Researchers from Montreal and India detect radio signal from galaxy 8.8 billion light years away

Researchers from Montreal and India have detected a radio signal from a galaxy that's nearly nine billion light years away.
According to their findings, the signal would have been emitted when the universe was just 4.9 billion years old – long before our own solar system was formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
"It’s the equivalent to a look-back in time of 8.8 billion years," Arnab Chakraborty, the study's co-author and a post-doctoral researcher at McGill University, said in a news release.
Published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the study explains how researchers were able to capture the most distant signal ever in a specific radio wavelength known as the 21 centimetre line, which is created by hydrogen, providing them with a unique glimpse of the early universe.
"A galaxy emits different kinds of radio signals," said Chakraborty, who studies cosmology in McGill's physics department. "Until now, it’s only been possible to capture this particular signal from a galaxy nearby, limiting our knowledge to those galaxies closer to Earth."
The distant star-forming galaxy is known as SDSSJ0826+5630. The signal also enabled researchers to determine that the atomic mass of the galaxy's hydrogen gas content is nearly double the mass of the stars that are visible to us.
Normally, signals like these from distant galaxies are too faint to detect with current radio telescopes, which often look like rows of large television satellite dishes.
"But thanks to the help of a naturally occurring phenomenon called gravitational lensing, we can capture a faint signal from a record-breaking distance," Chakraborty said. "This will help us understand the composition of galaxies at much greater distances from Earth."
Nirupam Roy is the study's co-author and an associate professor of physics at the Indian Institute of Science.
"Gravitational lensing magnifies the signal coming from a distant object to help us peer into the early universe," Roy explained. "In this specific case, the signal is bent by the presence of another massive body, another galaxy, between the target and the observer. This effectively results in the magnification of the signal by a factor of 30, allowing the telescope to pick it up."
With funding from McGill University and the Indian Institute of Science, the researchers utilized the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, which is an array of 30 maneuverable radio telescope dishes in western India's Maharashtra state. They say their findings demonstrate that it's possible to detect similar signals from faraway galaxies with the help of gravitational lensing, opening new opportunities to study the early universe with existing low-frequency radio telescopes.
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police identify two of eight migrants pulled from water near Akwesasne, Que.
The Akwesasne Mohawk Police identified two of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River earlier this week, but said Saturday they're still searching for a local resident whose boat was found near the victims.

Hungry iguana bites and infects toddler with rare bacterial infection before snatching her cake
A rare infection with tuberculosis-like symptoms was reported in a toddler after an iguana bit her before snatching away a slice of cake on a trip to Costa Rica.
W5 investigates | Priest, neighbours issue plea for help for struggling international students in Cape Breton
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Interim RCMP commissioner Duheme 'very concerned' about foreign interference
As questions continue to swirl around the issue of other countries' meddling in Canadian affairs, interim RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme says he's 'very, very concerned' about foreign interference, and would like to see the national force be able to use intelligence as evidence in its investigations.
Migrant bodies in St. Lawrence 'heartbreaking' but 'predictable,' advocate says
After the bodies of several people were discovered in the St. Lawrence River, who authorities say were likely trying to cross illegally into the U.S., a migrant advocate is questioning why people are fleeing Canada.
April storms bring May norms: Weather Network’s seasonal forecast
The latest seasonal outlook from The Weather Network shows early April will continue to be chilly with flip-flopping temperatures bringing above and below the usual levels of precipitation seen around this time.
At least 26 dead after tornadoes rake U.S. Midwest, South
Storms that dropped possibly dozens of tornadoes killed at least 26 people in small towns and big cities across the South and Midwest, tearing a path through the Arkansas capital, collapsing the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois, and stunning people throughout the region Saturday with the damage's scope.
A glass of wine or beer per day is fine for your health: new study
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
Federal minimum wage, taxes on alcohol: Here's what's changing in Canada April 1
The federal minimum wage is increasing from $15.55 per hour to $16.65, and taxes are going up on gas and alcohol nationwide starting April 1.