Why is the discovery of hot gas between galaxies thrilling Canadian researchers?
listen to this article
estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article has been generated by AI-based technology. There may be mispronunciations. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results.
A team of international researchers led by a University of British Columbia astrophysicist has discovered a young galaxy cluster that is theoretically producing five times more hot gas than previously thought.
It’s a discovery that is thrilling astrophysicists, who say it could change the way scientists look at the early evolution of the universe after the Big Bang.
published in Nature Journal On Monday, the study involved more than two dozen researchers from around the world, and looked at a galaxy cluster called SPT2349-56, about 12 billion light-years away.
The researchers, led by UBC PhD candidate Daji Zhou, found that significant amounts of hot gas were being produced in the space between galaxies.
Zhou said it was the first detection of such hot gas in the early stages of the universe, noting that the galaxy cluster in question is considered “young” in cosmic terms – having formed a mere 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang.
“This is a huge leap forward in our understanding of how the universe works,” he told CBC News.
James Di Francesco, director of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory just north of Victoria, says the previous theoretical understanding was that galaxy clusters don’t heat up so quickly.
Di Francesco said the gas between galaxies is generally expected to warm over time, as galaxies orbit and inject energy into the gas around them.
“However, something has caused this gas in this young cluster to heat up dramatically at a very young age,” said the astrophysicist, who was not involved in the study.
“And so it’s revolutionary to the extent that it’s providing a new window into understanding how these groups evolve and (it’s) going against our expectations.”
early history of the universe
Zhou said the amount of hot gas found by researchers existed billions of years after the formation of the SPT2349-56 galaxy cluster.
Researchers made the discovery using multiple telescopes in Chile, allowing them to peer into dark clouds, learning deeply about star formation and the early times of our universe.
Zhou said the telescopes observe in shorter wavelengths called submillimeter and millimeter — colloquially, they are called radio telescopes.
The scientist said they allowed researchers to zoom in on how hot the gas actually was despite being so far from Earth.
“When you use a radio telescope to observe the sky, we can see a small shadow, and when there is enough hot gas, this signal is quite independent of distance,” he said.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has released the first pictures of the universe taken with the world’s largest digital camera inside a giant telescope. Scientists say the ultra high-definition images will provide an unprecedented survey of space.
A galaxy cluster refers to a collection of galaxies, including galaxy clusters and superclusters that can contain anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies.
Our own galaxy belongs to the Virgo Supercluster, which is potentially home to more than 2,000 galaxies.
Zhou says the new research will be essential to understanding today’s giant galaxy clusters and how they form.
