But with inflation, space expanded at such a colossal rate, doubling in size every 10−37 seconds, that even a slightly different duration of inflation at nearby locations resulted in a significant wrinkle. In fact, calculations undertaken in specific realizations of inflation have shown that the inhomogeneities produced in this way have a tendency to be too large; researchers often have to adjust details in a given inflationary model (the precise shape of the inflaton field’s potential energy bowl) to ensure that the quantum jitters don’t predict a universe that’s too lumpy.
