Cosmic filaments, stretching hundreds of millions of light-years, rotate like cosmic corkscrews.
Key Takeaways
- Cosmic filaments, the largest structures in the Universe, have been observed spinning.
- These massive tendrils channel matter into galaxy clusters and are hundreds of millions of light-years long.
- Filaments contain over 60% of hydrogen from the Big Bang, fueling galaxy and black hole formation.
- Advanced tools like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and ESO’s Very Large Telescope confirmed filament motion.
- The Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall, a 10-billion-light-year structure, challenges cosmological theories of uniformity.
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Cosmic Filaments: Spinning Giants in the Universe
Cosmic filaments, the universe’s largest known structures, have been discovered to rotate, challenging existing cosmological theories. Stretching hundreds of millions of light-years, these tendrils of dark matter and galaxies connect the cosmic web, funneling matter into galaxy clusters at their intersections. This groundbreaking observation reveals rotational motion on an enormous scale, previously thought impossible.
Researchers, including Noam Libeskind from Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics, and Mark Neyrinck of the University of the Basque Country, used advanced techniques to confirm this phenomenon. Libeskind’s team analyzed data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, measuring galaxy velocities perpendicular to filament axes, while Neyrinck’s team relied on 3D cosmological simulations. Their findings, published in Nature Astronomy and the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, provide strong evidence for filament rotation.
How Filaments Shape the Universe
These colossal structures hold over 60% of hydrogen created during the Big Bang. They act as conduits for matter, fueling galaxy formation and the evolution of supermassive black holes. Where filaments intersect, gas rivers supply material to developing galaxies, enabling intense star formation and black hole activity.
Directly observing these elusive filaments has been challenging due to their faint gas. However, using the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers mapped hydrogen gas illuminated by ultraviolet light from galaxies in a protocluster. This technology allowed unprecedented insights into filament dynamics.
One prominent filament-associated structure, the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall, spans 10 billion light-years and contains numerous galaxies. Discovered in 2013, it challenges the cosmological principle that matter appears uniformly distributed on large scales. This immense structure existed just 4 billion years after the Big Bang, offering valuable clues about the early universe.
The study of cosmic filaments not only reveals how the universe’s largest entities behave but also advances our understanding of galaxy and black hole development. Future observations and simulations will likely shed more light on how these structures rotate and influence cosmic evolution.
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