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A New Study of Supernovae May Show that Einstein's "Biggest Blunder" may Prove to be Right After All
Based on an ongoing study of supernovae in the distant universe, astrophysicists have concluded that the effect of mysterious "dark energy" is speeding up the expansion of the universe. The enigmatic dark energy appears to behave just like Einstein's famed cosmological constant, according to the Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS), an international team of researchers in France and Canada that collaborated with large telescope observers at Oxford, Caltech, and Berkeley.
Their observations reveal that "dark energy" behaves like Einstein’s cosmological constant to a precision of 10 per cent. Cosmologists regard this result as a major step forward in determining the nature of this not yet understood property of the universe.
An international team of astrophysicists using a variety of instruments, including some of the largest telescopes on earth -- the Keck telescopes and the Frederick C. Gillett Gemini North Telescope on Mauna Kea, the Gemini South Telescope on the Cerro Pachón mountain in the Chilean Andes, and the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Atacama, Chile -- show the extent to which supernovae that erupt across the universe compare to those closer to home.
“Only the world's largest optical telescopes — those from eight to 10 metres in diameter — are capable of studying distant supernovae in detail by examining the spectrum,” said Isobel Hook, an astronomer in the Department of Astrophysics at Oxford University.
“Improved observations of distant supernovae are the most immediate way in which we can learn more about the mysterious dark energy,” adds Richard Ellis, a professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology. “This study is a very big step forward in quantity and quality and amazingly suggests that Einstein was pretty close to the mark.”
Measuring the receding motion of supernovae at great distances has been intensely investigated since 1998, when researchers discovered that supernovae of a given recessional velocity seem to be fainter than they would be if the expansion of the universe were slowing down. This result, which has been observed consistently for the last eight years, strongly implies that the expansion rate of the universe is increasing.
The cause of this acceleration may be some form of exotic energy that causes space to push outwards. To account for this, Einstein originally proposed a mathematical fudge-factor he called the cosmological constant. But when Edwin Hubble demonstrated that the universe was expanding, Einstein abandoned the cosmological constant and recanted it as his "biggest blunder."
However, now it is being shown that Einstein's 1917 explanation of a constant energy term for empty space fits the new supernova data very well. With more investigation, Einstein's "biggest blunder" may very well prove to be one of his greatest triumphs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051122-1839.asp
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12767.html
Their observations reveal that "dark energy" behaves like Einstein’s cosmological constant to a precision of 10 per cent. Cosmologists regard this result as a major step forward in determining the nature of this not yet understood property of the universe.
An international team of astrophysicists using a variety of instruments, including some of the largest telescopes on earth -- the Keck telescopes and the Frederick C. Gillett Gemini North Telescope on Mauna Kea, the Gemini South Telescope on the Cerro Pachón mountain in the Chilean Andes, and the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Atacama, Chile -- show the extent to which supernovae that erupt across the universe compare to those closer to home.
“Only the world's largest optical telescopes — those from eight to 10 metres in diameter — are capable of studying distant supernovae in detail by examining the spectrum,” said Isobel Hook, an astronomer in the Department of Astrophysics at Oxford University.
“Improved observations of distant supernovae are the most immediate way in which we can learn more about the mysterious dark energy,” adds Richard Ellis, a professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology. “This study is a very big step forward in quantity and quality and amazingly suggests that Einstein was pretty close to the mark.”
Measuring the receding motion of supernovae at great distances has been intensely investigated since 1998, when researchers discovered that supernovae of a given recessional velocity seem to be fainter than they would be if the expansion of the universe were slowing down. This result, which has been observed consistently for the last eight years, strongly implies that the expansion rate of the universe is increasing.
The cause of this acceleration may be some form of exotic energy that causes space to push outwards. To account for this, Einstein originally proposed a mathematical fudge-factor he called the cosmological constant. But when Edwin Hubble demonstrated that the universe was expanding, Einstein abandoned the cosmological constant and recanted it as his "biggest blunder."
However, now it is being shown that Einstein's 1917 explanation of a constant energy term for empty space fits the new supernova data very well. With more investigation, Einstein's "biggest blunder" may very well prove to be one of his greatest triumphs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051122-1839.asp
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12767.html
