A group of international scientists, led by an astrophysicist from the University of British Columbia, has uncovered a young galaxy cluster emitting hot gas at a rate five times higher than previously believed possible. This groundbreaking finding has sparked excitement among astrophysicists, as it has the potential to reshape our understanding of the early universe post-Big Bang.
Published in the prestigious Nature journal, the study, which involved over two dozen researchers worldwide, focused on the galaxy cluster SPT2349-56 located approximately 12 billion light years away. Headed by UBC PhD candidate Dazhi Zhou, the team observed a significant amount of hot gas present in the intergalactic space.
Zhou highlighted that this discovery marks the first detection of such intense hot gas at such an early cosmological stage. The galaxy cluster in question, known as “young” in astronomical terms, formed merely 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang. This revelation signifies a substantial advancement in our comprehension of the universe’s mechanisms, according to Zhou.
James Di Francesco, the director of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory near Victoria, emphasized that previous theories did not anticipate galaxy clusters becoming so hot in such a short timeframe. Typically, the gas surrounding galaxies is expected to gradually heat up as galaxies interact and release energy into the surrounding medium. However, the abrupt heating observed in this nascent cluster challenges conventional assumptions.
The researchers discovered the abundance of hot gas much earlier in the evolution of the SPT2349-56 cluster than previously thought. Utilizing telescopes in Chile, the team delved into dark clouds and probed deep into the universe’s earliest epoch to unravel this phenomenon. By employing radio telescopes that observe in submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths, researchers could precisely determine the temperature of the distant hot gas.
A galaxy cluster comprises a congregation of galaxies, ranging from clusters to superclusters housing hundreds to thousands of galaxies. Our own Milky Way resides within the Virgo supercluster, potentially accommodating over 2,000 galaxies. Zhou emphasized the importance of this new research in elucidating the formation and characteristics of present-day massive galaxy clusters.
This study opens up a new realm of exploration into the early universe, providing valuable insights into the evolution of galaxy clusters and challenging existing paradigms.