Astrophysicists from the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research presented the results of the first
In a study published in the journal ScienceAdvances, astrophysicists describe radio emission from the cosmic web, the first observed evidence of strong shock waves. A similar phenomenon has previously been recorded only in the largest clusters of galaxies in the universe, but scientists calculated that it is a "sign" of matter collisions and should be common throughout the cosmic web.
Observations of gas, radio waves and magnetic fields near the threads of the cosmic web, confirming the presence of shock waves. Video: F. Vazza, D. Wittor, J. West, Kyle Brown, ICRAR
Magnetic fields permeate the universe - from the planetsand stars to the vast spaces separating the galaxies. When matter mixes with the universe, it creates a shock wave that accelerates particles, strengthening intergalactic magnetic fields, astrophysicists explain. Such shock waves emit radio emission, as a result, the cosmic web "glows" in the radio spectrum.
These signals are usually very weak toTo identify the desired radiation, scientists used data and radio maps of the entire sky collected during various surveys performed by radio telescopes around the world. By summing data across known clusters and filaments, they were able to obtain a weak signal that outperforms noise pollution.
Simulation showing radio emission from impactorswaves. The red color shows the radio emission from the shocks, and the blue lines show the magnetic field lines. Animation: Vazza F; ENZO; Piz-Daint CSCS (Lugano), ICRAR
The cosmic web is how the universelooks to be the largest. Clusters filled with gas and galaxies form filaments relative to the tonic surrounding giant voids. On this scale, galaxies are tiny dots on a web. This distribution of matter in the universe was first predicted in the 1960s, and later, using computer simulations, scientists showed what it looks like.
The analysis of radio emission and magnetic fields between galaxies will help refine theories about how the Universe grows and unravel the mystery of the origin of cosmic magnetism.
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On the cover: simulation of the structure of the Universe (cosmic web). Image: Springel et al. (2005)