Khaberni - A new study suggests that understanding the issue of the expanding universe may not be related solely to galaxies or telescopes, but also to the minute magnetic fields that possibly formed in the first moments after the Big Bang.
The journal "Nature Astronomy" indicates that a recent study proposes a new perspective on one of the greatest puzzles of modern cosmology, known as the "Hubble tension," which is the discrepancy between different methods of measuring the universe’s expansion speed. Researchers from Simon Fraser University in Canada believe that the key to solving this mystery may lie in the primitive magnetic fields, which are minute structures that might have originated in the early stages of the universe.
Hubble's constant is a coefficient that describes the speed at which galaxies move away from each other and is currently determined using two highly precise methods: the first relies on observing distant galaxies and supernovae, while the second is based on analyzing cosmic microwave background radiation, the faint glow remaining from the Big Bang. However, the two methods lead to different results, known as the crisis of modern cosmology.
According to the researchers, the ancient magnetic fields may have affected the recombination process, the stage when electrons and protons combined to form the first atoms. The changing conditions during this stage may have led to a slight distortion in the structure of the cosmic microwave background radiation, and thus in the method by which scientists deduce the value of Hubble's constant from it.
To test this hypothesis, the researchers used supercomputers to conduct detailed simulations of the early universe and then compared the results with observational data collected by space telescopes and the "Planck" satellite, which allowed the evaluation of how much this new approach aligns with actual measurements.
The researchers affirm that this approach not only provides a potential solution to the Hubble tension but also contributes to understanding the origin of the magnetic fields observed today in galaxies and intergalactic space. Future observational operations and more precise experiments would determine whether the effects of primitive magnetism indeed hold the key to the history of the universe's expansion.
