Well, you're the expert sensei ... don't let it take up too much of your time, i bet you have like a stack of paper on your desk by the time you get back.
I have at least a full stack of e-mails (only about 200 thanks to the vacation break) :D
For the rest of your question: there are different potential scenarios for the end of the universe. In other words, we do not know: The black holes will continue to attract everything, but in how long? Will the universe continue expanding as well? Who knows?
yes, that's my favourite answer in the world :) to know that we know nothing makes us the wisest of all greeks (at least to the oracle :) - hope you enjoyed the time off and have found re-newed vigor to tackle the myteries of the universe once more there !!!
It is always nice to be back at the office after a longish break (3 weeks in my case). I am still processing my e-mails and have not therefore done much new things today (more on the continuity of what was going on before my break).
At least every time I ask something on google map, it shows that I am at the center of it ^^
But yes, I enjoyed my break! Back to the roots of doing something different ;)
I have never really left ;)
I have read the paper and discuss it with colleagues earlier today. I think that the wording 'pre-big-bang' has just been used to get a buzz. Cosmic inflation is actually right after the big bang and not before it. At least to my knowledge on how it is usually used.
This is correct. Strictly speaking, the "before big bang" is undefined. Note that there are as well alternative cosmologies without a big bang.
Dwarf galaxy problem
The dwarf galaxy problem, also known as the missing satellites problem, arises from a mismatch between observed dwarf galaxy numbers and numerical cosmological simulations that predict the evolution of the distribution of matter in the universe. In simulations, Dark matter clusters hierarchically, in ever increasing numbers of halo "blobs" as halos' components' sizes become smaller-and-smaller. However, although there seem to be enough observed normal-sized galaxies to match the simulated size distribution, the number of dwarf galaxies is orders of magnitude lower than expected from simulation.