The solution to the fundamental problem of cosmology lies in the low sounds of red giant stars

The authors of a new study published in Astrophysical Journal Letters believe that low sounds inside red giant stars may provide information about their distance and provide a new method for measuring distances in the Universe. According to IFLScience, this will also help solve the fundamental problem of cosmology associated with data on the expansion of the Universe.

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Astronomers are sure that the Universe is expanding and the rate of this expansion is increasing. However, the two main methods used to measure this speed give conflicting results, known as the Hubble problem. It is believed that the results of one method must be faulty, but it is not known which one or why. Therefore, scientists propose another method to solve this problem. The authors of the study believe that red giant stars may provide an alternative measure of the expansion rate of the Universe.

red giants

As stars approach the end of their lives, they run out of hydrogen necessary for nuclear fusion, cool, swell, and turn into red giants. Eventually stars begin to melt helium, and around this time they enter the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) phase.

The brightness of many stars, especially red giants, changes due to giant sound waves oscillating inside them. Scientists divided TRGB stars into groups according to their pulsation periods.

Young red giants are slightly fainter than their older relatives, scientists say. The sonicities observed as fluctuations in brightness provide clues as to what type of star it is. Older stars vibrate at a lower frequency, which is comparable to a baritone having a lower voice than a tenor.

Problem with the expansion rate of the universe

By taking into account the actual brightness of the stars and how much light they emit, the distance to TRGB stars in distant galaxies can be measured more accurately. Although this method of measuring distances has been known for a long time, it was considered unreliable. The authors of the study believe they have found a solution to this problem, and it is more reliable than it seems.

It is quite easy to measure the speed of motion of red giants and their galaxies. Scientists believe that if you compare the distances to these stars and their speed of movement, you can find out the expansion rate of the Universe. This method, using an object with known intrinsic luminosity, is similar to the method using Type 1a supernovae. Comparing brightness and distance, as in the case of TRGB stars, allows us to understand the rate of expansion of the Universe. However, these measurements contradict the results obtained during measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation.

Since TRGB stars are not as bright as supernovae, the method proposed by scientists cannot be used at very long distances. But on the other hand, red giants are more common in space and are more permanent objects than supernovae that come and go.

The study’s authors believe it may be possible to use TRGB stars to test supernova-based measurements in closer galaxies. That is, it is possible to find out in this way whether measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe using supernovae are actually wrong or whether the data has been misinterpreted.

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