Early televisions, particularly those that used cathode ray tubes (CRTs), played a crucial role in discovering the remnants of the Big Bang, known as the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Here's how it happened:

1. **Accidental Discovery:** In 1965, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were working on a radio astronomy project at Bell Labs in the United States. They were trying to use a radio antenna to detect microwave signals reflected from communication balloons. However, no matter which direction they pointed the antenna, they detected a faint, persistent hum. After ruling out several possible sources, including pigeon droppings and interference from Earth, they realized they were detecting something cosmic and fundamental.

2. **Interpretation:** Penzias and Wilson soon realized that the signal they were picking up was the cosmic microwave background radiation, left over from the Big Bang. This radiation is the echo of the heat left over from the initial explosion of the universe, about 13.8 billion years ago. It was released when the universe cooled enough for atoms to form, about 380,000 years after the Big Bang.

3. **Connection to TVs:** The connection between the old TVs and this discovery lies in the technology used to build the detection instruments. The scientists used a highly sensitive radio telescope, which was originally a type of dish used for satellite communications and which was also used in some old TVs to receive satellite signals. The sensitivity of these devices allowed them to detect the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is extremely weak.

Thus, early TVs, through the technology behind radio telescopes, played a key role in the discovery and confirmation of the Big Bang theory.

The echo of the Big Bang: from theoretical dream to the landmark discovery of RCFM

The echo of the Big Bang, known as the cosmic microwave background (CMBR), is one of the most remarkable discoveries in modern cosmology. The story behind this discovery is fascinating.

The Big Bang theory, which postulates that the universe began in a hot, dense state about 13.8 billion years ago, was first proposed by Georges Lemaître in 1927 and further developed by the likes of George Gamow, Ralph Alpher and Robert Herman in the following decades.

A key prediction of the Big Bang theory was the existence of background radiation left over from the initial explosion. This radiation would be extremely cold today due to the expansion of the universe over time, and would be detectable as a uniform microwave signal coming from all directions in the sky.

The first significant detection of this radiation was made by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson in 1965, while working with a Bell Labs microwave antenna. They discovered a background noise that they could not explain, and after ruling out several possible sources, including pigeons and radio interference, they realized that they were observing the cosmic microwave background.

This discovery was monumental, as it confirmed a key prediction of the Big Bang theory and provided strong evidence for the validity of this cosmological model. Since then, detailed studies of the cosmic microwave background have provided profound insights into the history and structure of the universe, including the formation of galaxies and the distribution of matter and energy in the cosmos.

Beyond microwave spikes

In addition to the microwave peaks in the cosmic microwave background, which are extremely important and provide a significant amount of information about the nature of the early universe, there are several other features and anisotropies present in this radiation that are equally interesting and informative.

1. **Small-scale anisotropies:** In addition to the primary peaks, the cosmic microwave background exhibits smaller temperature fluctuations on smaller scales. These fluctuations are caused by variations in the density of the early universe. Studying these anisotropies allows cosmologists to better understand the distribution of matter and energy in the early universe.

2. **Polarization:** The cosmic microwave background also exhibits polarization, which can be divided into two main types: E polarization and B polarization. E polarization is generated by primordial density fluctuations, while B polarization can be caused by more exotic effects such as primordial gravitational waves or high-energy physics in the early universe. Studying the polarization of the cosmic microwave background can provide valuable insights into the physical processes that occurred during the epoch of recombination and the extreme cosmic events that occurred in the early universe.

3. **Gravitational lensing effects:** The cosmic microwave background is also distorted by the gravity of massive structures along its line of sight, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing. Studying these lensing effects can provide information about the distribution of matter along the line of sight of the cosmic microwave background and help map the distribution of dark matter in the universe.

These are just some of the additional features of the cosmic microwave background that cosmologists study to better understand the history and structure of the universe. Detailed analysis of these features allows scientists to build more accurate models of the early universe and test fundamental theories of physics.