Space
New Technique Provides Glimpse of Extremely Distant Galaxies in the Early Universe
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Oct 23, 2014 05:33 AM EDT
Scientists have developed a new technique for imaging extremely distant galaxies, which opens a new window into the early universe. The new method could be used to better understand the formation of massive galaxies when the universe first began.
Estimating how much molecular hydrogen is present in distant, early galaxies is difficult. The molecule emits no radiation, which means that scientists have to find indirect ways to detect hydrogen. The current method involves measuring the amount of carbon monoxide, which emits far more light than molecular hydrogen. Then, the scientists "convert" the carbon monoxide signal to an abundance of molecular hydrogen using a complex procedure. This method, though, is imprecise and prone to error. That's why scientists decided to come up with a new technique.
"We were able to show that the radiation of neutral carbon is much better suited to observe very distant galaxies," said Padelis Papadopoulos, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The measured values allow for a very precise estimation of how much molecular hydrogen is present."
That said, the radiation from neutral carbon is almost entirely absorbed by water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere, which acts similar to a pair of dark sunglasses when looking at the carbon signal. Yet the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) helped with this, allowing the telescope to pick up interstellar radiation from carbon atoms.
"According to our calculations, ALMA can detect these distant galaxies, the signals of which have been travelling to us for more than 12 billion years," said Matteo Tomassetti, lead author of the publication. "Even more importantly: for the first time we are able to precisely determine how much molecular hydrogen is present in these galaxies."
The findings may help scientists better understand how galaxies formed in the early universe. Not only that, but they will aid in future studies on the beginnings of our cosmic world.
The findings are published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
TagsGalaxy ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Oct 23, 2014 05:33 AM EDT
Scientists have developed a new technique for imaging extremely distant galaxies, which opens a new window into the early universe. The new method could be used to better understand the formation of massive galaxies when the universe first began.
Estimating how much molecular hydrogen is present in distant, early galaxies is difficult. The molecule emits no radiation, which means that scientists have to find indirect ways to detect hydrogen. The current method involves measuring the amount of carbon monoxide, which emits far more light than molecular hydrogen. Then, the scientists "convert" the carbon monoxide signal to an abundance of molecular hydrogen using a complex procedure. This method, though, is imprecise and prone to error. That's why scientists decided to come up with a new technique.
"We were able to show that the radiation of neutral carbon is much better suited to observe very distant galaxies," said Padelis Papadopoulos, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The measured values allow for a very precise estimation of how much molecular hydrogen is present."
That said, the radiation from neutral carbon is almost entirely absorbed by water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere, which acts similar to a pair of dark sunglasses when looking at the carbon signal. Yet the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) helped with this, allowing the telescope to pick up interstellar radiation from carbon atoms.
"According to our calculations, ALMA can detect these distant galaxies, the signals of which have been travelling to us for more than 12 billion years," said Matteo Tomassetti, lead author of the publication. "Even more importantly: for the first time we are able to precisely determine how much molecular hydrogen is present in these galaxies."
The findings may help scientists better understand how galaxies formed in the early universe. Not only that, but they will aid in future studies on the beginnings of our cosmic world.
The findings are published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone