A newly released set of images from a telescope in Chile provides the earliest photos of the universe, dating back 380,000 years after the Big Bang. The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is the farthest we can look into the universe’s past, and these images show it more clearly than ever before.
The CMB was formed when the universe cooled enough for charged particles to fuse into hydrogen and helium, creating a clear pathway for light to travel through space. This initial phase of the universe was marked by dense plasma that scattered light in all directions, making it difficult to observe.
However, as the universe expanded, these photons were stretched out and their patterns imprinted on them. After 14 billion years, some of these ancient photons hit a radio telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert, providing us with this unique glimpse into the past.
The images show high-resolution observations of the CMB that cover more of the sky than ever before. They also reveal regions of over- and under-densities, which are indicative of the early universe’s plasma composition.
These findings confirm previous observations that the structure in the early universe maps onto its modern structure. In other words, areas with more photons now correspond to massive galaxy clusters, while sparse areas are empty space.
Einstein’s theory of general relativity has been well-substantiated, but it struggles to explain certain phenomena, particularly at the quantum level. The new images from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) provide precise data that may hold clues about quantum gravity in their polarimetry.
Cosmologist Mathew Madhavacheril notes that the polarization of light around dark matter structures aligns with Einstein’s theory of gravity, but further research is needed to fully understand this phenomenon. The detailed observations also reveal the intricate patterns of polarization that can be influenced by microscopic quantum density fluctuations.
While these findings are a significant step forward in understanding the universe’s earliest moments, they also leave room for future discoveries and the search for a unified theory of physics that explains all four fundamental forces.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/telescopes-last-gasp-gives-us-194439015.html