Astronomers from McGill University in Canada and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have used data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), in Pune, to detect a radio signal originating from atomic hydrogen in an extremely distant galaxy.
The IISc said on Monday that the astronomical distance over which the signal has been picked up is “the largest so far by a large margin”.
The findings have been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
While detection of radio waves with 21 cm wavelength, emitted by atomic hydrogen, is possible through low-frequency radio telescopes like GMRT, the “extremely weak” nature of the radio signal makes it nearly impossible to detect emissions from a distant galaxy.
The most distant galaxy detected through the
21-cm emission, so far, was at
redshift z=0.376..
Source : Deccan Herald