According to the cosmological principle, if the universe is observed on a truly large scale, the distribution of matter is more or less uniform everywhere (principle of homogeneity) and looks like the point of view of the observer (isotropy principle) . This fundamental assumption agrees with the idea that there is no center of the cosmos and simplifies the nature of the environment in which we develop.
The cosmological principle has been verified by numerous large -scale measurements, such as the distribution of galaxies and cosmic microwave radiation. However, he still faces some challenges. Recently, small fluctuations have been found in the distribution of matter and energy in the universe (anisotropies) that challenge experts. It seems that the universe is the same everywhere, but in some parts it is ‘less the same’. These findings do not imply that the fundamental isotropic assumption is wrong. Rather, they indicate that science must find new observational methods to perform large -scale measurements.
From the precise distance from Earth to the sun to the compendium of molecules that generate life, the “anthropic principle” refers to the fact that the universe has specific characteristics that allow human life.
A new way of knowing if the universe behaves the same everywhere
A new methodology to study the cosmological principle begins to emerge in the scientific community. A team of astrophysicians from the University of Western Cape, in South Africa, proposes to use the Euclid Space Telescope of the European Space Agency to measure gravitational lenses and, thus, thoroughly study the alleged anisotropies of matter at great distances.
Euclid is the last great achievement in spatial observation. It was designed to create the most precise map of galaxies in order to understand the “dark universe” (formed by dark matter and energy). It has been in operation for less than a year and has already captured impressive images of the cosmos, such as the most recent, of an Einstein ring, a perfect gravitational lens form, in a nearby galaxy. According to a study published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physicsits powerful technology will be useful to verify some aspects of the cosmological principle.
In essence, the method consists in using gravitational lenses (a physical phenomenon in which the light of a very distant object is curved and amplified due to a massive object that crosses its path), to verify the homogeneity of the matter in The space. All images will be deformed by the principle of gravitational lens, but if there are anisotropies, some will deform differently. The team trained mathematical models to detect and predict the shape of these special images, if they arise in Euclid monitoring.
This new methodology could finally confirm or reject the measurements that point to an anisotropic universe. Due to the potential change of perspective, all observational fronts are necessary to modify the cosmological principle. “Once you have verified your work four times, you should seriously consider if this fundamental assumption is really true or not, particularly in the late universe. Or perhaps it was never true. It could be a serious review. Or it could simply lead to add to add A small term here or there. Who knows? “James Adam, main author of the article, concluded.
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