Astronomers discover polarised ripples in the cosmic background radiation that could be caused by gravitational waves of the inflating universe.
Inflation was first proposed in the early 1980s to explain some aspects of Big Bang Theory that appeared to not quite add up, such as why deep space looks broadly the same on all sides of the sky. The contention was that a very rapid expansion early on could have smoothed out any unevenness.
But inflation came with a very specific prediction - that it would be associated with waves of gravitational energy, and that these ripples in the fabric of space would leave an indelible mark on the oldest light in the sky - the famous Cosmic Microwave Background.
The BICEP2 team says it has now identified that signal. Scientists call it B-mode polarisation. It is a characteristic twist in the directional properties of the CMB. Only the gravitational waves moving through the Universe in its inflationary phase could have produced such a marker. It is a true "smoking gun".
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From here].
Hey, I heard it in the Swiss radio news!
Amazing stuff, interesting image, thanks for sharing.
It makes me dizzy trying to comprehend that stuff.
Even the most basic, 'cosmic waves', when I think of waves I think of the rock dropping the pond, or noise moving out from something and then settling back to nothing... except for return-waves echoing back from something.
But in space the big bang and then, on a cosmic scale, there's nothing for these waves to bounce off of.
Or is it a different wave who's properties change but it stays localized.
Truly bizarre and beautiful.
In past earlier decades I have had periods where I really got into the history of turn of the century physics and the whole quantum revolution. And it's interesting for a non-specialist to read these reports and abstracts that are well over my head, but there were those basics that I did have some idea about, catch here and there.
Like the modern cell phone conversation where the connection drops out, or distorts horribly, etc. And when the conversation is done I'm stuck putting the pieces together best I can. But, it's fun and interesting, specially considering I've been spectator for 50 years, and all the evolution of ideas I've witness, even if I can only actually comprehend a small fraction of those scientific insights.