NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists who made headlines in March
with their research on the early universe are now acknowledging that
they may have been mistaken.
In a paper published Thursday, the
researchers stood by their initial conclusion — that they had found
long-sought evidence for a rapid ballooning of the universe a
split-second after its birth.
But they said they could not rule
out the possibility that a crucial signal they believe came from deep in
the cosmos was actually caused by dust in the Milky Way galaxy. If
true, their claim for detecting the evidence of so-called cosmic
inflation right after the Big Bang would evaporate.
The March
announcement was big news because it appeared to provide evidence for
the inflation theory, which is widely believed by scientists. The theory
says the universe expanded extremely quickly when it was far less than
one-trillionth of a second old.
Using data from a telescope at the
South Pole, the research team said it had found a specific pattern in
light waves within the faint microwave glow left over from the Big Bang.
That pattern had long been considered evidence of inflation. John Kovac
of Harvard, leader of the collaboration, called it "the smoking-gun
signature of inflation."
But since the announcement, some other
scientists have published analyses that suggested the signal may have
actually come from Milky Way dust.
Kovac and colleagues said
they’d taken the potential effects of Milky Way dust into account, but
the other scientists suggested they may have underestimated its effects.
Experts expect that data from upcoming research will help settle the question.
Kovac and colleagues published their paper in the journal Physical Review Letters.
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Online:
Paper: http://bit.ly/1ypw9SO