Does the universe end in a big crunch or big silence?

Scale of dark energy effecting surrounding stars. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab / Michael Lentz (ScitechDaily, What If Einstein Was Only Half Right? NASA’s New Test for Dark Energy)

The fact is that the only thing we know is that the universe has a beginning and an end. This means. The lifetime of the universe and material as we know it has a limited time. A flat universe means. That the expansion continues forever. The spherical universe means. The universe will collapse into the Big Crunch. The hyperbolic universe means. The universe's expansion continues forever. The fate of the universe. Depends on the density parameter marked as Omega (Ω). This is why. This parameter is sometimes called the “Omega parameter”, but that means the density parameter. The problem with making predictions about the universe’s ultimate fate is that we don’t know the universe’s local geometry. When the universe expands. That means interactions between particles turn weaker. There are four fundamental interactions. Strong, weak nuclear interactions, electromagnetism, and gravitation. 

And we don’t know. Does the dark energy really evolve? The thing is that dark energy will evolve. If it's released in the Big Bang. Another big question is where that energy begins. There are models that dark energy forms in space between subatomic particles. There is something that collects and summarizes energy fields. If there is a fast-spinning structure that binds energy into it, and when its rotation speed decreases. That means. The structure releases its energy. 

“The local geometry of the universe is determined by whether the density parameter Ω is greater than, less than, or equal to 1. From top to bottom: a spherical universe with Ω > 1, a hyperbolic universe with Ω < 1, and a flat universe with Ω = 1. These depictions of two-dimensional surfaces are merely easily visualizable analogs to the 3-dimensional structure of (local) space.” (Wikipedia, Shape of the universe)

If Ω = 1, the universe is flat.

If Ω > 1, there is positive curvature.

If Ω < 1, there is negative curvature.

The ultimate fate of the universe depends on whether the universe is closed or open. If the universe is open. The ultimate fate of the universe is the big silence. If the universe is closed. The ultimate fate of the universe is the Big Crunch. The only thing that fills the condition that the universe is closed is the spherical universe. 

Closed universe

If Ω>1, the geometry of space is closed, like the surface of a sphere. The sum of the angles of a triangle exceeds 180 degrees, and there are no parallel lines; all lines eventually meet. The geometry of the universe is, at least on a very large scale, elliptic. (Wikipedia, Ultimate fate of the universe)

Open universe

If Ω<1, the geometry of space is open, i.e., negatively curved like the surface of a saddle. The angles of a triangle sum to less than 180 degrees, and lines that do not meet are never equidistant; they have a point of least distance and otherwise grow apart. The geometry of such a universe is hyperbolic. (Wikipedia, Ultimate fate of the universe)

There is also a possibility that the universe is virtually open. That means the edge of the pancake universe could be at a higher level than the center of the universe. That makes the universe curve. Above itself like some kind of rosebud.  And that effect. Closes the universe into it. The lower energy center in the universe pulls the edge into it. But that is only speculation. 

In some models, the Big Bang was a series of events. That can form shells. Or layers, or states,  in the universe. Those layers or shells form the structure; their energy jumps back and forth. That model tries to explain dark energy as the oscillation or waves in those layers. 

Another explanation is that the dark energy is the glow of the Big Bang. And in the newest models. Dark energy is the glow that forms when dark matter particles interact. The problem is that we haven’t seen dark matter particles. The only thing. That tells us. A possible dark matter interaction is a strange gamma-ray glow in the center of galaxies. The another explanation can be that the supermassive black holes like Sgr*A. can pull dark energy intside them. If that is true. The supermassive black hole turns dark energy. So dense. It causes some subatomic particles to glow. Another explanation could be that the black hole’s gravitational field stretches protons, and that causes the subatomic particle-antiparticle pairs to annihilate. 

There are theories that some kind of wormholes teleport, or tunnel particles through them. Those wormholes act like masers. They transmit energy into particles that travel in those energy tornadoes or energy tunnels. This is the effect. That denies particles from turning old. When a particle comes out of that wormhole, it releases its energy faster than usual. There is also a possibility that some kind of energy wave travels through those energy bridges, and they can inject more energy into that string. The energy tornado acts like a laser. The wormhole locks energy in the particle. And that denies its aging. 

