July 1, 2009 -- A search for gravitational waves stemming from the creation of the universe commences this week with an array of new detectors sensitive enough to measure signals as faint as a billionth of a volt.
The experiment, called QUIET, is the latest attempt to find theoretical ripples in the expanse of space caused by the Big Bang explosion some 14 billion years ago.
Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravity waves which would have alternatively compressed and expanded space in one direction and then another, disrupting space and time. The effect is similar to what happens when a rock falls into a smooth body of water.
The goal of QUIET (Q/U Imaging ExperimenT; the Q and U stand for radiation parameters called Stokes parameters) is to search the remnant radiation from the Big Bang explosion -- the so-called cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation that permeates space -- for this imprint.
"Our experiment uses amplifiers, and we can measure the polarization of the CMB in both directions in a single pixel in the sky," University of Chicago physicist-turned-cosmologist Bruce Winstein told Discovery News. "We're looking for particular patterns of the polarizations on the sky."
The research has implications for understanding how the universe came into existence.
"The theorists, even without data, are very good at inventing things. Probably what we'll do is throw out a bunch of what they've invented," Winstein said.
Looking for Traces of This
An illustration of what the Big Bang may have looked like. A new experiment, called QUIET will look for theoretical ripples in the expanse of space caused by the explosion some 14 billion years ago.
QUIET, Please
Stationed in Chile's Atacama Desert, the QUIET experiment will begin scanning the sky for gravitational waves stemming from the Big Bang.
The experiment, called QUIET, is the latest attempt to find theoretical ripples in the expanse of space caused by the Big Bang explosion some 14 billion years ago.
Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravity waves which would have alternatively compressed and expanded space in one direction and then another, disrupting space and time. The effect is similar to what happens when a rock falls into a smooth body of water.
The goal of QUIET (Q/U Imaging ExperimenT; the Q and U stand for radiation parameters called Stokes parameters) is to search the remnant radiation from the Big Bang explosion -- the so-called cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation that permeates space -- for this imprint.
"Our experiment uses amplifiers, and we can measure the polarization of the CMB in both directions in a single pixel in the sky," University of Chicago physicist-turned-cosmologist Bruce Winstein told Discovery News. "We're looking for particular patterns of the polarizations on the sky."
The research has implications for understanding how the universe came into existence.
"The theorists, even without data, are very good at inventing things. Probably what we'll do is throw out a bunch of what they've invented," Winstein said.
Looking for Traces of This
An illustration of what the Big Bang may have looked like. A new experiment, called QUIET will look for theoretical ripples in the expanse of space caused by the explosion some 14 billion years ago.
QUIET, Please
Stationed in Chile's Atacama Desert, the QUIET experiment will begin scanning the sky for gravitational waves stemming from the Big Bang.
