Waves in the very fabric of the cosmos are allowing us to peer further back in time than anyone thought possible, showing us what was happening in the first slivers of a second after the big bang. If confirmed, the discovery of these primordial waves will have rippling effects throughout science. It backs up key predictions for how the universe began and operates, and offers a glimmer of hope for tying together two foundational theories of modern physics. It might even net the discoverers a Nobel prize.
The waves in question are called gravitational waves and are produced when a massive object accelerates through the fabric of space-time, causing ripples. They appear in Einstein's highly successful theory of general relativity, although they have never been directly detected.
Today, scientists working with the BICEP2 collaboration at the south pole announced the first clear sign of gravitational waves, found in maps of the earliest light emitted after the big bang. The distinctive swirls made by the waves are more pronounced than the team expected, because models had suggested that gravitational waves from this early era would be incredibly weak and perhaps even undetectable.
