Artificial intelligence (AI) is causing a stir beyond the realm of digital assistants and deepfakes. Astronomers are now using AI to achieve unprecedented precision in understanding the fundamental parameters of the universe. Scientists at the Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) at the Flatiron Institute in New York have used AI to calculate five cosmological parameters that characterize the universe, increasing our understanding of its structure and evolution.
Revealing the Universe Settings
The five cosmological parameters discussed are crucial because they essentially define the “settings” of the universe, dictating how it works on the largest scales. Liam Parker, an astronomer at CCA and a co-author of the study, explained that these parameters are like the universe’s operating instructions. To determine these parameters with exceptional accuracy, the research team used artificial intelligence to analyze data from more than 100,000 galaxies that were observed as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This survey is instrumental in cosmology because it helps map the universe by examining how galaxies are distributed in space.
Maximizing data efficiency
The use of artificial intelligence allowed the team to draw detailed conclusions from the SDSS data, something that had previously been hindered by the sheer volume of information and the limitations of traditional analysis methods. Co-author Shirley Ho, another astronomer at CCA, emphasized the enormous costs associated with such studies, which can run into billions of dollars. With AI, the team was able to push the boundaries of what these studies can reveal, providing a more cost-effective way to extract valuable knowledge from complex data.
AI training for precision
The process involved training the AI model on 2,000 simulated universes, each with a different cosmological setting. This training set included real-world challenges, such as atmospheric distortion and imperfect telescope imaging, to ensure the AI’s accuracy. Once trained, the AI was applied to real data from the SDSS Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. The results were impressive: the AI reduced the uncertainty in measuring the “lumpiness” of the universe by more than half compared to traditional methods. This feat is similar to running traditional analyses with four times more data, which significantly increases data throughput.
Impact on cosmic secrets
AI advances in cosmology aren’t just about improving existing methods, they’re also about solving major cosmic questions. One such mystery is the Hubble tension, which refers to the discrepancy between different estimates of the Hubble constant, a measure of the rate of expansion of the universe. The improved precision provided by AI could be crucial to resolving this tension and expanding our understanding of the universe.
As new surveys emerge, such as the European Euclid Survey, the AI-based techniques developed by the CCA team will be crucial in extracting maximum value from these new data sets. The ability to efficiently analyze and interpret vast amounts of space data represents a significant step forward in our quest to understand the fundamental parameters of the universe.
