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Matteo Cantiello edited untitled.tex
over 9 years ago
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\textit{Oh, On 17 March 2014, the BICEP2 collaboration announced the first detection of so-called B-mode polarization, a possible signature of the exponential expansion of space in the early universe. This expansion, also called inflation, is believed to have lasted from $10^{-36}$ seconds after the Big Bang to sometime between $10{−33}$ and $10{−32}$. Inflation is thought to be resposible for the existence of large-scale structures and
to explain why the universe appears statistically homogeneous and isotropic\footnote{Meaning that at large scales the properties of the universe are the same for all observers}.
But was it really a swift-crawlying baby-universe what BICEP2 observed? Or something more mundane as the effect of Galactic dust? To collect the elusive signal of the Big Bang (the CMB, cosmic microwave background) with their South Pole telescopes, BICEP2 had to look through the window glass of our Galaxy. And it turned out that this window is not as clean as previously thought, the dirt being small dust particles. These particles modifiy a particular property of light called polarization, which incidentally is the same proxy used to detect the existence of an
empty article!} inflation period. So the B-mode polarization could either be imprinted on the CMB right after the Big Bang, about 13.5 billion years ago, by inflation. Either been added to the CMB by the presence of dust as this ancient light passes through our local Galaxy, the Milky Way, before reaching our telescopes.
In a paper submitted last night, the european satellite PLANCK reported that the amount of foreground dust present in the line of sight of BICEP2 instruments is exactly enough to explain the observed signal, previously attributed to cosmological inflation. While it could still be that part of the polarization signal is coming from inflation, it would require two very different, unrelated phenomena to contribute at a very similar level. Which statistically speaking is unlikely. More works needs to be done before the dust is settled (literally), but the whole BICEP2 story is revealing some very interesting aspects of the way science is done and its results communicated. I believe the scientific community at large can benefits from this discussion
Spectacular science
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