Astronomers have developed a method that allows them to see the mists of the early universe and detect light from the first stars and galaxies.
The researchers hope this will help them shed light on the secrets of how the universe evolved following the Big Bang.
Square Kilometer Array (SKA) – a telescope due to be completed by the end of the decade – will likely be able to capture images of the universe’s first light.
Thick hydrogen clouds make it difficult for current telescopes.
We are very excited to see how well the system will perform, and have full confidence that we will make that elusive discovery
The signal astronomers aim to detect is expected to be regarding 100,000 times weaker than other radio signals from the sky as well — for example, radio signals originating in our galaxy.
Now, researchers led by the University of Cambridge have developed a methodology for seeing clouds and other sky-noise signals, avoiding the harmful effect of distortions caused by a radio telescope.
Their new methodology, part of the Reach Experiment (Radio Experiment for Analyzing Cosmic Hydrogen), will allow astronomers to observe the oldest stars through their interaction with hydrogen clouds.
It’s the same way experts deduce landscapes by looking at shadows in fog.
“At the time when the first stars formed, the universe was mostly empty and composed mostly of hydrogen and helium,” said the paper’s lead author, Dr. Eloy de Lyra Acedo, of the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge.
He added: “Because of gravity, the elements eventually came together and the conditions were right for nuclear fusion, which is what formed the first stars.
“But it was surrounded by clouds of neutral hydrogen, which absorb light well, so it’s hard to detect or notice the light directly behind the clouds.”
The new method analyzes data from multiple antennas and over a wider frequency range than current equivalent devices.
Construction of the telescope is being completed at the Karoo Radio Reserve in South Africa, a site chosen for its excellent conditions for radio observation of the sky.
It is far from man-made radio frequency interference, for example, TV and FM radio signals.
Professor Dirk de Villiers, co-lead of the project at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said: “Although the antenna technology used in this device is rather simple, the harsh and remote deployment environment, and the exacting tolerances required in manufacturing, make this a very challenging project to operate. on him “.
He added, “We are very excited to see how well the system will perform, and we have complete confidence that we will make this discovery a long way off.”
The results were published in the Nature Astronomy Journal.
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