Evidence of a gravitational wave causing background noise throughout the universe

Illustration photo. (Source: Getty)

On June 29, astronomers around the world said they had found the first evidence of a long-theorized form of gravitational waves, believed to be the cause of "background noise" throughout the universe.

This groundbreaking discovery is considered an important milestone to open a new door into the universe.

Over the years, hundreds of scientists have used radio telescopes and gravitational wave detectors in North America, Europe, China, India and Australia to study and make the breakthrough.

More than a century ago, scientist Albert Einstein made the first predictions about gravitational waves - ripples that propagate through the fabric of the universe at the speed of light and are virtually unimpeded.

However, it was not until 2015 that American and Italian observatories were able to confirm the existence of gravitational waves, after two black holes collided.

These “high-frequency” gravitational waves were the result of a cosmic event that created a powerful explosion, sending short ripples toward Earth. But for decades, scientists have been searching for low-frequency gravitational waves—waves that ripple continuously through space like “background noise.”

On June 29, scientists said they had finally found strong evidence of this "background noise."

Scientists believe that as gravitational waves travel through space, they compress and stretch everything they pass through. Looking for evidence of this hypothesis in low-frequency gravitational waves, astronomers looked at pulsars - the remnants of exploded stars.

Pulsars spin hundreds of times a second, emitting beams of radio waves at extremely regular intervals, like cosmic lighthouses.

Research team member Dr. Michael Keith likens these pulsars to highly accurate clocks.

During the study, radio telescopes around the world observed a total of 115 pulsars in the Milky Way. Scientists then measured the extremely small differences in the timing of the pulses to look for signs of gravitational waves.

French astrophysicist Antoine Petiteau said they could "detect changes smaller than a millionth of a second over 20 years."

Physics professor Maura McLaughlin from the Pulsar Search Collaboration (USA) affirmed that this was "truly a magical moment" after seeing evidence of gravitational waves for the first time in 2020.

These initial evidences are consistent with Einstein's "Theory of Relativity" and current understanding of cosmology. However, scientists emphasize that they have not yet clearly "detected" gravitational waves.

According to Dr. Keith, the possibility of detecting gravitational waves is currently only 99%. Scientists hope that in the next 1-2 years, they can find clearer evidence confirming the existence of gravitational waves.

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