First Tremors of the Big Bang Detected
First Direct Evidence of Cosmic Inflation, HSCFSA
“Researchers from the BICEP2 collaboration today announced the first direct evidence for this cosmic inflation. Their data also represent the first images of gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time. These waves have been described as the “first tremors of the Big Bang.” Finally, the data confirm a deep connection between quantum mechanics and general relativity.”
Press Conference Today on B-Mode Polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background
“The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) will host a press conference at 12:00 noon EDT (16:00 UTC) today to present the first results from the BICEP2 experiment, which measures B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background. This finding has major implications for our understanding of the first moments of the universe.”
March 17th Press Conference on Major Discovery at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
“The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) will host a press conference at 12:00 noon EDT (16:00 UTC) on Monday, March 17th, to announce a major discovery.”
MT @planet4589: Now confirmed BICEP2 will make papers and dataproducts public at 1045 EDT at http://t.co/wzMqZmJXHu
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) March 16, 2014
Rumors continue on possible discovery #BICEP2 of inflationary gravitational waves.Let's WAIT till Monday conference:http://t.co/WCOOtUtFX7
— Mario Livio (@Mario_Livio) March 15, 2014
Rumors continue about possible detection of "B-modes"-signature of Inflationary Universe. Announcement on Monday:http://t.co/gyGlJIc9tO
— Mario Livio (@Mario_Livio) March 15, 2014
They’d hold a big press conference over that? It’s not like HARPS hasn’t found exoplanets before. Did they find another super-earth around another red dwarf?
I am just telling you what my sources tell me.
I know. It’s not like I’m angry or anything – just surprised if that’s the case.
Speaking of announcements what about that Michael Gass announcing a money-back guarantee on Atlas/Delta launches? I guess we’ll know SpaceX has won when we see Gass selling Atlas Vs on QVC channel.
Has this been the means for announcing the Super-Earth discoveries from HARPS? The wait-theres-more feature might be that they have found a “habitable” Super-Earth. Otherwise, the Guardian speculation sounds more of the right magnitude – discovery of the microwave signature of gravitational waves. What Guardian didn’t want to tell you is that the signature in the background radiation spells EATS, ya know like the signs you can see from 20 miles on a western highway.
I am just posting what someone of stature speculates, what HSCFA has posted, and what my sources are telling me. We’ll know soon enough.
I’m okay with that, as long as there’s not also an arrow pointing at us.
And we think Russians hacking at Ukraine is ominous.
If the presence of gravitational waves in the cosmic background can be proven, or at least convincingly implied, the scientific aspect alone would be exciting, but I think we can perhaps take things a step further.
According to the Guardian article, “[Gravitational waves] … are minuscule ripples in the fabric of the universe that carry energy across space, somewhat similar to waves crossing an ocean.” Earthbound science currently has several independent groups attempting to prove the reliability of generating electricity at a very large scale using both ocean tides and ocean waves. A great deal of kinetic energy exists in those tides and waves, and therefore amounts of electrical energy much greater than what we would at first expect — and much greater than conventional electrical power generation schemes — can be derived from fairly simple technology.
If there actually is a valid analogy between ocean waves/tides and cosmic background gravitational waves/tides, then the gravitational waves are possibly where we will derive the huge amounts of electrical energy, and electrically-derived energy of other types, that currently separate science from science fiction. There would be no need for di-lithium crystals or any other yet-to-be-discovered magic-like answer if we can simply somehow tap the kinetic energy of the cosmic background gravitational waves directly.
This may seem at first like a far-out idea, but I found that a little thought made it seem considerably more viable than non-existent crystals, moving through extras dimensions, worm holes, dropping to sub-space (whatever that is), or solar power transmission across large distances, just some of the possibilities offered up by science fiction (don’t get me wrong; I’ll probably continue to read science fiction until the day I die).
I offer this idea not as a solution, or even as a valid concept, but simply as something quite worthy of investigation.
If there actually is a valid analogy between ocean waves/tides and
cosmic background gravitational waves/tides, then the gravitational
waves are possibly where we will derive the huge amounts of electrical
energy, and electrically-derived energy of other types, that currently
separate science from science fiction.
The theory for gravity waves is well established in General Relativity principles, and I appreciate your imagination and enthusiasm in finding new sources of energy, but the amount of energy density in gravity waves is miniscule. Even detecting them is pushing our technology to its limits.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…
I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, Gonzo, but I’d like to point out something that may be relevant. If we look at the difference between heat and temperature, an often misrepresented difference, we can see a large potential difference in quantity.
