A new study suggests that bubbles formed in the early universe as it cooled, triggering waves that could be seen today.
Physicists theorize that a phase transition took place in the early universe after the Big bang. Phase transition is a change of form and properties of matter that usually accompanies temperature changes such as the melting of metal. In the young and fast expanding universe, something similar probably took place as the plasma, which was filling the space at that time, cooled down.
The phase transition in the early universe triggered ripples in spacetime that are most commonly caused by collision between massive bodies such as black holes. Scientists from the University of Helsinki in Finland say that the waves triggered by the early universe may be detected by the future U.S./European Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) space mission.
The universe could end in a false vacuum decay.
The scientists model how the waves could produce a signal that would be detected by the LISA.
Scientists can describe the behavior of particles in gravity and gravity-free environments with holographic duality.
The scientists could use this technique to analyze the likely events that followed phase transitions. The model they used took into account the temperature at which the transition was likely taking place and the rate of the universe's expansion.
The process of the early universe phase transitions is shrouded in mystery because no one was around to observe them. The nucleation process involves bubbles forming in the hot plasma as it cools down. When bubbles form in the original medium that act as centers of the transitioning process, nucleation is the first step.
Scientists think that the bubbles collided with each other in the transforming universe and caused the waves.
It will take some time to understand this process. The European Space Agency and NASA are not expected to launch LISA before 2037. The first mission dedicated to recording the effects of black holes and supernovae will be called LISA and it will be able to pick up small fluctuations in spacetime. It will be the first evidence to back up wide speculation of early universe phase transitions if it finds the signals proposed in the research.
The study was published in a journal.
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