The fate of the universe is written on stars

'What is the ultimate fate of the universe? Almost certainly it will eradicate in frost, if we believe in the characters who won the Nobel Prize in Physics this year. '

The above paragraph is the prologue in the announcement of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2011 on October 4.

'They studied several dozen exploding stars, called supernovae, and discovered that the universe is expanding at a rapid rate. This discovery is completely unexpected even for the winners themselves , "the announcement continued.

Saul Perlmutter Scientist - (Photo: AFP)

The cosmologists' view of the ultimate end of the fire or the ice of the universe is quite similar to the scenario sketched in the poem 'Fire and ice' written by American poet Robert Frost in 1920:

'Some say the world will eradicate in fire
Others think it will be frozen. '

In 1997, Adam Riess was certain that he discovered a clear mistake in his research results. At that time, measurements of distant exploding stars in space suggested that the universe was expanding at an increasingly fast rate, instead of slowing down as he expected.

That is not a mistake. Instead, the defect lies in the basic assumptions about how the universe works.

On October 4, Johns Hopkins University scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the revolutionary discovery, together with leader Brian Schmidt of Australian National University and scientist Saul Perlmutter in Greater Study in California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, independent people come to the same conclusion.

At the time of the study, cosmologists believed that the rate of expansion of the universe, derived from the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, would slow down when the matter is attracted to each other. because of gravity. Their goal at that time was to find the rate of decline.

However, what both groups find is that the rate of expansion of the universe is increasing rapidly, an observation that can explain the presence of mysterious dark energy that pushes matter apart.

Many scientists once thought that the universe, which was born from a Big Bang, would end with a Big Crunch with gravity gravitating everything in the universe into.

The expansion of the universe whereby stars, galaxies and other objects basically drift away from each other, discovered in the 1920s. At that time, it was believed that because of the rate of capital expansion Depending on the amount of energy it will eventually slow down because of gravity.

To measure the rate of reduction in expansion, two scientific teams tracked the movement of glowing exploding stars called type 1a supernovae. From the measurement of visible light waves emitted by these supernovae, it is possible to calculate the speed of travel away from their earth.

However, those two groups' suggestions suggest that supernovae are moving further than expected. They do not slow down but accelerate.

'It was a big shock,' Perlmutter told reporters on October 4, 'They are not suitable for any physical factors we have ever known'.

Scientist Brian Schmidt - (Photo: AFP)

No one knows what makes the expansion of the universe increase rapidly. Two research groups suggest that the acceleration of expansion can be explained by the force of the mysterious 'dark energy' which is estimated to make 73% of the universe (dark matter, which is not related to energy. dark quantities, accounting for 23% of the universe and visible matter only accounts for 4%).

'With fundamental importance for the foundation of physics and how we observe the world, I think this is absolutely one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century , ' said theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek, one of those who won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics said.

The research results of the three scientists confirm a random prediction of Albert Einstein about the presence of dark energy nearly a century ago.

Einstein initially did not like the idea of ​​an expanding universe. In 1917, when he discovered that his equations were inaccurate in a static universe, Einstein introduced a superficial element that was a hypothetical force to correct the problem. This force is known as the 'cosmological constant'.

When subsequent observations showed that the universe did not stand still and expand, Einstein removed that idea from the equation and called 'the constant constant' the 'most foolish mistake' of his career.

That may not be a mistake, if we believe in the character who won the Nobel Prize in physics this year. Accordingly, the fate of the universally accepted universe today is the theory of a Big Freeze , in which the universe will continue to expand forever, making it an isolated place and cold until the temperature reaches absolute zero.