A new study by cosmologists at the University of Chicago and Michigan State University has confirmed the importance of type la supernovae in measuring the rate at which the universe is expanding. These findings support the widely held theory that the expansion of the universe is accelerating and that this acceleration is associated with a mysterious force known as dark energy.
Using light from an exploded star, as bright as the light of an entire galaxy, to determine cosmic distances in 2011 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. The method is based on the assumption that, as in measuring distance with light bulbs of known power, all Type Ia supernovae have almost the same maximum brightness at the time of explosion. This sequence allows them to be used as beacons for measuring distances in space – the weaker the light, the further away the star. However, in recent years, the method has been questioned due to the detection of not quite consistent emissions from this type of supernova.
A recent critical story has indicated that the brightness of type la supernovae can be divided into two different subclasses, which can lead to problems when trying to measure distances. However, a new study led by David Sinabro of the Kavli Institute, analyzing data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey mission, suggests that there is simply no evidence of subclassing brightness.
Sources: phys
