Brenda Frye/University of Arizona
Image captured by Webb of the galaxy cluster PLCK G165.7+67.0.
First known double gravitational lensing results from the fact that light takes different paths around the two lensing galaxies, causing slight delays in the time it takes to reach Earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) revealed the first proof of a “Einstein’s zigzag”a phenomenon in which light from a distant cosmic object is bent multiple times by different regions of warped spacetime.
This discovery, which involves a quasar duplicated six times, could help solve one of cosmology’s biggest challenges, scientists believe.
The phenomenon was identified in quasar J1721+8842a luminous galactic nucleus powered by a feeding black hole. Initially discovered in 2018 as a quartet of identical points of light, astronomers attributed their doubling to gravitational lensing — a process in which massive objects like galaxies bend light from distant sources, creating duplicate images or halos luminous calls Einstein rings.
Later observations in 2022 added two more points of light and a faint red Einstein ring.
Now, in a new study on November 8 on arXiv, researchers have reanalyzed J1721+8842 using data from Webb and confirmed that all six points originate from a single quasar.
The quasar’s light passed through two distinctly massive lens objects, creating an unusual zigzag pattern as it swerved back and forth. This rare configuration, dubbed “Einstein’s zigzag” results from the fact that light takes different paths around the two lens galaxies, causing slight delays in the time it takes to reach Earth.
Gravitational lensing is an essential tool for measuring the mass of the objects that form it, which in turn helps scientists study dark matter and energyboth key factors of cosmic expansion.
His unparalleled capabilities revealed lensing phenomena in regions of the Universe never before seen, but his observations also intensified the so-called “Hubble voltage.” This discrepancy results from different measurements of the Universe’s expansion rate, casting doubt on existing cosmological models.
Einstein’s zigzag could provide a solution to the “Hubble voltage”(discrepancy that results from different measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe, calling into question existing cosmological models) by allowing precise measurements of both the Hubble constant (the cosmic expansion rate) and dark energy in the same region.
Typically, it is only possible to obtain one of these measurements at a time, but this unique setup could allow researchers to reconcile the tension between competing models.
Thomas Collett, an astrophysicist at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom who was not involved in the study, told the zigzag study. will “clarify whether the expansion rate of the universe is consistent with the cosmological model or not“. However, it could take researchers more than a year to obtain the necessary data from the jumbled images, he added. “So we may have to wait some time [para obter uma resposta]”.
