... 4 9 L </ ref > ▁Ed win ▁Hub ble ▁observation ally ▁confirmed ▁L ema ître ' s ▁find ings ▁two ▁years ▁later . ▁Assuming ▁the ▁cosm ological ▁principle , ▁these ▁find ings ▁would ▁imply ▁that ▁all ▁galaxies ▁are ▁moving ▁away ▁from ▁each ▁other . ▁ ▁Based ▁on ▁large ▁quantities ▁of ▁experimental ▁observation ▁and ▁theoretical ▁work , ▁the ▁scientific ▁cons ensus ▁is ▁that ▁space ▁itself ▁is ▁expand ing , ▁and ▁that ▁it ▁expanded ▁very ▁rapidly ▁within ▁the ▁first ▁fraction ▁of ▁a ▁second ▁after ▁the ▁Big ▁Bang . ▁This ▁kind ▁of ▁expansion ▁is ▁known ▁as ▁" metric ▁expansion ". ▁In ▁mathematics ▁and ▁physics , ▁a ▁" metric " ▁means ▁a ▁measure ▁of ▁distance , ▁and ▁the ▁term ▁implies ▁that ▁the ▁sense ▁of ▁distance ▁within ▁the ▁universe ▁is ▁itself ▁changing . ▁▁ ▁Cos mic ▁infl ation ▁▁ ▁The ▁modern ▁explanation ▁for ▁the ▁metric ▁expansion ▁of ▁space ▁was ▁proposed ▁by ▁phys ic ist ▁Alan ▁G uth ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 9 ▁while ▁investig ating ▁the ▁problem ▁of ▁why ▁no ▁magnetic ▁mon op oles ▁are ▁seen ▁today . ▁G uth ▁found ▁in ▁his ▁investigation ▁that ▁if ▁the ▁universe ▁contained ▁a ▁field ▁that ▁has ▁a ▁positive - energy ▁false ▁vac u um ▁state , ▁then ▁according ▁to ▁general ▁relativ ity ▁it ▁would ▁generate ▁an ▁exponential ▁expansion ▁of ▁space . ▁It ▁was ▁very ▁quickly ▁realized ▁that ▁such ▁an ▁expansion ▁would ▁resolve ▁many ▁other ▁long - standing ▁problems . ▁These ▁problems ▁arise ▁from ▁the ▁observation ▁that ▁to ▁look ▁as ▁it ▁does ▁today , ▁the ▁universe ▁would ▁have ▁to