Newborn Images of the Cosmos Exhibit First Light Observed, Marking Earliest Signal in Universe's History
New Discoveries From the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Unveil the Universe's First Light
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) has released the sharpest images yet of the universe's first light, a discovery that offers a glimpse into the cosmos' infancy. This cooled remnant, known as the cosmic microwave background, provides a detailed view of the movement of hydrogen and helium during the universe's formative years.
The cosmos, now a more mature 13.8 billion years old, contains as much mass as 1,900 zetta-suns, or the equivalent of almost two trillion trillion Suns. Jo Dunkley, a physics and astrophysical sciences professor at Princeton University, serves as the ACT analysis leader.
The measurements gathered by ACT confirm the age of the universe at 13.8 billion years old, with an uncertainty of only 0.1%. They also confirm that it's business as usual for our surrounding cosmos. That's because light would frequently scatter off of free electrons, making the universe opaque. However, it wasn't until 380,000 years after the Big Bang when particles began to combine, allowing light to travel freely and ending the cosmic dark ages.
Suzanne Staggs, director of ACT and professor of physics at Princeton University, stated that the measurements show the first steps towards making the earliest stars and galaxies. Astronomers can get as close as possible to the Big Bang by studying this ancient light to understand the birth and evolution of the cosmos.
The new images date back to when the universe was only 380,000 years old. The group of scientists who conducted measurements with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, including a significant contribution from the team at Cornell University, are using these measurements to gather clues to the universe's origin story.
This ancient light carries with it clues to the universe's past and its future. The standard model of cosmology has undergone its most stringent set of tests, with ACT able to measure the polarization of the universe's first light with extreme sensitivity. The universe extends out to about 50 billion light-years in all directions away from us.
Despite the new discoveries, the results of the tests do not show evidence for any novelties. However, these images offer a valuable insight into the universe's early days, providing a foundation for future research and a deeper understanding of our cosmic origins.
