The Harvard - Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has news so big it denote that it would announce something . The press league willstream live tomorrow at noon , butcosmologists everywhere are gossipingabout what that news could be . The direct theory : Scientists have detected gravitational undulation , in what would be a landmark discovery for the force field of physics .
Gravitational wave are the last clod of Einstein ’s General Theory of Relativity that was predicted but not yet keep . If gravitational waves have been observed , it most likely was done by theBackground Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization(Bicep ) scope at the south perch . It star at the cosmic microwave background actinotherapy from 2003 to 2008 , but it have a farsighted time to process and analyze the information when count for a faint signal in a mickle of noise .
2007 photo of telescope at the Dark Center at the Amundsen - Scott South Pole Station . From top to bottom , the part - buriedAST / RO , QUaD , Viper , and finallyBICEPandSPTat the bottom . Image credit : Robert Schwarz
The Bicep deputation page describes anticipated gravitative wafture as faint , polarized , and strain by gravitative lensing of objects between us and the cosmic microwave background radiation . They releaseda video of their observations in 2008 . The color scale adjusts throughout the movie to play up temperature fluctuation of both the cosmic microwave background radiation , and the galactic plane :
Why look at the cosmic microwave background radiation therapy for sign of gravitative waves ? Because an minute moment after the creation started — 10 - 34 seconds after the big bang — we think it proceed through an inflationary period . If it did , that inflation could have amplified gravitational waves to such an extent that we can actually discover them . This would not only fill in that last lose glob of thing predicted by General Relativity that we have n’t see yet , but also offer a glimpse into the primeval universe . They wo n’t be insta - proof that inflationary theory is correct , but they would rule out some cyclic theories for the inception of the cosmos .
Some pre - announcement articles are already mixing up very common somberness wave with gravitative waves . To secernate , I ’ll pass matter off to an exasperated Dr. Katherine Mack :
People use " gravity undulation " to mean " gravitational wave " constantly , so probably any clarification is a lost grounds , but had to say it .
— Katie Mack ( @AstroKatie)March 15 , 2014
Gravity waves are usual phenomena in both the ocean and thesky , as seen in this MODIS persona . Read more about them at theEarth Observatory .
As for the press conference , I ’m already poise for dashing hopes . “ Breaking tidings ! We ’ll have breaking news for you on Monday ! ” promulgation produce so much hype that the literal breakthrough probably wo n’t live up to outlook . I ’m not the only one feel that mode — the Guardian ran an entire pieceinterviewing conservatively excited cosmologist monish that the observations would involve to be highly robust if they ’re going to be momentous .
Update : What , you ca n’t wait until Monday to affirm that this is all about gravitational waves before learning about them?Preposterous Universe has a detailed , endearing write - up on the topicwith enough mathematics to fulfill even pernickety cosmologist .
Update 2 : Alright , I guess that exist up to the hype …
unbelievable Discovery Provides Evidence for the Big Bang Theory
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , science , and cultivation news in your inbox daily .
News from the future , delivered to your present .
