【人民日报】聆听138亿年前的“第一声婴啼”

Group 1 - The core theory of modern cosmology suggests that the universe underwent a rapid inflation phase shortly after its birth, leading to the formation of cosmic structures and the generation of primordial gravitational waves [1][2] - Primordial gravitational waves carry essential secrets about the universe's birth, with various cosmological models predicting different mechanisms and strengths for their generation [2][3] - Detecting primordial gravitational waves is crucial for understanding the quantum effects of gravity and the nature of spacetime, as they provide direct evidence of quantum fluctuations amplified by inflation [2][3] Group 2 - The search for primordial gravitational waves requires specific environmental conditions, with ideal observation sites having low median water vapor content, such as Antarctica, the Atacama Desert in Chile, Greenland, and the Ali region in Tibet, China [3] - The Ali Primordial Gravitational Wave Detection Experiment (AliCPT) successfully achieved its first light observation in April 2025 at an altitude of 5,250 meters, making it one of the most effective telescopes for this purpose [3] - AliCPT-1 has transitioned to the scientific observation phase, aiming to identify unique signatures of primordial B-mode polarization in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) over the coming years [3]