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Detection of Waves in Space Buttresses Landmark Theory of Big Bang
New York Times ^ | March 17, 2014 | DENNIS OVERBYE

Posted on 03/17/2014 8:46:48 AM PDT by Seizethecarp

On Monday, Dr. Guth’s starship came in. Radio astronomers reported that they had seen the beginning of the Big Bang, and that his hypothesis, known undramatically as inflation, looked right.

Reaching back across 13.8 billion years to the first sliver of cosmic time with telescopes at the South Pole, a team of astronomers led by John M. Kovac of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics detected ripples in the fabric of space-time — so-called gravitational waves — the signature of a universe being wrenched violently apart when it was roughly a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second old. They are the long-sought smoking-gun evidence of inflation, proof, Dr. Kovac and his colleagues say, that Dr. Guth was correct.

Inflation has been the workhorse of cosmology for 35 years, though many, including Dr. Guth, wondered whether it could ever be proved.

If corroborated, Dr. Kovac’s work will stand as a landmark in science comparable to the recent discovery of dark energy pushing the universe apart, or of the Big Bang itself. It would open vast realms of time and space and energy to science and speculation.

Marc Kamionkowski of Johns Hopkins University, an early-universe expert who was not part of the team, said, “This is huge, as big as it gets.”

Dr. Kovac and his collaborators, working in an experiment known as Bicep, for Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization, reported their results in a scientific briefing at the Center for Astrophysics here on Monday and in a set of papers submitted to The Astrophysical Journal.

Dr. Kovac said the chance that the results were a fluke was only one in 3.5 million — a gold standard of discovery called five-sigma.

Guth pronounced himself “bowled over,” saying he had not expected such a definite confirmation in his lifetime.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: alanguth; bigbang; cosmicinflation; einstein; gravitywaves; stringtheory
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To: CondorFlight

Exactly, I wonder the same. Our earth “space time” is not the same as elsewhere, shouldn’t we have some sort of “universe space time index” and measure earth space-time against that? some type of ratio?

I’ve never heard of any such thing though(?)


61 posted on 03/17/2014 12:07:26 PM PDT by fuzzylogic (welfare state = sharing consequences of poor moral choices among everybody)
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To: Seizethecarp; stylecouncilor

Very interesting. This would be really big news. Thanks so much for tracking it down.


62 posted on 03/17/2014 12:23:42 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: fuzzylogic

I measure everything based on Betelgeuse Mean Time.


63 posted on 03/17/2014 12:31:35 PM PDT by Boogieman
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To: Seizethecarp

Bookmark for later.


64 posted on 03/17/2014 12:40:31 PM PDT by The Cajun (Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Louie Gohmert......Nuff said.)
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So what exactly went bang?and where did it come from in the first place?


65 posted on 03/17/2014 12:55:25 PM PDT by pricilla (one should always try to be smarter than the equipment one is operating - Amajato)
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To: pricilla

Who pulled the trigger on the Big Bang?


66 posted on 03/17/2014 1:04:22 PM PDT by CaptainK (...please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
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To: onedoug

Pre-print is up now as well.

http://bicepkeck.org/b2_respap_arxiv_v1.pdf


67 posted on 03/17/2014 1:20:06 PM PDT by gopher300
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To: gopher300

Reading it now. Thanks mucho!


68 posted on 03/17/2014 2:03:36 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: fuzzylogic

Write up a Lorentz transformation for it, for us.


69 posted on 03/17/2014 2:21:28 PM PDT by MHGinTN (Being deceived can be cured.)
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To: hoagy62

I will never understand Christians objecting to the Big Bang Theory. It is merely Genesis 1:1 expressed in different language.

Except it makes no claim to know why the BB happened.


70 posted on 03/17/2014 4:00:31 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: Mr. K
Universe was created by some sort of god or in the Big Bang

Or

Universe was created by some sort of God or in by the Big Bang.

Those who believe don't see any problem for an infinite God to create a billion year old rock in a few nanoseconds.

71 posted on 03/17/2014 5:32:39 PM PDT by MosesKnows (Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe.)
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To: dirtymac

They are a-poppin’ for joy.


72 posted on 03/17/2014 7:12:00 PM PDT by cloudmountain
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To: Seizethecarp

Nerds celebrating.

It’s kind of cute.

But seriously, this is cool stuff.


73 posted on 03/17/2014 7:23:01 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (If you want to keep your dignity, you can keep it. Period........ Just kidding, you can't keep it.)
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To: Vermont Lt

5,000 comments just on CNN story now.

I live just down the road from Hanford LIGO; hope they get some positive results as well.


74 posted on 03/17/2014 7:26:01 PM PDT by steve86 (to the nearest on-shore cell tower or repeater).)
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To: hoagy62

Well, there ya have it. Not really all that different is it?


75 posted on 03/17/2014 7:26:02 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (If you want to keep your dignity, you can keep it. Period........ Just kidding, you can't keep it.)
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To: blueunicorn6

All 3 of my babies wrenched me apart before they were a second old.


76 posted on 03/17/2014 7:33:10 PM PDT by Protect the Bill of Rights
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To: steve86

Been reading on it for the last couple of hours.

Guardian.com version of story from Friday has some interesting comments.


77 posted on 03/17/2014 10:00:29 PM PDT by steve86 (to the nearest on-shore cell tower or repeater).)
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To: steve86

Be sure to expand comments on the Guardian or you’ll miss the good ones.


78 posted on 03/17/2014 10:39:26 PM PDT by steve86 (to the nearest on-shore cell tower or repeater).)
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To: MosesKnows

May The Great Green Arklesiezure sneeze upon you.


79 posted on 03/18/2014 5:55:57 AM PDT by Mr. K (If you like your constitution, you can keep it...Period.)
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To: UCANSEE2
I figure the scope of meaning associated with "photon" varies from person to person, but technically, all electromagnetic radiation, from very low frequency, to radio, to microwave, to visible light, to x-rays, to high energy, all of that comprises photons.

In other words, "photons" technically covers more spectrum than the (human) visible spectrum of electromagnetic energy. Radio telescopes capture photons, just as optical telescopes do.

80 posted on 03/18/2014 6:05:50 AM PDT by Cboldt
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