I'd like some professional help with this, please keep speculations out of this discussion.
Given our current data, expansion is likely to indefinitely continue resulting in a universe where no work is possible. Now let us assume that the universe we live in is a one-shot universe i.e. it came from something, but now it's headed for its ultimate decay for eternity. In this universe, the only true possible end would be not heat death (because quantum foam still holds a non-zero probability for creating big-bangs), but a decay of the vacuum state to a yet lower energy state. During this fall, all microscopic quantum fluctuations would be macroscopically relevant and create potentially new universes with different fundamental constants.
The question is how long can this process go on for? Let's say after some N number of drops, the vacuum state does decay into a true vaccum. What then? Quantum laws vanish too? Is that a logical conclusion to make? Why should we say that quantum foam wouldn't exist in a truly zero energy state? Mathematically there is no reason why HUP should cease to exist, therefore there is no true vacuum and there is always a lower energy state to drop into. We either have to invalidate the concept of infinity or give up a very fundamental mathematical truth. What are the hopes for one-shot universe? I can't find a good one.
Given our current data, expansion is likely to indefinitely continue resulting in a universe where no work is possible. Now let us assume that the universe we live in is a one-shot universe i.e. it came from something, but now it's headed for its ultimate decay for eternity. In this universe, the only true possible end would be not heat death (because quantum foam still holds a non-zero probability for creating big-bangs), but a decay of the vacuum state to a yet lower energy state. During this fall, all microscopic quantum fluctuations would be macroscopically relevant and create potentially new universes with different fundamental constants.
The question is how long can this process go on for? Let's say after some N number of drops, the vacuum state does decay into a true vaccum. What then? Quantum laws vanish too? Is that a logical conclusion to make? Why should we say that quantum foam wouldn't exist in a truly zero energy state? Mathematically there is no reason why HUP should cease to exist, therefore there is no true vacuum and there is always a lower energy state to drop into. We either have to invalidate the concept of infinity or give up a very fundamental mathematical truth. What are the hopes for one-shot universe? I can't find a good one.
