CMB radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation that completley fills the universe. Specifically, it has a thermal 2.725 kelvin (K) black body spectrum that peaks in the microwave range at a frequency of 160.2 gigahertz (which corresponds to aa wavelength of 1.9 millimeter).

Generally, the average temperature of the CMB radiation is 2.7 K but it varies by a very tiny amount—a few millionths of a degree—depending on its location. Such irregularities in this CMB temperature have allowed scientists to develop a theory on how the early universe started and evolved—eventually forming stars, galaxies, and everything else that is now contained in the universe.

For Wandelt and Yadav, when they measured these early universe temperature fluctuations, their results did not agree with the accepted theory. They compared the predicted temperature fluctuations that came from the “single-field slow-roll inflation” theory with the actual measurements from WMAP. They didn’t agree. This disagreement could have important implications on how the universe first formed and evolved.

Most cosmologists accept a simple theory for inflation called “single-field slow-roll inflation.” It states that the universe initially expanded exponentially (accelerated expansion) for its first fraction of a second in a smooth and flat pattern.

However, very quickly, small primordial ripples developed in its four-dimensional structure (three dimensions of space and one dimension of time: space-time). These ripples eventually caused stars, galaxies, and other objects to form in the universe.

The mechanism for inflation is not known by cosmologists, but a number of predictions have been made based on observational measurements. Various problems have been brought forth by scientists with respect to the Big Bang theory (the theorized origin of the universe). These scientists are continuing to work out these problems.

One of these questions involves the work of Wandelt and Yadav. They may have opened up the possibility of new theories on how the universe was created and developed over time. On the other hand, they may be wrong in their assumptions. As in any piece of new discovery, scientists must confirm or deny the discovery. Cosmologists are now working on just that: whether Wandelt and Yadav have found something valid in how the universe was born.

One new discussion that has arisen from their studies, which was stated in the ScienceNOW Daily News article “No Dice for Slow Roll?” (December 21, 2007), states, “Although the findings don't rule out traditional inflation theories, they do open the door for other theories about how the universe began, including the idea that the universe began with a splat rather than a bang.”

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