Small Device Could Reveal the Universe's Youth Years

A silicon wafer just four inches in diameter holds all the scientific instruments needed to obtain clear views of how the Universe looked like in its infancy. The device, which is still under development, will be 10,000 times more sensitive than current, state-of-the-art instruments.

The goal of such a device would be to fill in a very sensitive gap in the history of the Cosmos. At this point, astronomers and astrophysicists believe that they have a fairly good understanding of how the Universe looked like when it appears.

Experts also know how it looks like today, thanks to numerous surveys conducted over the years. What they do not understand in too much detail is how the Cosmos looked like in its youth, and this is where the new device should come in handy.

What researchers want to do is complete the universal photo album, showing all the stages through which it passed from infancy to the point we see today. The spectrometer being developed at this point would enable this by peering into the history of the Universe.

It will analyze high-redshift targets, objects that are so far away that the visible and ultraviolet light they emitted was shifted into the infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrometer will therefore operate in IR bands.

By measuring infrared light making its way here, experts can identify the type and composition of the object they are studying, as well as a host of other physical and chemical properties. The device is called the MicroSpec.

The innovative instrument is currently being researched by experts at the Greenbelt, Maryland-based NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The team is led by astrophysicist Harvey Moseley.

“It's quite a new and, we think, revolutionary concept. If we can prove it, everyone will want it,” the team leader explains. Ultimately, the goal of the new instrument would be to detect how the Universe became so prone to supporting the development of life.

Experts from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are also involved in the work. The new device will be constructed on silicon wafers similar to those used to make computer chips.

The GSFC team plans to use a proprietary cooling system on the spectrometer. This will enable it to operate at temperatures just a tenth of a degree above absolute zero, or roughly minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit.