At one time, Albert Einstein noted that the speed of light remains unchanged in any situation, and space and time can be different in relation to a particular situation. The assumption that the speed of light is constant and always has been that underlies many theories of physics, including Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Consistency is embedded in most of the existing models of the period of the original universe, seconds after the Big Bang. The new theory, which scientists have clung to, indicates that the speed of light may be variable, and not constant as Einstein believed.
The researchers hypothesized that the speed of light was much faster in the early periods of the universe. Prominent representatives of this theory are Professor João Mageijo of Imperial College London and PhD Niaesh Afshordi of the Canadian Institute. They made a prediction that can be used to test the validity of the theory.
It is believed that structures in the Universe, such as galaxies, are all formed from fluctuations in the early Universe – subtle differences in density from one region to another. The recording of these early vibrations leaves a trace in the form of the cosmic microwave background (the very first light in the universe) in the form of a 'spectral index'.
The new work is based on the fact that fluctuations were influenced by one or another speed of light in the early Universe. Prof. Mageiju and Dr. Avshordi put this into a new model in order to obtain an accurate spectral index value. Scientists presented the predicted figure and model in the journal Physical Review.
Currently, cosmologists are coming to more and more accurate values of this figure, so a new prediction can soon be tested, and a new model of the early Universe is either confirmed or ruled out. The new model includes the figure 0.96478, which is, in principle, close to the current understanding of the microwave background – 0.968 with some error.
'The theory we first proposed in the late 1990s has now matured.' – informed Mageiju. 'If in the near future we confirm a more accurate value, it will be a modification of Einstein's theory of gravity. The idea that the speed of light can be variable has not been discussed before, but today physicists can test it. If this is true, then it will be possible to say that the laws of nature were not always the same as we see them today. '
Sources: Phys
