Ripples in Space Time Observed from Big Bang, Supporting Universe Inflation Theory

A monumental scientific report released Monday offers evidence confirming theories on the origin of the universe and corroborates a deep connection between quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity.

Scientists have found the first direct, observable evidence of ripples in the fabric of space time known as primordial gravitational waves. The find is a "Holy Grail of cosmology" that amounts to evidence of the first tremors of the Big Bang that formed our universe almost 14 billion years ago.

The theory of universe creation supposes that in the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang, the universe expanded exponentially at unfathomable speed, faster than the speed of light itself. This episode is known as inflation. Cosmic inflation theory suggests that the universe is expanding outward and it explains paradoxes such as why the heavens do not appear to be a jagged and warped mess and instead look uniform from pole to pole.

For years this has just been a theory, but now scientists report they have evidence that the theory holds true.

The telltale signs of the beginning of the universe can be found in the relic glow of the Big Bang known as cosmic microwave background (CMB), which holds a record of the earliest chapters in our universe's history.

Tiny ripples in the CMB have led scientists to clues about the conditions of our early universe. For example, differences in temperature of the CMB show where parts of the universe were denser, eventually coalescing into galaxies and galactic clusters.

The CMB is a form of light and has properties similar to light, including polarization, which restricts the vibrational waves of light to one vertical plane. Cosmologists can use polarization to study the CMB.

"Our team hunted for a special type of polarization called 'B-modes,' which represents a twisting or 'curl' pattern in the polarized orientations of the ancient light," said study co-leader Jamie Bock, a professor of physics at Caltech and laboratory senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

These B-modes are a signature of gravitational waves and they leave behind a characteristic mark in the CMB. Using these B-modes, scientists report they have found the direct evidence of gravitational waves in the first sliver of cosmic time.

"It's been called the Holy Grail of cosmology," Hiranya Peiris, a cosmologist from University College London, told The Guardian ahead of Monday's announcement. "It would be a real major, major, major discovery."

To make these delicate observations, the scientist traveled to the South Pole to use the BICEP2 telescope, which cosmologists use to explore the CMB. The South Pole is an ideal position to study the origins of the universe, because the region's clear sky and lack of pollution provide an ideal window into the past, enabling us to see through our own galaxy an back into the beginning of time.

"The South Pole is the closest you can get to space and still be on the ground," said John Kovac of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, project co-leader and BICEP2 principal investigator. "It's one of the driest and clearest locations on Earth, perfect for observing the faint microwaves from the Big Bang."

The researchers were surprised to find that a B-mode polarization signal considerably stronger than what was expected.

The team spent three years analyzing the data to rule out errors.

"This has been like looking for a needle in a haystack, but instead we found a crowbar," said project co-leader Clem Pryke, of the University of Minnesota.

According to a statement by CalTech, evidence of gravitational waves from B-modes was first proposed in 1996 by several theoretical physicists including Marc Kamionkowski.

In reaction to Monday's release, Kamionkowski said the discovery "is powerful evidence for inflation. I'd call it a smoking gun. We've now learned that gravitational waves are abundant, and can learn more about the process that powered inflation. This is a remarkable advance in cosmology."

Technical details and journal papers can be found on the BICEP2 release website.