This article concerns the accidental discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation. Although predicted by earlier theories, it was first found accidentally by Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson as they experimented with the Horn Antenna. “CMB” redirects here. ... Arno Allan Penzias (born April 26, American physicist. ... Robert Woodrow Wilson Robert Woodrow Wilson (born January 10, 1936) is an American physicist. ... A horn antenna is used for the transmission and reception of microwave signals. ...

History

By the middle of the 20th century, cosmologists had developed two different theories to explain the creation of the universe. Some supported the steady-state theory, which states that the universe has always existed and will continue to survive without noticeable change. Others believed in the Big Bang theory, which states that the universe was created in a massive explosion-like event about 13.7 billion years ago. Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Henry Dicke (May 6, 1916 – March 4, 1997) was an American physicist and astrophysicist. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... George Gamow (pronounced GAM-off) (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968) , born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov (Георгий Антонович Гамов) was a Ukrainian born physicist and cosmologist. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ralph Asher Alpher (born 1921) is a U.S. cosmologist. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... A. G. Doroshkevich is a Russian (and former Soviet) theoretical astrophysicist and cosmologist. ... Igor Dmitriyevich Novikov (Russian: ) (born November 10, 1935 in Moscow) is a Russian (and former Soviet) theoretical astrophysicist and cosmologist. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Arno Allan Penzias (born April 26, American physicist. ... Robert Woodrow Wilson Robert Woodrow Wilson (born January 10, 1936) is an American physicist. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Cosmology is the study of the large-scale structure and history of the universe. ... For alternative meanings see steady state (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Big Bang (disambiguation). ...

The first published recognition of the CBR as a detectable phenomenon appeared in a brief paper by Soviet astrophysicists A. G. Doroshkevich and Igor Novikov, entitled "Mean Density of Radiation in the Metagalaxy and Certain Problems in Relativistic Cosmology", in the spring of 1964.^[1] “CCCP” redirects here. ... A. G. Doroshkevich is a Russian (and former Soviet) theoretical astrophysicist and cosmologist. ... Igor Dmitriyevich Novikov (Russian: ) (born November 10, 1935 in Moscow) is a Russian (and former Soviet) theoretical astrophysicist and cosmologist. ...

Working at Bell Labs in Holmdel, New Jersey, in 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were experimenting with a supersensitive, 20 foot (6 m) horn antenna originally built to detect radio waves bounced off echo balloon satellites. To measure these faint radio waves, they had to eliminate all recognizable interference from their receiver. They removed the effects of radar and radio broadcasting, and suppressed interference from the heat in the receiver itself by cooling it with liquid helium to −269 °C, only 4 °C above absolute zero. Bell Laboratories (also known as Bell Labs and formerly known as AT&T Bell Laboratories and Bell Telephone Laboratories) was the main research and development arm of the United States Bell System. ... The Horn Antenna in Holmdel Holmdel Township is a township located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... A horn antenna is used for the transmission and reception of microwave signals. ... Radio frequency, or RF, refers to that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in which electromagnetic waves can be generated by alternating current fed to an antenna. ... Interference of two circular waves - Wavelength (decreasing bottom to top) and Wave centers distance (increasing to the right). ... For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ... Radio broadcasting can be done via cable FM, local wire networks, satellite and the Internet. ... General Name, Symbol, Number helium, He, 2 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 1, s Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 4. ... Absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature where nothing could be colder, and no heat energy remains in a substance. ...

When Penzias and Wilson reduced their data they found a low, steady, mysterious noise that persisted in their receiver. This residual noise was 100 times more intense than they had expected, was evenly spread over the sky, and was present day and night. They were certain that the radiation they detected on a wavelength of 7.35 centimeters did not come from the Earth, the Sun, or our galaxy. After thoroughly checking their equipment, removing some pigeons nesting in the antenna and cleaning out the accumulated droppings, the noise remained. Both concluded that this noise was coming from outside our own galaxy--although they were not aware of any radio source that would account for it. This article is about Earth as a planet. ... Sol redirects here. ... For other uses, see Milky Way (disambiguation). ... Radio sources are objects in outer space that emit strong radio waves. ...

