Pioneering project that will build a huge radio telescope in Brazil will make a kind of “tomography” of the universe to unravel mysteries such as dark energy and the origin of everything.
Measuring almost a football field, Bingo (Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in Neutral Gas Observations) aims to be the first radio telescope to detect radio waves of interaction between atoms and radiation in the radio. beginning of the universe.
One of the project leaders is Carlos Alexandre Wuensche de Souza, from Inpe’s Astrophysics Division (National Institute for Space Research).
In addition to the scientist and other researchers from Inpe, the project has the participation of companies from São José dos Campos linked to the Brazilian space project. They will work on the construction of the device, which will also feature technologies from outside the country.
Bingo will be built by a consortium of Brazilian and foreign entities, led by scientists from universities and research entities from Brazil and cooperation from institutions from the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland and South Africa, among other countries.
Most of the construction is funded by Fapesp (São Paulo State Research Support Foundation), which prevented the project from being affected by federal government cuts in the area of science.
Bingo began to be designed in 2016 and construction is expected to begin in 2020. The radio telescope is expected to operate in 2022.
“Let’s do a kind of tomography of the universe that will look at the distribution of hydrogen. We will try to understand more the process of how dark energy acts on the dynamics of the universe, ”Souza told UOL Portal’s blog ‘Tilt’.
Bingo will be installed in the Serra do Urubu, Paraíba, far from metropolises and sources of electromagnetic pollution.
Scientists expect ‘breakthrough’ in radiotelescope astronomical sciences
The radiotelescope will detect and analyze neutral hydrogen tracks – a combination of an electron and a proton – in the universe. The goal is to understand elements that still intrigue scientists, such as dark energy, and enable a major national and international astronomical breakthrough.
“We are counting on the input of our international partners, especially those from UK researchers, but most of the technology for construction is being developed here in Brazil,” said Carlos Alexandre Wuensche de Souza of Inpe.
The construction of the structure, receivers and satellite dishes is the responsibility of the Brazilian team, with the participation of companies from São José dos Campos.
