Time went five times slower in the early universe

Scientists have just provided new data on one of the great mysteries of the expanding universe that tormented Albert Einstein so much. According to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, We should note that the ancient, distant universe operated at a much slower rate than the current one. However, looking at such an ancient period of our universe has turned out to be a challenge. challenge. So far. Using quasar “clocks,” a team of researchers has been able to observe an initial moment in the evolution of the universe, showing that it works in slow motion: Time was five times slower in the early universe than in the current universe.

The universe was slowing down

Astrophysicist Geraint Lewis of the University of Sydney in Australia and statistician Brendon Brewer of the University of Auckland first noticed this when studying the fluctuations of Quasars (instead of supernovae) during the cosmic dawn, roughly 13 billion years ago. Experts have identified cosmic time dilation in A sample of 190 quasars located in the early universe.

“When supernovae act as a single flash of light, which makes them easier to study, quasars are more complex, like a continuous fireworks display,” Lewis explained. “What we did is expose this fireworks displaywhich shows that quasars can also be used as standard markers of time for the early universe.”

Their conclusion is that time seemed to pass more slowly when the universe was young. Based on observations, these objects appear to be evolving at a fifth of the speed we see today.

“If we look back to a time when the universe was just over a billion years old, we see that time seemed to flow five times slower,” said Professor Geraint Lewis of the University of Sydney. “If you’re out there, in this infant universe, a second feels like a second, but from our location, more than 12 billion years in the future, that prime time seems to be delayed.”

It is precisely the direct result of the expansion of the universe since the Big Bang. This expansion means that light from ancient cosmic events must travel longer and longer distances to reach Earth, thusIt takes longer to arrive. As a result, cosmic events at the dawn of the universe It seems to be developing much slower If we compare it to the same event in our nearest universe.

By combining observations taken in different colors (or wavelengths), they were able to unify the “ticking” of each quasar. By applying Bayesian analysis, they found that the expansion of the universe is imprinted in the beats of each quasar.

“Thanks to Einstein, we know that time and space are entwined, and since the dawn of time at the Big Bang singularity, the universe has been expanding,” Lewis said. “This expansion of space means that our observations of the early universe should appear much slower than the current flow of time.”

The universe seems to be accelerating as it gets older

One of the consequences of the expansion of the universe is that Light stretches as it travels through the universe, which makes the wavelength longer. But time also stretches: if a distant object blinks once every second, The expansion of the universe causes more than a second to elapse between flashes when they reach Earth.

“Using this new data and analyses, we were able to find quasars’ elusive ticks and behaving As predicted by Einstein’s relativityScientists conclude.

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