More Scrutiny? Major Big Bang Discovery Study Published

B-Mode Pattern Observed with the BICEP2 Telescope

Gravitational waves from inflation create a twisting pattern in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background, called a "curl" or B-mode pattern. The actual B-mode pattern observed with the BICEP2 telescope appears here. (Image credit: BICEP2 Collaboration)

A celebrated and controversial astrophysics discovery is about to receive even more scrutiny.

In March, a team of astronomers announced that they had spotted the signature of primordial gravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the ancient light left over from the Big Bang. If it holds up, the discovery would confirm the theory of cosmic inflation, which posits that the universe expanded at many times the speed of light in the first few instants after its birth 13.8 billion years ago.

Indeed, the study's authors — led by John Kovac of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics — acknowledge the "extensive discussion" in a note they added to the study after submitting it.

"More data are clearly required to resolve the situation," they write in the note.

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Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.