Inflating the Universe
影像提供: WMAP Science Team, NASA
Explanation:
The Universe is expanding gradually now. But its initial expansion was almost impossibly rapid as it likely grew from quantum scale fluctuations in a trillionth of a second. In fact, this cosmological scenario, known as Inflation, is now reported to be further quantified by an analysis of three years of data from the WMAP spacecraft. WMAP's instruments detect the cosmic microwave background radiation - the afterglow light from the early Universe. WMAP's amazing success in exploring the first trillionth of a second and favoring specific inflationary scenarios lies in its ability to make unprecedented, precise measurements of the properties of the microwave background. The subtle properties are distilled from conditions in the early Universe and related to its first moments of existence. Schematically, this diagram traces the 13.7 billion year (plus a trillionth of a second ...) history of the Universe from the quantum scale to the formation of stars, galaxies, planets, and WMAP.
說明:
宇宙現在只是緩緩的膨脹，不過它初期的膨脹則是無法置信地快速，它很可能在一兆分之一秒的期間，就從量子尺度的起伏增長到相當的規模。這種宇宙學現象稱為暴漲，據稱在分析威爾金森衛星三年的觀測數據後，它現在有了更具體的數量化描述。威爾金森衛星儀器所偵測的是宇宙微波背景輻射，是一種來自初期宇宙餘燼的輝光。威爾金森衛星之所以能探索一兆分之一秒年齡的宇宙及分辨某些暴漲模型的正確性，是因為它能夠量測微波背景的特性至前所未見之精度，而這些特性和初期宇宙的狀態及存在的方式則又緊密相關。上面這幅圖示回溯了137億年(再加上一兆分之一秒…)的宇宙，呈現了宇宙從量子尺度演變到恆星、星系、及行星形成的歷史，還有進行量測的威爾金森衛星。
名詞對照：威爾金森衛星 (WMAP)、量子尺度的起伏 (quantum scale fluctuations)、暴漲 (Inflation)、宇宙微波背景輻射 (cosmic microwave background radiation)。
資料來源: Scientific American
Department of Physics, NCKU
