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Background radiation for the Nobel Prize in Physics

2006/10/03 Rementeria Argote, Nagore - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

The 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics will be received by John Mather and George Smoot for their work on the background radiation of the Universe for working with the background cosmic microwave radiation and discovering that this radiation has the form of black body radiation. The members of the Nobel Foundation have used agile words to explain the merit of these two physicists; in short, they wanted to reward the work done with the satellite COBE.
George Smoot, one of this year's Nobel Prize in Physics.

The COBE (COsmic Background Explorer) project was born in 1974 in the United States. It was about investigating the creation of the universe from a wide space, without the atmosphere being disturbed. According to the most accepted hypothesis, the universe was created by the explosion of Big Bang, whose footprint remains in space. This footprint is a background radiation that is currently microwave type. Mather and Smoot worked on the project of the first satellite that studied background radiation, the COBE project.

The background radiation spectrum was previously built, in high mountains or using aerostatic balloons. However, the atmosphere was an obstacle and in order to receive a clean spectrum one had to avoid the influence of the Earth's atmosphere. That is why it was so necessary for a satellite to collect the data.

Therefore, the satellite had to be launched into space. But on the way they found a great obstacle: In 1986 the Challenger ferry delayed NASA missions with ferries after an accident. Consequently, the future of the COBE project was questioned. But the project team did not resign — John Mather said he did a terrible job. He obtained a rocket to launch the satellite and was launched in 1989.

With the COBE satellite they got the image of the temperature of the universe.
NASA-GSFC

The effort was worth it. Nine minutes after the COBE space, the spectrum of background radiation was sought. This spectrum aroused enormous expectation, as it was exactly the same as that emitted by a black body and corresponded to the Big Bang theory.

Image of the temperature of the universe

After the Big Bang, the temperature of the universe has been decreasing. The wavelength of the background radiation is related to this temperature. However, this temperature is not the same everywhere in the universe. Therefore, they measured the background radiation in all directions and formed the image of the universe according to temperature. This study also provided information on the creation of galaxies and stars.

The COBE accurately collected the difference in background radiation between the directions of the universe. George Smoot was responsible for these measurements and the measuring team.

Smoot and Mather will therefore receive the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on background radiation with the COBE satellite.

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