Source: TH
Context: Researchers from the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS), Bengaluru, the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), have proposed a new method to determine the Hubble constant, a value critical in understanding the universe’s expansion rate.
About the Universe:
The universe, born from the Big Bang around 13.8 billion years ago, has been expanding, with its expansion rate initially rapid and then slowing down. However, about five to six billion years ago, dark energy caused the universe’s expansion to accelerate again.
What is Universe Expansion Dispute?
The dispute surrounding the expansion of the universe centres on determining the precise rate at which it is expanding, known as the Hubble constant. Multiple methods have been used to calculate this constant, including analyzing the brightness of supernovae, studying the cosmic microwave background, and observing gravitational waves.
However, these methods have provided conflicting results, with some measurements reporting higher values than others. This discrepancy has led to a crisis in cosmology, as scientists seek to reconcile these differing measurements and understand the true rate of expansion.
What is the new method?
In an effort to address this dispute, researchers from various institutions have proposed new methods, such as using lensed gravitational waves, to independently estimate the Hubble constant. The researchers believe that upcoming gravitational-wave detectors could identify lensed gravitational waves, which can then be used to calculate the Hubble constant more accurately.
