. "In physical cosmology, cosmic inflation, cosmological inflation, or just inflation is the exponential expansion of space in the early universe. The inflationary epoch lasted from 10\u221236 seconds after the Big Bang to sometime between 10\u221233 and 10\u221232 seconds. Following the inflationary period, the Universe continues to expand, but at a less rapid rate.The inflationary hypothesis was developed in the early 1980s. It explains the origin of the large-scale structure of the cosmos."@en . .