13-Billion-Year-Old Cosmic Dawn Signal Detected by Earth-Based Telescopes in Chile

Scientists detected a 13 billion-year-old signal from Cosmic Dawn using Earth-based telescopes in the Andes mountains of Chile.

• The research was led by Tobias Marriage from Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
• Researchers focused on polarized microwave light, which carries signatures of Cosmic Dawn.
• Scientists used telescopes from the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) project, located in the Andes Mountains of northern Chile.
  • These telescopes were specially designed to detect microwave signals left by the first stars in Big Bang relic light.

What is the Cosmic Dawn?

• It refers to the period 50 million to 1 billion years after the Big Bang.
• It marks the formation of the first stars, black holes, and galaxies.
• This era ended the “Dark Ages” of the universe and began the creation of complex cosmic structures.

Importance of the Discovery

• This is the first time Cosmic Dawn signals have been captured from Earth, proving that ground-based observations can work

• The findings will help scientists understand how the first stars formed, how they influenced cosmic light, and how galaxies evolved.
• The success of CLASS telescopes paves the way for future ground-based studies, expanding our knowledge of early universe formation.

Challenges of Ground-Based Detection

• Extremely Faint Signals : Cosmic microwaves are millions of times weaker than typical radio signals, making them hard to isolate.
  • Polarised microwave signals from Cosmic Dawn are even fainter, requiring highly sensitive equipment.
• Measuring microwave signals is difficult due to interference from radio waves, satellites, and weather conditions.
• Atmospheric Distortions: Temperature changes, humidity, and air pressure affect microwave detection.

DOWNLOAD PDF