18 Mar 14
Originally posted by FabianFnasI beat you to it by one day🙂 See my gravity wave post. People thought the major announcement was going to be the definitive discovery of gravitational waves but instead it was this inflationary stuff.
I thought that the background radiation was the oldest signal possible to observe. Now they have found signals from the inflational era, fractions of a second after the BB itself!
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2014-05
My comment? Wow!
18 Mar 14
Originally posted by sonhouseYes, you did 🙂
I beat you to it by one day🙂 See my gravity wave post. People thought the major announcement was going to be the definitive discovery of gravitational waves but instead it was this inflationary stuff.
I saw it an article yesterday, but I didn't understand the implications of it.
It came from Aftonbladet, a Swedish tabloid, (http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article18558539.ab), quoting Robert Cumming from Onsala Space Observatory, a place I've had some connections with earlier. But Aftonbladet isn't a reliable source, I've been fooled by them before.
Today I googled further and found this article in English, not knowing that this already was old stuff. One day and 14 billions of years old.
18 Mar 14
Originally posted by FabianFnasThis is important for several reasons - they have an observation of the effects of gravitational waves, which has only been done in orbiting pulsars before. They have an observation of physics from before recombination (which is the event that created the Cosmic Microwave Background), and they have evidence for inflation. This puts constraints on what physics beyond the standard model is possible, so it's a major discovery, and probably more important than finding the Higgs.
Yes, you did 🙂
I saw it an article yesterday, but I didn't understand the implications of it.
It came from Aftonbladet, a Swedish tabloid, (http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article18558539.ab), quoting Robert Cumming from Onsala Space Observatory, a place I've had some connections with earlier. But Aftonbladet isn't a reliable source, I've been fooled ...[text shortened]... e in English, not knowing that this already was old stuff. One day and 14 billions of years old.
18 Mar 14
Originally posted by DeepThoughtThe article also said any possibility of a Nobel prize would have to wait for independent confirmation. How would that be possible anywhere on Earth? The only equipment sensitive enough is already at the South pole. Wouldn't that mean someone would have to basically start from scratch and build their own detectors with the requisite sensitivity and really good location? Think Peru...
This is important for several reasons - they have an observation of the effects of gravitational waves, which has only been done in orbiting pulsars before. They have an observation of physics from before recombination (which is the event that created the Cosmic Microwave Background), and they have evidence for inflation. This puts constraints on what ...[text shortened]... odel is possible, so it's a major discovery, and probably more important than finding the Higgs.
18 Mar 14
Originally posted by sonhouseI don't know enough about the specifics of the experiment. I think existing facilities elsewhere can probably also measure this. Once an experiment has been carried out once it becomes easier as other groups have to reproduce an existing experiment rather than work out how to do it in the first place. The major confounder is that the same effect is produced by dust so most of the verification effort will be connected with making sure they've not underestimated that.
The article also said any possibility of a Nobel prize would have to wait for independent confirmation. How would that be possible anywhere on Earth? The only equipment sensitive enough is already at the South pole. Wouldn't that mean someone would have to basically start from scratch and build their own detectors with the requisite sensitivity and really good location? Think Peru...
18 Mar 14
Originally posted by DeepThoughtI think that is what they spent the last three years uncovering. The problem with the basic measurement is they doing an accuracy of one part in 10 MILLION vs the original 1 part in 100,000 of the WPAM and so forth.
I don't know enough about the specifics of the experiment. I think existing facilities elsewhere can probably also measure this. Once an experiment has been carried out once it becomes easier as other groups have to reproduce an existing experiment rather than work out how to do it in the first place. The major confounder is that the same effect is pr ...[text shortened]... t of the verification effort will be connected with making sure they've not underestimated that.
Them R a BIG ass difference!