NASA’s James Webb Telescope Uncovers New Carbon-Based Molecules
The seemingly empty regions of our universe are not actually empty, but rather filled with gas and cosmic dust clouds. These dust clouds contain grains of varying sizes and compositions, which come from different events like supernovas. This cosmic material is essential for the universe’s evolution as it serves as the foundation for the creation of new stars and planets. In a recent breakthrough, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified carbon-rich dust grains in the early universe, specifically one billion years after its inception.
Similar observations of carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been observed in the much more recent universe. According to the study, it is unlikely that PAHs appeared during the first billion years of cosmic time.
According to a report in the journal Nature, a group of international researchers in collaboration with researchers from the University of Cambridge have suggested that the James Webb Space Telescope could have detected an alternative form of carbon-based molecules. These carbon particles can resemble either graphite or diamond and may have formed from the earliest stars or supernovae. The results of the study show that the baby galaxies of the early universe experienced a much faster evolutionary process than previously expected.
How do scientists observe these cosmic particles?
The presence of dust makes certain regions of space challenging to observe because it absorbs starlight at certain wavelengths. Scientists learn about the composition of cosmic dust by observing the wavelengths of light that it blocks. In this case, researchers detected carbonaceous dust grains using this technique as well as Webb’s exceptional sensitivity in near-infrared spectroscopy.
Dr. Joris Witstok, lead author of the study, from the Kavli Institute for Cosmology in Cambridge, has suggested that carbonaceous dust grains can efficiently absorb ultraviolet light with a wavelength of about 217.5 nanometers. According to the study, such carbonaceous grains have been observed in newer and nearby cosmic regions in the past, even in our own Milky Way Galaxy. This has been combined with two different types of carbon-based molecules – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nano-sized graphite bubbles.
Based on prevailing models, PAHs typically require several hundreds of millions of years to form, so it is unexpected that scientists would detect the chemical signature of these molecules at such an early age in the universe. Nevertheless, the research team claims that this discovery represents the earliest and most distant direct evidence of the presence of carbonaceous dust grains and requires further observation.
