Scientists from McGill University in Canada and the Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore have detected an unprecedented 8 billion-year-old radio signal from atomic hydrogen in a very distant galaxy.
According to a report published on the website of BGR, the galaxy from which the signal originated is believed to come from a redshift galaxy identified as z=1.29. Due to the immense distance from the galaxy, the emission line had shifted to a 48 cm line from the 21 cm line they expected.
The most striking thing about this finding is that experts say that the galaxy from which it originated existed when the universe was only 4.9 billion years oldmaking the source of the record radio signal 8.8 billion years old.
How did they find the galaxy?
The detection was possible because the scientists used gravitational lensing to detect and track the signal back to its home galaxy. The magnification of the lens was a factor of 30, the scientists explained, allowing the group to see through the high redshift of the universe. Furthermore, the team observed that the mass of atomic hydrogen in the galaxy was twice its stellar mass.
The team of astronomers used data from the Giant VHF Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune. This instrument enabled the team to detect the unprecedented radio signal originating from the distant galaxy, allowing the researchers to further their discovery.
The findings were published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomy Society Y show the general feasibility of observing atomic gas in galaxies at long distances. It could also open new doors to investigate the cosmic evolution of neutral gas with existing and future low-frequency radio telescopes.
By detecting these types of record-breaking radio signals, we may be able to use similar instances to explore the mysteries of the early universe further.