Temperature is the average molecular kinetic energy within a volume, whereas heat (or heat content) is the total molecular kinetic energy within a volume. So, two 1L buckets of water, both at 24ºC, have the same temperature and the same heat content. However, if we compare a 1L bucket and a 2L bucket, both at 24ºC, they have the same temperature, but the heat content of the 2L bucket is twice that of the 1L bucket because it has twice as many molecules with that average kinetic energy.
If we stretch my analogy just a little further, we can say that current gravitational wave detectors see only very small quantities because of the very small cross section of the actual sensor, and it’s a stationary sensor. If we can draw in gravitational energy from a large volume, similar in concept to a Bussard Ram Jet, then there is a great deal of “heat” energy even at points in space where the “temperature” energy is very small. Also similar to a Ram Jet, the faster you go the greater the amount of available “fuel” becomes.
So although the microwave background is only about 3ºK — a very tiny temperature — the amount of heat energy with any sizable volume of space is actually enormous. Also, the “exhaust” and any inefficiencies in a propulsion system using this concept will likely be dumped right back into the cosmic background as heat and/or gravitational energy.
Once again, though, I’m not saying this will work; I’m just saying that I think it’s worth looking at as a potentially viable possibility.
the problem with this thought experiment is that the size of a device that could effectively harness gravitational waves to produce even small amounts of electricity would have to be millions of kilometers long. the devices we have just to attempt to detect them are several kilometers long. so you would need a gigantic device to harvest a minuscule amount of energy. i think it would require far more energy to build than it would ever collect.
True. if you assume that a physical device will be doing the “collection.” What if there was another way, like with a Bussard ram jet? Of course, I have no idea what that other way might be.
The size of the fluctuations of the b mode signal is about 10e-9 of the 3k background radiation.
Thnaks for the info, but you’re way over my head now. It’s time I did some research.
Personally, I think harnessing the 14 day/cycle of our local gravitational wave generator has the best near term promise as a renewable energy source.
Yet another concept that could come under the banner of renewable energy. I like it, Gonzo. Harnessing energy directly from space, rather than on Earth’s surface is something my gut tells me that we will be doing eventually, problably in more ways than one, and it’s just a question of how and when. That said, the Sun’s graviational effect within the Earth’s volume of space is much greater than that of the Moon, so I suspect that the Sun would be the focus of original efforts. One thing that all of these schemes have in common is that nothing will be developed until the research is started.
“So… we were wrong about that ‘Big Bang’ thing… Sorry about that. We’ll be mailing the cheque to Fred Hoyle’s heirs.”
No, actually. This primarily has implications for inflation. Like something more than the ad hoc basis we have now.
Does the discovery show how gravity is conveyed ?
no, this data shows the “fingerprints” of gravitational waves on the CMB from the Big Bang.
This data may be primordial b modes. It is taken on very small angular scale so it could just be from lensing. Although the authors are saying they’ve ruled that out. If it is inflationary then the signal was easier to detect than many thought. Although it would have to be verified on larger angular scale.
Does the discovery show how gravity is conveyed ?
I”m not sure I understand what your question is.
General Relativity tells us that gravity is the curving/warping of spacetime by mass. GR has been shown to be theoretically accurate as far as it can be tested (see Gravity Probe B).
http://einstein.stanford.edu/
A factoid: As of 4PM Eastern the day of the announcement, there is no sign of this story on CNN’s web site, or on the “Tech” or “US” sub pages. There is a front page story on Fox News, however.
RADIOLAB. Story: Super Cool. A few nights ago I prepared to sleep by listening to one of my favorite radio programs – RadioLab. Their episode called “Super Cool” discusses an analogy between the Inflation Period of the Universe and Super-cooled water and phase changes. Not only that, this is another one of RadioLab’s great entertaining stories. http://www.radiolab.org/sto…
So reading the announcement from the Harvard-Smithsonian group using BICEP2, I recalled the program and listened to it again. Funny and a lucky coincidence to have released a story developed over a year’s time just on the eve of this great announcement. Its a listen and even just for the added laugh track including Robert Krulwich during a pivotal moment in their story.
Just another incredible discovery and confirmation of theories to the literal mountain of the last 50 years, brought to you by the transistor, William Shockley et al. and Robert Noyce et al., Silicon Valley, and in this instance, Dr. Alan Guth while at Stanford University here in Palo Alto.
Guth’s personal story is interesting as well and is covered (in part) by the NYTimes; the Times has a totally excellent explanation of inflation aimed at the educated reader. It’s spot-on.