admin Scientists have for the first time observed the early universe running in extreme slow motion, unlocking one of the mysteries of Einstein’s expanding universe. The research is published in Nature Astronomy.
Einstein’s general theory of relativity means we should belookingat the distant-andthereforeancient-universe,which is moving much more slowly than it is now. However, returning to such a distant past proved difficult.
Scientists have now solvedthis mystery by using quasars as “clocks”.“Think back to a time when the universe was alittle over a billion years old.
We see that time seems to be running five times slower,” said lead author of the study, Professor Geraint Lewis from the Sydney School of Physics and the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Sydney.
“If you were here in this nascent universe, a second would feel like a second—but from whereweare, more than 12 billion years in the future, that first time seems to dragonforever.
” Professor Lewis and his colleague Dr. Brendon Brewer of the University of Auckland used observational data from nearly 200 quasars—hyperactive supermassive black holes at the heart of the first galaxies—to analyze time dilation.
“Thanks to Einstein, we know that time and space are inter connected and that the universe expanded from the beginning of time to the Big Bang singularity,”said Professor Lewis.
“This expansion of space means that our observations of the early universe should appear much slower than the present time course.
“In this work we found that formation occurred about a billion years after the Big Bang.”
Astronomers have previously used supernovae (giant exploding stars) as a “standard clock” to confirm that this slow-motion universe is about half the age of the universe. Supernovae are very bright, but difficult to observe from the very large distances required to observe the early Universe.
Observations of the quasars have confirmed that this timeline has reset to just one tenth of the age of the universe, and that the aging of the universe appears to be accelerating.
Professor Lewis said, “Supernovae are easier to study because they behave like single flashes, but quasars are more complex, like a series of fireworks.” is formed.” Standard early cosmic time markers are used.
Professor Lewis collaborated with cosmostatistician Dr. Lewis. Mr. Brewer plans to study the details of 190 quasars observed over 20 years. By combining observations made in different colors (or wavelengths): green light, red light, and infrared light, he was able to standardize the “tick” of each quasar. They used Bayesian analysis to discover that the expansion of the universe ticks each quasar.
“These sophisticated data allowed us to map the timing of quasar clocks and reveal the effects of the expansion of the universe,” said Professor Lewis.
These results further support Einstein’s picture of the expanding universe, but contrast with previous work that failed to identify the time dilation of distant quasars.
“These early studies led people to question whether quasars were really cosmological objects, or whether the idea of the expansion of space itself was correct,” said Professor Lewis.
“But this new data and analysis allows us to find the motion of the elusive quasar, which behaves exactly as Einstein’s theory of relativity predicted,” he said.
