CLOZE TESTS for vocabulary Practice on Cosmology

Inflation Theory
One prediction that comes out of the theory of inflation is that the mix of big and
small hot spots in the early universe should follow a characteristic pattern. The spots
COBE found conform to (1!!!!!! pattern" and scientists li#e $moot expected that
(%!!!!!! smaller hot spots will be too. (&!!!!!!! prediction of inflation is the
surprising ('!!!!!!!! that every astronomers can see" including ((!!!!!!! the stars
and galaxies" constitutes )us 1* (+!!!!!!! existing matter. The other ,, * of the
(-!!!!!!!! is dar# and invisible.
There is (.!!!!!! strong evidence that at least some (,!!!!!! matter must
exist. The /il#y 0ay and (11!!!!!!!! all other galaxies rotate so (11!!!!!!! that
they should literally fly apart2 unless the (1%!!!!!!! form invisible halos of dar#
(1&!!!!!!!! is holding them together. The halos (1'!!!!!!! fall short of what
inflation (1(!!!!!!!" but" bolstered by the latest results" theorists are sure that the
rest will be found.
0ord ban#3
That
fast
virtually
notion
matter still
of
already
all
universe gravity dar# the
4nother
re5uires
Background radiation
$ome #inds of light" however" have had enough time to suffuse space. The
famous cosmic microwave bac#ground radiation" considered to be the definite proof of
the Big Bang" fills the s#y. 6ow astronomers say they have found (1!!!!! second"
younger bac#ground. 7t is thought (%!!!!! be the first loo# at a (&!!!!!!!!! unseen
period of the universe between ('!!!!!! release of the microwave bac#ground and
the formation of the earliest #nown galaxies" about a ((!!!!!!!! years later. 80e9re
really completing the (+!!!!!!!! of Olber:s paradox; said <rinceton =niversity
(-!!!!!!!! /ichael >ogely" one of the researchers (.!!!!!! announced their
findings about the bac#ground (,!!!!! the 4merican 4stronomical $ociety
conference in ?anuary.
The (11!!!!!!!! hoopla at the meeting concerned the far2infrared (11!!!!!!
of the bac#ground" first hypothesi@ed (1%!!!!! 1,+- by Bruce <artridge of Aaverford
College and <. ?ames E. <eebles of <rinceton. Two effects turn primordial starlight into
an (1&!!!!!!! glow3 the expansion of the universe (1'!!!!!!! stretches visible
wavelengths of light into (1(!!!!!! infrared.
0ord Ban#
a
in
infrared
the
billion
who
the
astronomer
to
previously
resolution
part
which
at
greatest
EI!E"CE #O$ %"IE$SE E&P'"SIO" #O%"!
<hysicists announced Thursday that they now have the smo#ing gun that9s shows the
universe went through extremely rapid expansion in the moments after the Big Bang"
growing from (1 !!!!! si@e of a marble to a volume larger (% !!!!! all of observable
space in less than (& !!!!! trillion2trillionth of a second.
The discovery Bwhich involves an analysis (' !!!!! variations in the brightness of
microwave (( !!!!! 2 is the first direct evidence to support the two2decade2old (+
!!!!! that the universe went through what is called inflation.
7t also helps explain (- !!!!! matter eventually clumped together into planets" (.
!!!!! and galaxies in a universe that began (, !!!!! a remar#ably smooth" super hot
soup.
87t9s giving us our first clues (11 !!!!! how inflation too# place;" said /ichael Turner"
assistant director (11 !!!!! mathematics and physical sciences at the 6ational
$cience Coundation. 8(1% !!!!! is absolutely ama@ing;.
Brian Dreene" a Columbia =niversity physicist" (1& !!!!! 3 8The observations are
spectacular and the (1' !!!!! are stunning;.
0ord ban#
a
of
conclusions
for
stars
than
radiation
as
the
theory
about
said
This
how
'LTE$"'TIES TO T(E BI) B'")
Eecent wor# on cosmic grains Fsmall particles of iron" carbon and the li#e found in
interstellar spaceF has turned up a promising candidate3 an iron whis#er about 1
millimetre long and 1 micrometer wide. (1!!!!!!!!!!!!! experiments show that
slowly cooled metallic (% !!!!!!!! do condense into such whis#ers. Because
(&!!!!!!!!!!!! are expected to be e)ected in ('!!!!!!!!!!!!! explosions" such
whis#ers could very well (( !!!!!!!!!!!! in the expanding envelopes of supernovae.