“A wormhole visualized as a two-dimensional surface. Route (a) is the shortest path through normal space between points 1 and 2; route (b) is a shorter path through a wormhole.” (Wikipedia, Wormhole)

If a particle travels through a wormhole and comes out, its energy level is higher than it should be. And that means it releases energy faster and stronger than normal particles that traveled the same distance.  

And it pumps energy into the field that travels in the electromagnetic or gravitational tornado. If there is a gravitational field that travels in a gravitational tornado, that structure binds gravitational energy into it. But at the same time. The wave that travels in the gravitational tornado sends a stronger gravitational wave than it should when it comes out from that structure. We know that those energy tornadoes are possible. There is evidence. About electromagnetic wormholes, but the wormholes that travel through a gravitational field are not yet proven. 

When we think about the models. Where the dark energy evolves.  Because. All dark energy was released in the Big Bang. We can look at the cosmic microwave background (CMB). There are holes in that image. The expansion can form holes in the dark energy just like it forms holes in the CMB. That forms a vacuum in the energy field. And this causes a situation. Where energy falls into those bubbles. This effect focuses the energy field in those bubbles. 

Above: Cosmic microwave background. 

If dark energy forms fields. The Schwinger effect is also possible between dark energy waves. And the dark energy should also have wave-particle duality. This means that things like Kugelblitz black holes can also form from dark energy. In physics. Kugelblitz means a black hole. That formed straight from radiation or wave movement. 

The thing is that dark energy interacts with all particles, but that interaction is so weak. That we can see it. Only in the large-scale structures. But then back to the universe’s ultimate fate. That thing is one of the biggest mysteries in many ways. For effecting material energy must move. And if dark energy was released in the Big Bang event. The expansion of the universe causes the conclusion that. Dark energy should turn weaker. When the area of the energy expands, but there is no new energy in that area. That turns energy weaker. But if that energy forms somewhere. That means the energy effect turns static. Or it turns even stronger. Dark energy is similar to energy. As all other energy types. 

We don’t know its origin. If dark energy forms somewhere, that could prove the hypothetical particle’s tachyons' existence. Tachyons are hypothetical faster-than-light particles. There is a possibility that the black holes can release those particles. But. When a tachyon comes into three-dimensional space and time. It releases its energy immediately. That means tachyons cannot exist in our universe. It’s possible that tachyons release photons. Those are on the ultra-high energy levels. That can explain dark energy. Dark energy should have interaction with all particles, but that interaction is so weak that we cannot see it. 

There is one very exciting model of dark energy. That model is that dark energy forms outside the universe. Maybe that strange wave movement that dominates the universe existed before the Big Bang. That could explain matter and energy. Same way. As the theory. Where the universe and matter formed from gravitational waves. In the most exciting model, the dark energy formed matter in wave-particle duality. If dark energy is a wave movement. Wave-particle duality (WPD). And the Schwinger effect. It should also be possible in dark energy. That means dark energy can also form particles. But then, what is the ultimate fate of the universe? The fact is this: we don’t know. 

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/ask-ethan-will-the-cosmic-microwave-background-ever-disappear/

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/evolving-dark-energy-big-crunch/

https://hub.jhu.edu/2025/10/16/mysterious-glow-in-milky-way-dark-matter/

https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/dark-matter/mysterious-glow-at-the-milky-ways-center-could-reshape-a-major-cosmic-theory

https://sciencenotes.org/cosmic-microwave-background-radiation-cmb-or-cmbr/

https://scitechdaily.com/what-if-einstein-was-only-half-right-nasas-new-test-for-dark-energy/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Crunch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_energy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_death_of_the_universe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kugelblitz_(astrophysics)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwinger_effect

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachyon

https://scitechdaily.com/the-universe-will-end-in-a-big-crunch-physicists-warns/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_fate_of_the_universe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave%E2%80%93particle_duality

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole