Posted on 10/25/2007 5:34:21 PM PDT by Nasty McPhilthy
An enormous cold spot in our universe could be explained by a cosmic defect in the fabric of space-time created shortly after the Big Bang, scientists say.
If confirmed by future studies, the finding, detailed in the Oct. 25 issue of the journal Science, could provide cosmologists with a long-sought clue about how the infant universe evolved.
But other scientists, and even members of the study team, are skeptical of the new claim.
Cosmic ice cubes
Scientists think that shortly after the Big Bang, as the universe cooled and expanded, exotic particles transformed into the particles we know today via phase transitions similar to the gas-liquid-solid transitions that matter now experiences on Earth.
And like phase transitions on Earth, defects inevitably occur. When water crystallizes to ice, for example, cloudy spots appear in the ice that mark where water molecules are misaligned. Physicists predict that similar defects happened during the phase transitions of the early universe, and that the defects took different forms.
The team thinks a cold spot in the cosmic microwave background (CMB)—an energy artifact of the Big Bang that has been detected and mapped by NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotopy Probe (WMAP) satellite—represents the most complex kind of cosmic defect, a 3-D blob-like structure called a texture.
Marcos Cruz of the Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria in Spain and colleagues analyzed the CMB cold spot, which spans 1 billion light-years across, finding it had properties consistent with a texture.
"The cosmic microwave background is the most ancient image we have of the universe, and therefore it's one of the most valuable tools to understand the universe's origins," Cruz said. "If this spot is a texture, it would allow us to discriminate among different theories that have been proposed for how the universe evolved."
'Not compelling'
Other scientists say the team's case for a cosmic defect is still weak. "It would be spectacular, and a new handle on the early universe, if this cold spot turned out to be a texture as opposed to a random fluctuation, which is perhaps a more likely explanation," said Lyman Page, a WMAP team member at Princeton University who was not involved in the study.
Liliya Williams and Lawrence Rudnick, astronomers at the University of Minnesota, recently attributed the CMB cold spot not to a cosmic defect, but to an enormous "hole" in our galaxy, devoid of stars, gas and even dark matter, a mysterious substance thought to pervade the universe but which has so far eluded direct detection.
A "cosmic defect is an intriguing and plausible explanation. However, I don't think one can dismiss a void as the cause of the CMB cold spot," Williams said in an e-mail interview. "Whatever the correct interpretation will turn out to be, it is bound to open a new window on the early universe, but what we'll see through that window is still not clear."
Study team member Neil Turok of the University of Cambridge admits his team's case is "not at all compelling" at the moment. The cold spot could be a texture, but there is a 1 percent probability it is just a random temperature fluctuation in the CMB.
"What makes this so interesting is that there are a number of follow-up checks, which can now be done," Turok said. "So the texture hypothesis is actually very testable."
A cosmic texture would cause light passing through it to bend and point in certain ways that should be detectable by future space missions, Turok said.
Noah convinced God not to wipe out humanity after all, so evidently, He can admit mistakes.
Let’s send it back to LL Bean. They’ll replace it any time.
"I didn't read the article carefully before posting" mode, ON:
Unless the area in which they observed the anomaly in the background radiation happens to be in our galaxy.
And that reminds me of a story...
A bunch of cosmologist and astronomer geeks once planned to put up a huge parabolic antennae in a particular neighborhood.
Some of the residents complained that this would interfere with their TV reception.
The scientists were amused. "No, you don't understand", they said. This dish merely detects, it doesn't transmit at all, so it CAN'T interfere.
And they dutifully went ahead and constructed the facility.
After it was up, there was one crotchety old man who complained that, sure enough, he knew it, his TV reception was out.
The scientists tried in vain to explain to him that their site didn't transmit, there must be some other cause, etc.
They were at an impasse when someone happened to notice that the facility was right IN BETWEEN (line-of-site) the man's house and the TV station.
It didn't interfere with the TV signal, just got in its way.
Cheers!
Did Schrödinger ever have to change his kitty litter?
Cheers!
I can’t believe I am the first person to mention that a flux capacitor will fix it all right up. :p
Maybe He just likes to be asked.
I forget. But the other coincidence what that they both had their hands on a steering wheel. I’d start wearing non-conductive gloves when I drove if I was worried about it.
My wife said she wanted to go somewhere she hadn’t been before. I said how about the kitchen?
lol..
Didja have to draw her a map?
I encouraged the gals I work in the sport:) Women are funny when having fun with this stuff. They are worse when the lady mask comes off. Fun!
Perhaps you have solved the mystery of the ripple in the space time continuum. We better all have an alibi!
Thanks for the ping!
I feel the same way when I go to renew my driver’s license.
She tells all her friends I’m a trophy husband: when there’s work to do at home, I stand around like a trophy.
Try this: The ripple is probably necessary and may serve as the foundation for matter when other 'ripples' collide with them and compression of energy occurs, forming points of compressed energy. These points are formed in their very own spacial coordinates when ripples meet at an angle and form an interference pattern, or a series of points. Think, Holographic Universe!
These patterns serve as the matrix for matter. Matter has to precipitate from something. When other very small things (thingons) roaming around the area collide with the interference points they become glued (Glueons) to the interference points much like larger orbs become larger through accretion. When critical mass is reached, an implosion occurs and another unit of matter (compressed energy) with its own very peculiar attributes and address pops up in the time/space continuum and becomes measurable.
That'll be twenty-five cents, please. Next!
;>
So the Second Law of Thermodynamics is more of a suggestion than a real law.....
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