Supercomputers Now Targeting the Universe‘s Earliest Moments – Could Numerical Relativity Reveal What Came Before the Big Bang?
London,UK – Scientists are turning to the powerful tools of numerical relativity – a computational approach first developed to understand black hole mergers – to tackle one of cosmology’s biggest mysteries: what,if anything,existed before the Big Bang. The research, largely funded by UK Research Councils and the Leverhulme Trust, aims to model the incredibly rapid expansion of the universe during Cosmic Inflation, the fraction of a second following the Big Bang.
Numerical relativity, unlike conventional pen-and-paper calculations, allows researchers to find solutions to Einstein’s equations even when exact analytical solutions are impossible. This approach proved successful in predicting the characteristics of gravitational waves,confirmed by their first detection a decade ago.
“I am most excited about using numerical relativity to explore how the Big Bang began,and how it can be used to solve some long-standing problems in string theories,” explained Professor Eugene Lim of King’s College London to IFLScience.
The work focuses on Cosmic Inflation, a period of exponential expansion necessary to explain the observed uniformity of the universe. Though, the cause of this inflation remains unknown. Researchers believe numerical relativity could provide clues.
“Because inflation itself is not a full theory, but a theory that must be derived from something more fundamental (in technical terms, we call inflation an “effective theory”),” Lim elaborated.
By simulating conditions during inflation, scientists hope to uncover evidence supporting theories that extend beyond our current understanding of space and time, such as the cyclical universe (Big Bounce) and various multiverse hypotheses. Numerical solutions could reveal requirements or conditions that point to fundamental fields, interactions, or properties beyond our known universe.
While computationally demanding – “We would have already done it otherwise,” the article notes – recent breakthroughs in supercomputing power are making these simulations feasible.
The findings are detailed in a new study published in the journal Living Reviews in Relativity.This research represents a critically important step towards perhaps peering beyond the veil of the Big Bang and understanding the universe’s ultimate origins.
(Note: An earlier version of this story was published in 2025.)
