The Cyclic Universe

A Conversation with Sir Roger Penrose

In the last twenty years, cosmology has unexpectedly emerged as one of the most exciting and dynamic fields of modern science. From astoundingly precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background to the ongoing mysteries of dark energy and dark matter, modern cosmology is unquestionably in the midst of its Golden Age. And yet, Sir Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford and one of the most eminent mathematical physicists of our age, is convinced that there is one fundamental problem that is consistently being overlooked: why did our universe begin in such a particular state of extremely low entropy? His Conformal Cyclic Cosmology (CCC) is an attempt to directly address that question, and a good deal more.