Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation's Polarization Detected at Last

Scientific American ^ | 19 December 2002 | Sarah Graham

[PatrickHenry]

Although it was discovered less than 40 years ago, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation has been around a lot longer than that. A relic from the early days of the Universe more than 14 billion years ago, the CMB is the oldest radiation on record. Current cosmological models posit that the CMB should be slightly polarized but this property has never been observed--until now. Researchers have successfully detected the CMB's polarization and found that it agrees with the theoretical estimates.

Erik Leitch and John Kovac of the University of Chicago and their colleagues used the Degree Angular Scale Interferometer (DASI), which is located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, to study the CMB radiation. Over a two-year period, this array of radio telescopes collected radiation signals coming from deep space in two patches of blank sky. The resulting 271 days worth of useable data revealed the light's polarization (the direction in which the light's field oscillates as it travels toward an observer on the ground). Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists report that the CMB radiation's level and spatial distribution are in excellent agreement with the predictions of the standard theory. "If the light hadn't been polarized, that would mean that we would have to throw out our whole model of how we understand the physics of the early universe," Leitch notes. In an accompanying commentary, Matias Zaldarriaga of New York University calls the findings "both a remarkable technical achievement and a wonderful consistency check for the theory."

[BikerNYC]

Then what is your theory that does a better job at incorportating the observations, including the one mentioned in this thread, that have been made?

[biblewonk]

Theories are supposed to change when new observations are made. I'm not quite sure what you want scientists to do.

The theory that there is no God has been changing every time we discover a new mystery in nature hasn't it? It's a 6000 year old theory and it is summed up in the bible pretty nicely. Jer 2:27. Darwin thought protozoa was just living jelly. What a shock to discover protozoa is more complex than a 747.

I spend most of my time on the FR debating whether or not Catholics are Christians. You are using the wrong anti Christianity example on me. It was that Galileo story that had me insisting the Army put athiest on my dogtags. How easy it is for a God hating school system to spin a young science oriented mind against all religion.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Isn't it interesting how the BB Theory is updated to predict the latest things observation shows us.

That's what science does. Religion is the theory that doesn't change when presented with new evidence.

[biblewonk]

The notion of a big bang is way beyond ridiculous. Several people have mentioned this on FR but the evos here do not appear capable of absorbing it or handling it: having everything, all the mass, energy, and everything in the universe collapsed to a point would be the ultimate black hole. Nothing could bang its way out of that, big, little, or otherwise. The whole notion is idiotic and PatrickHenry and several of these people who make all the noise on FR on these topics are basically a bunch of idiots.

I can see that you, sir, have been hanging around these threads a while haven't you? :-D

[Moonman62]

The notion of a big bang is way beyond ridiculous. Several people have mentioned this on FR but the evos here do not appear capable of absorbing it or handling it: having everything, all the mass, energy, and everything in the universe collapsed to a point would be the ultimate black hole. Nothing could bang its way out of that, big, little, or otherwise.

From what I've seen, the evil scientists agree with you. They have compared the universe to a black hole, we are inside of it, and everything we see is on the inside. They've even used that interpretation to explain why time only has one direction.

[biblewonk]

Religion is the theory that doesn't change when presented with new evidence.

I wouldn't say that. Have you seen any of the freewill vs predestination threads.

BTW are you into the stock market with an SN like that?

[RightWhale]

Okay. Vast is good. They look like ocean spray, like something slightly coherent but weak, foam, perhaps the head on a mug of beer. The idea being temporary and headed to eventual stability like the last inch of beer in yesterday's mug, warmed up and stale, but quiet and at peace.

[BikerNYC]

It was that Galileo story that had me insisting the Army put athiest on my dogtags.

Then how can you suggest that scientists should not change theories when new observations are made?

It's a 6000 year old theory and it is summed up in the bible pretty nicely.

How does the Bible explain the polarization of the CMB?

If you believe a book once and for all determines scientific evidence and theory, you are no different than the cardinals and you are not engaged in a scientific pursuit.

[Doctor Stochastic]

...but the idea of tiny [in the case of microwaves] self-perpetuating electromagnetic fields flying through space in perfectly straight lines for billions of years and preserving memory of the original field vector is mind-boggling.

It may be mind-boggling, but absent something to change the original orientation, why should't it remain the same?

[biblewonk]

Such open-minded flexability is a feature of science, which prevents scientific theories from becoming disprovable, laughable dogma.

I guess that didn't work. Did you hear the one about quantum mechanics and how nothing blew up into a universe with space, time and matter? BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[biblewonk]

Go read a good book on quantum mechanics and then come back prepared to talk about it.

Good book on QM. Oxymoron of the day! How about a good book on astrology? How far into such a book would one get before he was learning about how the big bang came from nothing? Surely you're read several such books. If not then why would you suggest that I read them?

[Doctor Stochastic]

I don't do stock analysis.

[BikerNYC]

Did you hear the one about quantum mechanics and how nothing blew up into a universe with space, time and matter?

Do you know what causes black holes to evaporate? Virtual particles that come out of nothing.

[BikerNYC]

Good book on QM. Oxymoron of the day!

You are just like the cardinals, aren't you? You have the Truth and need not look through a telescope.

[biblewonk]

Do you know what causes black holes to evaporate? Virtual particles that come out of nothing.

Sounds like a stepping stone. Start with something concrete then go to black holes evaporation and if you are still here, BANG from nothing. I've been there before, I used to go to the Carl Sagan church of materialism.

[biblewonk]

You have the Truth

What a nice thing to say. Yes I do and His name is Jesus, He is the Way the Truth and the Life.

[RightWhale]

why should't it remain the same?

I don't know. I just think it's remarkable that a mag field generates an electric field and vice versa at right angles so exactly that it continues to do this a billion times a second for 14 billion years and remains at the exact same angle. You can say cross product orthonormal basis and whatever incantation, but it's just remarkable.

Maybe more remarkable than that there is just enough water in the oceans to fill up the space between continents. Think about it.

[Doctor Stochastic]

QM does explain how the computer you are reading this on works, astrology doesn't.

What's your beef with quantum mechanics? If you are merely ignorant, you can read a good text on the subject and allay such ignorance. If you have better explanations, the publish, fame and fortune await.

[Faraday]

...but the idea of tiny [in the case of microwaves] self-perpetuating electromagnetic fields...

Not all that "tiny," in the sense that microwaves can have wavelengths up to 10 cm, if I'm not mistaken.

[Doctor Stochastic]

And even more remarkable, my legs reach exactly to the floor, no matter what part of the building I'm currently in.

But most remarkable of all, I have a Thermos bottle that keeps my coffee hot in winter and my lemonade cold in summer. How does it know? (Well, it is smarter than the latest Nobel Peace Prize winner, though.)