Studies Shed Light on Universe in the Moments of Creation

Three independent teams of astronomers on Sunday presented the most precise measurements to date of the infant universe as it existed approximately 14 billion years ago, exposing telltale reverberations they called “the music of creation.”

The results represent a significant advance in scientists’ efforts to understand what happened in the initial split second of cosmic creation and how the universe has evolved since, researchers said at a meeting of the American Physical Society.

The observations provide a new basis for calculating the contents of the universe, confirming mounting evidence that ordinary matter--all the shining stars and galaxies, plus people, computers, cats and so on--accounts for less than 5% of it all. The rest takes the form of mysterious “dark matter” (30%) and an even more enigmatic “dark energy” in space (65%) that is causing galaxies to rush apart from one another at an accelerating rate with unknown consequences for the cosmic future.

The agreement among the various groups and approaches “is both stunning and humbling,” said astrophysicist Michael Turner of the University of Chicago.

He helped predict these proportions years ago using a different method. He added that these latest results put Albert Einstein’s theories of gravity, as well as the Big Bang theory and other key pillars of modern cosmology, “all on a much firmer footing.”

Paul Richards of UC Berkeley is a leader of the high-altitude balloon project called MAXIMA--Millimeter Anisotropy Experiment Imaging Array. “This study provides strong confirmation that, overall, we’re using the right model to describe the universe,” Richards said.