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The curvature of the universe places constraints on the topology. If the spatial geometry is spherical, i.e., possess positive curvature, the topology is compact. For a flat (zero curvature) or a hyperbolic (negative curvature) spatial geometry, the topology can be either compact or infinite. [8]
The Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker metric is a curved metric which forms the current foundation for the description of the expansion of the universe and the shape of the universe. [citation needed] The fact that photons have no mass yet are distorted by gravity, means that the explanation would have to be something besides photonic ...
The ΛCDM model assumes that the shape of the universe is of zero curvature (is flat) and has an undetermined topology. In 2019, interpretation of Planck data suggested that the curvature of the universe might be positive (often called "closed"), which would contradict the ΛCDM model.
Possible shapes of the universe. In terms of the curvature of space-time and the shape of the universe, it can theoretically be closed (positive curvature, or space-time folding in itself as though on a four-dimensional sphere's surface), open (negative curvature, with space-time folding outward), or flat (zero curvature, like the surface of a ...
On average, space is observed to be very nearly flat (with a curvature close to zero), meaning that Euclidean geometry is empirically true with high accuracy throughout most of the universe. [78] Spacetime also appears to have a simply connected topology , in analogy with a sphere, at least on the length scale of the observable universe.
The mean curvature is an extrinsic measure of curvature equal to half the sum of the principal curvatures, k 1 + k 2 / 2 . It has a dimension of length −1. Mean curvature is closely related to the first variation of surface area. In particular, a minimal surface such as a soap film has mean curvature zero and a soap bubble has
In the case of the flatness problem, the parameter which appears fine-tuned is the density of matter and energy in the universe. This value affects the curvature of space-time, with a very specific critical value being required for a flat universe. The current density of the universe is observed to be very close to this critical value.
Gaussian curvature is an intrinsic measure of curvature, meaning that it could in principle be measured by a 2-dimensional being living entirely within the surface, because it depends only on distances that are measured “within” or along the surface, not on the way it is isometrically embedded in Euclidean space.