Integrated observations from NASAs NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and Hubbles WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3) show spiral nebula NGC 5584, which lives 72 million light-years far from Earth. Amongst NGC 5584s glowing stars are pulsating stars called Cepheid variables and Type Ia supernova, a special class of exploding stars. Astronomers utilize Cepheid variables and Type Ia supernovae as reliable distance markers to determine the universes growth rate. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and A. Riess (STScI).
The “Hubble Tension” signifies the distinction between the observed and expected expansion rate of deep space. The James Webb Space Telescope improves measurements formerly made by the Hubble Space Telescope. Despite improvements, questions continue about deep spaces quick growth and prospective underlying cosmic phenomena.
The rate at which deep space is expanding, called the Hubble consistent, is among the basic specifications for comprehending the development and ultimate fate of the cosmos. A consistent distinction called the “Hubble Tension” is seen in between the value of the continuous determined with a broad variety of independent range signs and its value forecasted from the Big Bang afterglow.
NASAs James Webb Space Telescope offers new abilities to inspect and improve some of the greatest observational proof for this tension. Nobel Laureate Adam Riess from the Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute provides his and his coworkers recent work utilizing Webb observations to improve the precision of regional measurements of the Hubble constant.
The Webb information verifies the accuracy of 30 years of Hubble observations of Cepheids that were critical in developing the bottom rung of the cosmic range ladder for determining the universes expansion rate. Prior to Hubbles 1990 launch and its subsequent Cepheid measurements, the growth rate of the universe was so unpredictable astronomers werent sure if the universe has actually been expanding for 10 billion or 20 billion years. Hubbles red-light vision is not as sharp as its blue, so the Cepheid starlight we see there is mixed with other stars in its field of view.” We just recently got our first Webb measurements from actions one and 2 which permits us to finish the distance ladder and compare to the previous measurements with Hubble (see figure) Webbs measurements have actually considerably cut the noise in the Cepheid measurements due to the observatorys resolution at near-infrared wavelengths. With Webb verifying the measurements from Hubble, the Webb measurements supply the strongest proof yet that organized mistakes in Hubbles Cepheid photometry do not play a considerable role in the present Hubble Tension.
The Challenge of Cosmic Measurement.
” Did you ever have a hard time to see an indication that was at the edge of your vision? What does it say? What does it imply? Even with the most effective telescopes, the signs astronomers want to read appear so small that we struggle too.
” The sign cosmologists want to read is a cosmic speed limit indication that tells us how quick the universe is expanding– a number called the Hubble constant. Our sign is written into the stars in remote galaxies. The brightnesses of certain stars in those galaxies inform us how far away they are and therefore for how much time this light has been traveling to reach us, and the redshifts of the galaxies tell us how much deep space expanded over that time, for this reason informing us the growth rate.
This diagram shows the combined power of the NASAs Hubble and Webb area telescopes in nailing down accurate ranges to an unique class of variable star that is used in adjusting the growth rate of the universe. The Webb information confirms the precision of 30 years of Hubble observations of Cepheids that were critical in establishing the bottom called of the cosmic range ladder for measuring the universes expansion rate. At the left, NGC 5584 is seen in a composite image from Webbs NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and Hubbles Wide Field Camera 3.
” A particular class of stars, Cepheid variables, has provided us the most accurate measurements of distance for over a century because these stars are extraordinarily bright: They are supergiant stars, a hundred thousand times the luminosity of the Sun. They are the gold standard tool for the function of measuring the distances of galaxies a hundred million or more light years away, a vital step to determine the Hubble constant.
Hubbles Contribution and Webbs Advancements.
” A major justification for building the Hubble Space Telescope was to solve this problem. Prior to Hubbles 1990 launch and its subsequent Cepheid measurements, the expansion rate of deep space was so unsure astronomers werent sure if deep space has been broadening for 10 billion or 20 billion years. Thats since a much faster expansion rate will lead to a younger age for the universe, and a slower expansion rate will lead to an older age of the universe. Because it sits above the blurring results of Earths atmosphere, Hubble has better visible-wavelength resolution than any ground-based telescope. As a result, it can identify specific Cepheid variables in galaxies that are more than a hundred million light-years away and measure the time interval over which they alter their brightness.
” However, we likewise should observe the Cepheids at the near-infrared part of the spectrum to see the light which passes untouched through stepping in dust. Hubbles red-light vision is not as sharp as its blue, so the Cepheid starlight we see there is mixed with other stars in its field of view.
” However, sharp infrared vision is among the James Webb Space Telescopes superpowers. With its large mirror and sensitive optics, it can easily separate the Cepheid light from neighboring stars with little mixing. In the first year of Webb operations with our General Observers program 1685, we gathered observations of Cepheids found by Hubble at two actions along whats understood as the cosmic distance ladder. The primary step involves observing Cepheids in a galaxy with a known, geometric range that permits us to adjust the true luminosity of Cepheids. For our program, that galaxy is NGC 4258. The second action is to observe Cepheids in the host galaxies of current Type Ia supernovae. The combination of the very first 2 steps transfers knowledge of the distance to the supernovae to adjust their true luminosities. Step three is to observe those supernovae far away where the expansion of deep space appears and can be determined by comparing the distances presumed from their brightness and the redshifts of the supernova host galaxies. This series of steps is understood as the range ladder.
” We recently got our very first Webb measurements from steps one and 2 which allows us to finish the range ladder and compare to the previous measurements with Hubble (see figure) Webbs measurements have significantly cut the noise in the Cepheid measurements due to the observatorys resolution at near-infrared wavelengths. This type of improvement is the things astronomers imagine! We observed more than 320 Cepheids across the very first 2 actions. We validated that the earlier Hubble Space Telescope measurements were accurate, albeit noisier. We have also observed 4 more supernova hosts with Webb and we see a similar result for the whole sample.
Comparison of Cepheid period-luminosity relations used to measure ranges. The red points are from NASAs Webb, and the gray points are from NASAs Hubble. The leading panel is for NGC 5584, the Type Ia supernova host, with the inset revealing image stamps of the same Cepheid seen by each telescope.
The Persisting Mystery of Hubble Tension.
” What the results still do not explain is why the universe appears to be expanding so fast! We can predict the expansion rate of the universe by observing its child image, the cosmic microwave background, and then employing our best design of how it grows up over time to tell us how quickly the universe should be expanding today.
” It might show the existence of exotic dark energy, unique dark matter, a revision to our understanding of gravity, or the presence of an unique particle or field. The more ordinary explanation would be numerous measurement mistakes conspiring in the very same instructions (astronomers have ruled out a single mistake by using independent actions), so that is why it is so crucial to redo the measurements with greater fidelity. With Webb verifying the measurements from Hubble, the Webb measurements offer the strongest proof yet that organized mistakes in Hubbles Cepheid photometry do not play a substantial function in the present Hubble Tension. As a result, the more interesting possibilities remain on the table and the secret of the Tension deepens.”.
This post highlights information from a paper that was accepted by The Astrophysical Journal.
Reference: “Crowded No More: The Accuracy of the Hubble Constant Tested with High Resolution Observations of Cepheids by JWST” by Adam G. Riess, Gagandeep S. Anand, Wenlong Yuan, Stefano Casertano, Andrew Dolphin, Lucas M. Macri, Louise Breuval, Dan Scolnic, Marshall Perrin and Richard I. Anderson, Accepted, The Astrophysical Journal.arXiv:2307.15806.
Author: Adam Riess is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins University, the Thomas J. Barber Professor in Space Studies at the JHU Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, a recognized astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, and a recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.