is incoherent or at least not answerable within the framework of modern physics.

2. The Primordial Singularity

Before the Big Bang, there existed the primordial singularity. This singularity was not a mere point in space but a state of all existence collapsed to an infinitely small and infinitely dense point. The concept of duration in singularities like this is meaningless, as time as a temporal dimension did not yet exist.

3. The Quantum Universe Beyond Time

It's important to note that our universe may not have originated from a point in time but rather from a timeless quantum field. This field, as described by quantum physics, can exist without the framework of space and time. The initial conditions leading to the Big Bang remain unclear, and it is possible that the universe has always existed in a timeless quantum state. However, what triggered the start of time and space is still a mystery, and we have no knowledge of the interval between Time 0 and Time 10^-43 seconds, known as Planck Time.

4. The Limits of Human Understanding

While the Big Bang marks a significant milestone in our understanding of the universe, the question 'what was in existence 13.9 billion years ago' remains unanswered. The term 'came into existence' is somewhat problematic and might not fully capture the nature of the universe before the Big Bang. Regardless of the terminology, the knowledge of what happened before the Big Bang remains a mystery, at least for the foreseeable future.

Conclusion

In summary, the concept of '13.9 billion years ago' before the Big Bang is incoherent within the framework of our current understanding. The existence of the universe, as we perceive it, began with the Big Bang, but the universe as a quantum field may have always existed in a timeless state. Whether the Big Bang triggered a new beginning or whether time and space are quantized within the Planck parameters, questions remain. The perpetual quest for answers continues, driven by both theoretical and experimental endeavors in cosmology.