Exploring Ancient Cosmic Magnetism: How the Universe’s First Magnetic Fields Mirror the Human Brain and Influence the Cosmic Web

New research suggests that the universe’s first magnetic fields were surprisingly weak, comparable to the magnetic activity in the human brain. This finding comes from extensive computer simulations exploring remnants of these ancient magnetic fields, still present in the vast “cosmic web” billions of years later.

Magnetism has been a part of the universe since shortly after the Big Bang, caused by the movement of electrically charged particles. Scientists have long believed that the early magnetic fields, known as primordial magnetic fields, were much weaker than those from stars, black holes, and planets we see today. However, the latest study, published in Physical Review Letters, reveals that these fields might be even weaker than previously thought, only reaching a strength of about 0.00000000002 gauss—billions of times less than a typical fridge magnet.

Despite this weakness, remnants of these magnetic fields still exist in the cosmic web, which serves as a spider-web-like network connecting all galaxies. There remains much about the cosmic web that scientists don’t fully understand, particularly the origin of its magnetic fields, especially in the empty spaces between galaxies.

According to study lead author Mak Pavičević from the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Italy, they suspect that these primordial magnetic fields could be echoes of events from the universe’s infancy. Their hypothesis is that magnetism might have emerged during the cosmic inflation that occurred shortly after the Big Bang, becoming intertwined with the growing cosmic web.

This research involved around 250,000 computer simulations and is based on observational data of the cosmic web. The team aimed to understand the intensity of magnetic fields formed during the universe’s early moments. While we cannot directly observe these primordial fields, their findings align with recent observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), the remnants of the Big Bang. However, specifics on those alignments remain unclear.

Looking ahead, continued observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could enable scientists to create even more sophisticated simulations. This would allow for further testing of their hypothesis and deepen our understanding of the universe’s earliest magnetic fields and the mysterious cosmic web that connects everything.

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