(+!!!!!!!!!!!!" the spectrum of the Crab 6ebula (-!!!!!!!!!!! (which is the relic
of a (. !!!!!!!!!!!! shows a dip in the range (,!!!!!!!! wavelengths from &1
micrometers to centimetres" (11!!!!!!!!!!! are )ust the wavelengths where we (11
!!!!!!!!!!!! expect iron whis#ers to absorb radiation. (1% !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
produced supernovae in galaxies" these whis#ers (1& !!!!!!!!!!!!!! (in a
reasonably short time compared (1'!!!!!!!!!!!! cosmological time scales of 11
billion (1(!!!!!!!!!!!!! ultimately be pushed out into the
(1+!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! space by radiation pressure. Calculations show
(1-!!!!!!!!!!!!! such particles could very efficiently wipe
(1.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!any underlying unevenness in radiation from (1,!!!!!!!!!!!!
and galaxies.
0ord ban#
Corm
$ignificantly
/etals
$upernova
with
years
Once
stars
$upernova
<ulsar
that
out
would
intergalactic
Gaboratory
would
>apors
of
which
(ubble surveys the *homes* of +uasars
Two teams of astronomers are releasing dramatic Aubble $pace Telescope images
today" which show that 5uasars live in a remar#able variety of galaxies" many of which
are violently colliding. !!!!!!!!! (1 complicated picture suggests there may be
!!!!!!!!! (% variety of mechanisms 2some 5uite subtle2 !!!!!!!!! (& Hturning onH
5uasars" the universeIs most !!!!!!!!! (' ob)ects.
The Aubble researchers are also !!!!!!!!! (( by the fact that the 5uasars
!!!!!!!!! (+ do not appear to have obviously !!!!!!!!! (- the galaxies in which
they live. !!!!!!!!! (. could mean that 5uasars are relatively !!!!!!!!! (,
phenomena" which many galaxies" including the !!!!!!!!! (11 0ay" experienced
long ago.
?ohn Bahcall !!!!!!!!! (11 the 7nstitute for 4dvanced $tudy" <rinceton" 6?"
!!!!!!!!! (1% that AubbleIs clarity opens a complicated !!!!!!!!! (1&. H7f we
thought we had a !!!!!!!!! (1' theory of 5uasars before" now we !!!!!!!!! (1(
we donItH" says Bahcall.
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Of
7ntrigued
Jnow
Energetic
This
a
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/il#y
<icture
Emphasi@es
Cor
Kamaged
Complete
This
$hort2lived
LOO,B'C, TI-E
The absence of 5uasars at distances (and loo# bac# times of over about fifteen billion
light2years can be explained handily in terms of 8Big Bang; cosmology. 7f" as this theory
maintains" the expansion of the universe began in a violent event L1M !!!!!! eighteen
to twenty billion years ago" L%M !!!!! we would expect that this moment L&M !!!!!
violent genesis was followed by an L'M !!!!! of dar#ness during which the thinning" L(M
!!!!!" primordial matter of the universe L+M !!!!!. Then stars and the nuclei of L-M
!!!!! began to shine" and light reappeared L.M !!!!! the cosmos. 7f 5uasars are
L,M !!!!! protogalaxies predicted by the theory" we L11M !!!!! expect to find a great
many L11M !!!!! at loo# bac# times of approximately twelve L1%M !!!!! fifteen billion
light2years" but none at greater L1&M !!!!! times" for beyond that point we L1'M !!!!!
peering into the time prior to L1(M !!!!! protogalaxies had begun to shine. 7t L1+M !!!!!
this 5uasar cutoff point that is L1-M !!!!! referred to as the 8edge; of L1.M !!!!!
universe. 4ll observers in the cosmos L1,M !!!!! find that the cutoff point occurs L%1M
!!!!! extreme loo# bac# times. 6o observer today L%1M !!!!! any closer to the 8edge;
than L%%M !!!!! other" for the 8edge; belongs to L%&M !!!!! past. 4nd no observer finds
5uasars abundant nearby" at short loo# bac# times" as the 5uasars too belong to the
past" and presumably since have settled down to become the nuclei of more or less
normal galaxies.
0ord ban#
then
coalesced
of
is
epoch
cooling
loo# bac#
the
is
the
roughly
are
any
the
5uasars
protogalaxies
to
today
sometimes
in
should
when
at