Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
After the big bang (13.82 billion years ago), there was a great expansion. This expansion included inflation, which took seconds, relatively, and after that there was the Recombination Era. This event was the kick off to Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB). This is the radiation that is everywhere in the universe, expanding in every direction from the singularity. This radiation is photons being released by hydrogen atoms. After recombination era, there were the dark ages, then 13.37 billion years ago (estimated) galaxies and planets were created.
Inflation
Inflation was a period where the force of the big bang was so powerful that all matter was pushed out and the universe expanded from the singularity in less than a second and became an octillion times larger than the singularity. The only matter at this time was “floating” protons and electrons. The protons and electrons had not yet combined in the decillionth of a second (10-32.) This event was extremely hot and the heat that is left over from the big bang is reffered to as Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB.) The radiation is called microwave signals because the wave lengths are between 1 millimeter and 1 meter. The radiation traveled in every direction from the singularity. This radiation is still around today, and is the strongest evidence for the big bang.
Recombination Era
There was a perfect ratio of electrons and protons during inflation. Since electron are negatively charged and protons are positively charged they were attracted together and created hydrogen atoms. This was the only atom in the universe for about 300,000 years. How did all the hydrogen turn into the other 89 naturally occurring elements? It first began as the simple act of fusion (figure 1) that occurred at this time because of the density of the hydrogen atoms, creating helium. The speed and efficiency that the fusion was occurring had to do with the theory that the beginning of the universe was about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15000000˚ C). This is the common accepted theory because this is the same temperature of the center of the Sun, which is also undergoing fusion and creating helium.
Discovery
We are still able to detect Cosmic Microwave Background and being able to do so, led to early complications in the telephone industry. In 1963 there were two scientists, Arns Penzias and Robert Wilson, studying microwave signals in order to create a microwave antenna for a phone company. No matter where the antenna was directed, there were background signals. These signals were Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Around the same time there were scientists at Princeton University (physicist Robert Dicke and P.J.E Peebles) designing a similar antenna to measure CMB. Measuring CMB is extremely difficult, since the range of these wave lengths is less than a measurable amount on the surface on the planet (1m and 1cm). In order to measure CMB the detectors have been place on high altitude balloons and orbiting space craft.
The Why
The importance of CMB is that it is the most tangible proof for the big bang. The energy and heat that is originated as, had to be caused by a cataclysmic event. This radiation has no other explanation for an origin. Without Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, the next most reasonable explanation would be the red shift. Red shift is the emissions from distant galaxies spectrum giving off more red emissions than the gasses in the galaxies. With both of these pieces of evidence the beginning of the universe is becoming more known and less mysterious.
Inflation
Inflation was a period where the force of the big bang was so powerful that all matter was pushed out and the universe expanded from the singularity in less than a second and became an octillion times larger than the singularity. The only matter at this time was “floating” protons and electrons. The protons and electrons had not yet combined in the decillionth of a second (10-32.) This event was extremely hot and the heat that is left over from the big bang is reffered to as Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB.) The radiation is called microwave signals because the wave lengths are between 1 millimeter and 1 meter. The radiation traveled in every direction from the singularity. This radiation is still around today, and is the strongest evidence for the big bang.
Recombination Era
There was a perfect ratio of electrons and protons during inflation. Since electron are negatively charged and protons are positively charged they were attracted together and created hydrogen atoms. This was the only atom in the universe for about 300,000 years. How did all the hydrogen turn into the other 89 naturally occurring elements? It first began as the simple act of fusion (figure 1) that occurred at this time because of the density of the hydrogen atoms, creating helium. The speed and efficiency that the fusion was occurring had to do with the theory that the beginning of the universe was about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15000000˚ C). This is the common accepted theory because this is the same temperature of the center of the Sun, which is also undergoing fusion and creating helium.
Discovery
We are still able to detect Cosmic Microwave Background and being able to do so, led to early complications in the telephone industry. In 1963 there were two scientists, Arns Penzias and Robert Wilson, studying microwave signals in order to create a microwave antenna for a phone company. No matter where the antenna was directed, there were background signals. These signals were Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Around the same time there were scientists at Princeton University (physicist Robert Dicke and P.J.E Peebles) designing a similar antenna to measure CMB. Measuring CMB is extremely difficult, since the range of these wave lengths is less than a measurable amount on the surface on the planet (1m and 1cm). In order to measure CMB the detectors have been place on high altitude balloons and orbiting space craft.
The Why
The importance of CMB is that it is the most tangible proof for the big bang. The energy and heat that is originated as, had to be caused by a cataclysmic event. This radiation has no other explanation for an origin. Without Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, the next most reasonable explanation would be the red shift. Red shift is the emissions from distant galaxies spectrum giving off more red emissions than the gasses in the galaxies. With both of these pieces of evidence the beginning of the universe is becoming more known and less mysterious.