Big Bang Signal from Beginning of Time and Space

Scientists at Harvard University are reporting that ripples in space and time created by the Big Bang have been detected. The leader of the project, Jamie Bock, stated that the implications of this discovery are staggering.

Called primordial gravitational waves, the ripples were included in Einstein’s 1916 theory of relativity. They were created 14 billion years ago, just a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. As the universe has continued to expand since that point, called inflation, scientists have theorized there should be gravitational waves, too. This effect is similar to tossing a stone in water.

The signal was discovered through use of the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization (BICEP) telescope, which is located at the South Pole. The area is optimal for stargazing due to its dryness and crystal clear skies.

Oxford University astrophysicist, Dr. Joanna Dunkley, says the ripples will give the most accurate view of what happened when the universe began. She further stated that waves themselves represent the universe expanding and shrinking. “It is kind of a snapshot of the universe as early as we can possibly see it,” she said.

The ripples are possibly the most significant cosmological discovery in 20 years.

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Online:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10703721/Big-Bang-echo-scientists-find-signal-from-dawn-of-time.html