At that same time, Robert H. Dicke, Jim Peebles, and David Wilkinson, astrophysicists at Princeton University just 40 miles (60 km) away, were preparing to search for microwave radiation in this region of the spectrum. Dicke and his colleagues reasoned that the Big Bang must have scattered not only the matter that condensed into galaxies but also must have released a tremendous blast of radiation. With the proper instrumentation, this radiation should be detectable. Robert Henry Dicke (May 6, 1916 – March 4, 1997) was an American experimental physicist, who made important contributions to the fields of astrophysics, atomic physics, cosmology and gravity. ... Philip James Edwin Peebles (born April 25, 1935) is an Canadian-American astronomer. ... David Todd Wilkinson (13 May 1935 – 5 September 2002) was a world-renowned pioneer in the field of cosmology, specializing in the study of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) left over from the Big Bang. ... An astrophysicist is a person whose profession is astrophysics. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ... Microwave Slang for small waves, like at a beach, often used by surfers. ...

When a friend (Bernard F. Burke, Prof. of Physics at MIT) told Penzias about a preprint paper he had seen by Jim Peebles on the possibility of finding radiation left over from an explosion that filled the universe at the beginning of its existence, Penzias and Wilson began to realize the significance of their discovery. The characteristics of the radiation detected by Penzias and Wilson fit exactly the radiation predicted by Robert H. Dicke and his colleagues at Princeton University. Penzias called Dicke at Princeton, who immediately sent him a copy of the still-unpublished Peebles paper. Penzias read the paper and called Dicke again and invited him to Bell Labs to look at the Horn Antenna and listen to the background noise. Robert Dicke, P. J. E. Peebles, P. G. Roll and D. T. Wilkinson interpreted this radiation as a signature of the Big Bang. Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... Philip James Edwin Peebles (born April 25, 1935) is an Canadian-American astronomer. ... David Todd Wilkinson (13 May 1935 – 5 September 2002) was a world-renowned pioneer in the field of cosmology, specializing in the study of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) left over from the Big Bang. ...

To avoid potential conflict, they decided to publish their results jointly. Two notes were rushed to the Astrophysical Journal Letters. In the first, Dicke and his associates outlined the importance of cosmic background radiation as substantiation of the Big Bang Theory. In a second note, jointly signed by Penzias and Wilson titled, "A Measurement of Excess Antenna Temperature at 4080 Megacycles per Second," they noted the existence of the residual background noise and attributed a possible explanation to that given by Dicke in his companion letter.

In 1978, Penzias and Wilson were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for their joint discovery. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ...

Bibliography

• Aaronson, Steve (January 1979). "The Light of Creation: An Interview with Arno A. Penzias and Robert W. Wilson.". Bell Laboratories Record: 12—18. 
• Abell, George O. (1982). Exploration of the Universe. 4th ed.. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 
• Asimov, Isaac (1982). Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. 2nd ed.. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc.. 
• Bernstein, Jeremy (1984). Three Degree Above Zero: Bell Labs in the Information Age. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 
• Chown, Marcus (September 29, 1988). "A cosmic relic in three degrees". New Scientist: 51—55. 
• Crawford, A.B.; D.C. Hogg and L.E. Hunt (July 1961). "Project Echo: A Horn-Reflector Antenna for Space Communication". The Bell System Technical Journal: 1095—1099. 
• Disney, Michael (1984). The Hidden Universe. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Ferris, Timothy (1978). The Red Limit: The Search for the Edge of the Universe. 2nd ed.. New York: Quill Press. 
• Friedman, Herbert (1975). The Amazing Universe. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society. 
• Hey, J.S. (1973). The Evolution of Radio Astronomy. New York: Neale Watson Academic Publications, Inc.. 
• Jastrow, Robert (1978). God and the Astronomers. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.. 
• Kirby-Smith, H.T. (1976). U.S. Observatories: A Directory and Travel Guide. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. 
• Learner, Richard (1981). Astronomy Through the Telescope. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. 
• {{cite journal | last = Penzias | first = A.A. | coauthors = R. W. Wilson | title = A Measurement of the Flux Density of CAS A At 4080 Mc/s | journal = Astr

is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. ...

External links and references

Citations

1. ^ A. A. Penzias. "The origin of elements.". Nobel lecture. Retrieved on October 4, 2006.

Hannes Alfvén (1908–1995) accepting the Nobel Prize for his work on magnetohydrodynamics [1]. List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

General

• "Astronomy and Astrophysics Horn Antenna.". National Park Service, Department of the Interior.khbkbhjkbhkbh