Earth's Laws Still Apply In Distant Universe

The laws of nature are the same in the distant universe, because it here on Earth, according to new research by an international team of astronomers, including Christian Henkel from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn. Their research, published June 20 in Science, shows that one of the major figures in physics theory, the electron-proton mass ratio is almost exactly the same in a galaxy 6 billion light years away, as in Earth's Laboratories approximately 1836.15.

According to Michael Murphy, Swinburne astrophysicist and lead author of the study, it is an important result, as many scientists debate whether the laws of nature may be at different times and in different places in the universe. "We were able to show that the laws of physics are the same in this galaxy halfway across the visible universe, because it here on earth," he says.

The astronomers determined that by an effective look back in time in a distant quasar, labelled B0218 +367. The quasar's light, which has 7.5 billion years to us, was partially absorbed by ammonia gas in an intervening galaxy. Not only is useful in most ammonia bathroom cleaning products, it is also an ideal molecule to test our understanding of physics in the distant universe. Spectroscopic observations of the ammonia molecule have been associated with the Effelsberg 100m radio telescope in 2 cm wavelength (red-shifted from the original wavelength of 1.3 cm). The wavelengths at which ammonia absorbed Radio Energy from the quasar are vulnerable to this specific number of nuclear physics, the electron-proton mass ratio.

"By comparing the absorption of ammonia with other molecules, we were able to determine that the value of the electron-proton mass ratio in this galaxy, and confirm that it is the same as on earth," says Christian Henkel from MPIfR, an expert in molecular spectroscopy and co-author of the study.

The astronomers' goal is to continue the examination of the laws of nature in so many different places and times in the universe as possible in order to see how well the laws of nature, in testing situations. You need to absorb more galaxies. The studied galaxy, B0218 +367, is the only destination for this type of research so far. There must be much more target galaxies, once the right telescopes to find them available.

According to Murphy, this problem could be overcome with the proposed Square Kilometer Array (SKA) telescope project. "The SKA is the largest and most ambitious international project telescope ever conceived. After completion, there will be a huge gathering, and will allow us to search for more absorbing galaxies." The situation of Ska, was shortlisted for the Western Australia or South Africa, will be announced within the next 2 years.

Through its research on the forces of nature, the astronomers also hope that you a window into the extra dimensions of space that many theoretical physicists believe exist.