CHIME telescope detects 9-billion-year-old hydrogen signal for dark energy mapping

· Science · Canada

A Canadian radio telescope, CHIME, has detected the faint glow of hydrogen from billions of years ago using only its own observations, proving that a long-awaited method for mapping the distant universe can actually work. The 9-billion-year-old signal lets CHIME trace how matter is spread across space and measure how the universe has expanded over time, a technique known as intensity mapping. The result opens a new observational channel for cosmology and for probing dark energy, the still-mysterious force driving cosmic acceleration. It comes as multiple surveys worldwide are competing to tighten constraints on how the universe's expansion has changed across cosmic history.

Why it matters：A working hydrogen intensity-mapping signal gives cosmology a new independent probe of expansion history and dark energy, shaping how future surveys are designed.

Key points

  • CHIME detected the hydrogen glow using its own observations alone.
  • The signal dates back about 9 billion years.
  • It can be used to map matter distribution and measure cosmic expansion.

Sources (original reporting)

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