Shaking out the universe's creases

Abstract

The most precise map of the big bang's afterglow--the cosmic microwave background (CMB)--is flawed, distorted by the gravity of giant galaxies warping the fabric of space-time. Like creases in a map that obscure part of a coastline or a continent, the distortions hide details about the primordial universe. Now, Patricia Larsen at the University of' Cambridge and her colleagues have a way to smooth out the map. The group is using the warmth emitted by dust in distant galaxies--the cosmic infrared background--to reverse the distortion