Singularities 89singularity, whether or not there was a bounce.
P. Steinhardt Your description of the situation is a misconception. The acceler-
ated expansion that occurs in the cyclic model is not necessary to make the
universe smooth and flat. In fact, it may be that there are only a few e-folds
of dark energy domination in our future before the contraction begins. The
key in our scenario is the slowly contracting phase with very high pressure,
which, it turns, smoothes and flattens the universe as well. So, we have learned
from these studies that there are two ways of obtaining a flat, homogeneous
and isotropic universe: a rapidly expanding phase with w near -1, conventional
inflation, or a slowly contracting phase with w > 1.W. Fischler It is always said that inflation solves the homogeneity and flatness
problems, however, that is put in by hand. At the moment where inflation
starts, homogeneity of the inflaton at scales larger than the causal region at
that point in time, is fed into the model.