Image right: BICEP2 Science Images
Image left: BICEP2 telescope panorama image
[see below links for research background]
New work inspired by ‘B Mode’ – twisted patterns of light believed by many scientists to be evidence of activity at the very beginnings of our Universe.
B Mode signals were created by primordial gravitational waves.
Gravitational waves are ripples in the curvature of spacetime. B Modes were the very early gravitational waves that were produced by inflation in the early universe – watch gravitational wave astronomy – Martin Hendry TEDxGlasgow
An amazing coincidence happened when I went along to a talk at the Hunterian Art Gallery in June. The speaker from the School of Physics and Astronomy, is heavily researching Gravitational Waves…right at my door step! Could not believe this and was very excited at an invite to the Institute for Gravitational Waves at Glasgow University. Mr Killow explained it is an international effort to directly detect gravitational waves. Little did I know that a team is making a detector of high precision – functional by laser beams to measure them in space. There is a 1:20 chance of direct detection – if found – will be amazing result to our understanding of the universe. And create a new science.
If detected – “unique view at the first moments of the universe”
It was at this lunchtime Insight talk were I found out 2015 is the international year of light. The website is rich with resources and exciting events going on across the world: www.light2015.org
Links:
January 2015: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4469
March 2015: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31798012
March 2015 BBC Horizon documentary – unavailable to watch see clips bottom of webpage: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b055knk1
March 2014 Sean Carroll blog (“in truth only atoms and the void”):
Images & sound file NASA:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-109
List of NASA BICP2 images for download (used in this post): http://bicepkeck.org/visuals.html
Sound file: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA16881
Astronomy Picture of the Day: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
July 2013 blog: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/seeking-the-cosmic-dawn/
Touching Space-Time is a research project in Glasgow University – a collaboration between Designers, Artists and Scientists: http://touchingspacetime.tumblr.com/
