Dr. Hee-Jong Seo. Photo by Rob Hardin
Dr. Hee-Jong Seo is quoted in a Science News article headlined “Hidden ancient neutrinos may shape the patterns of galaxies.”
Seo is Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy at Ohio University.
Shadowy messengers from the Big Bang have seemingly left their mark on ring-shaped patterns imprinted on the sky.
Subatomic particles called neutrinos, released just one second after the universe’s birth 13.8 billion years ago, continually stream through the universe and are exceedingly hard to spot. But circular patterns of galaxies scattered across the sky reveal signs of the shy particles. Those data hint that the neutrinos’ gravity subtly alters the rings, researchers report February 25 in Nature Physics. Since these relic neutrinos were released so early in the universe’s history, scientists hope they can one day use these particles to better understand the cosmos in its first moments.
The study “is certainly new and interesting in that it shows that we can derive the early universe physics” by observing the recent universe, says cosmologist Hee-Jong Seo of Ohio University in Athens, who wasn’t involved in the research.
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