Last week, scientists from the Vatican's Vatican Observatory proposed a new mathematical model to describe the nature of gravity at the moment of the universe's creation.
The new hypothesis was developed by two Catholic priests: Father Gabriele Gionti, S.J., and Matteo Galaverni, a diocesan priest from the Diocese of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla (Italy).
The research results of the two scientists working at the Observatory were published in April in the prestigious journal Physical Review D.
They are expected to help understand how gravity behaved in the first moments of creation, when the universe expanded from an incredibly dense small point (a "singularity").
The beginning of this creation of the universe is commonly called the "big bang".
The new mathematical approach of the Vatican astronomers now aims to describe how gravity could have functioned during what is called "cosmic inflation", the phase of extremely rapid expansion of the universe immediately after the Big Bang.
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Scientists describe the rules of gravitation for large objects in the universe (such as planets and stars) based on Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.
However, the smallest objects in the universe (atoms, electrons, quarks, etc.) behave according to very different rules, known as quantum mechanics.
For years, researchers have been trying to find a "quantum gravity", a quantum theory of gravity that combines Einstein's theory of gravity with quantum mechanics.
In this regard, alternative forms of gravity have been proposed, in which there are variations in the strength of gravity with space and time.
The Brans-Dicke theory of gravitation is one of them.
Priests Gionti and Galaverni explained in a written response to questions from the CNA agency that the Brans-Dicke theory was not always applicable. It would be mathematically extremely difficult and needed to be transformed by scientists into another framework in order to solve the equations more easily. These are converted from the so-called Jordan frame to the Einstein frame.
Galaverni and Gionti demonstrated that these two frames are not mathematically equivalent and developed an alternative method for converting the equations to solve this problem.
According to them, the mathematics of the Jordan frame cannot always be applied to the Einstein frame, but they can be applied to another frame, not considered until now, in which the gravitational force tends towards infinity, while the speed of light tends towards zero. This would resemble a concept called "Carroll gravity".
The two Vatican astronomers hope their research will help limit the different theories put forward by other scientists regarding cosmic inflation, as well as the possible theories they develop to explain quantum gravity.
The most famous of these is the so-called string theory.
According to the scientists, a coherent theory of quantum gravity would greatly contribute to understanding how the universe works and how it was formed.
The priests stated that their research was further confirmation "that our universe appears mathematically ordered and harmonious".
"For a believing person, it is logical to believe that this order is the fruit of the creation of a benevolent God," they wrote in their statement.
"This is not proof of God's existence, but an 'aesthetic' reasoning, in the sense that believers are inflamed by the mathematical beauty of this universe, out of love for God, who created this universe out of love," they emphasized.
"As believers, we know that God created this universe in a relationship of love with the Son and that this love is the Holy Spirit. When we do science, it is as if we find in the universe traces of this love and therefore a trace of God. That is why we sometimes say that research is a form of prayer," they added.
The priests specified that their research "is only part of a much broader scientific effort to understand the universe, with many other scientists also consistently publishing valuable research results".
However, they emphasized that "the Vatican Observatory is very pleased with the publication and to have succeeded in making this contribution to scientific knowledge".
The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world, dating back to 1582.
Its headquarters are in Castel Gandolfo, about 25 kilometers southeast of Rome, where the Pope's summer residence is also located.
The Vatican Observatory also operates the Mount Graham International Observatory in Arizona, USA, where the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), a 1.8-meter diameter telescope, is used.
The priests and Chris Graney, another distinguished scientist at the Vatican Observatory, told CNA that Catholics can be proud that their Church embraces science and promotes and encourages the type of research published "in the best scientific journals".
They further emphasized that they are following in the footsteps of other Catholic scientists who have contributed to human knowledge of the universe, including those of Father Georges Lemaître, the originator of the Big Bang theory.
Read in German on CNA