<human>:  Where did the energy come from to inflate the universe according to the inflationary theory?
<bot>: The energy came from the quantum vacuum. The quantum vacuum is a sea of virtual particles that pop in and out of existence. These particles are constantly popping in and out of existence, and they are constantly interacting with each other. This interaction causes the particles to move around, and this movement causes the particles to interact with each other. This interaction causes the particles to move around even more, and this movement causes the particles to interact with each other even more. This process continues until the particles are moving so fast that they are no longer able to interact with each other.