Recent Evidence of Inflation

Floor Speech

Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take note of a recent scientific discovery, a result which, if confirmed and understood in its full theoretical context, has the potential to change the way we think about the beginnings of the universe.

Before coming to Congress, I was a high-energy particle physicist and a particle accelerator designer at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for over 20 years. While I sometimes miss being back in the lab, I am very pleased when I have the opportunity to advocate in Congress for scientific research and development.

Twice in my life, I have had the privilege of participating in a fundamental breakthrough in science. The first was during my Ph.D. thesis work when we observed a subatomic process, known as proton decay--which was confidently predicted by many, if not most, of the theoretical physicists at the time--was, in fact, not happening.

The second time was at Fermilab, when I was part of the team that discovered the top quark, which is the heaviest known form of matter and, quite possibly, the heaviest subatomic particle that will ever be discovered--or not.

So like scientists around the world, my pulse quickened with the announcement that the first independent confirming evidence for cosmic inflation in the early universe had been discovered.

Humans have wondered about the origin of the universe for thousands of years. Now, thanks to a team of clever and hard-working scientists and of Federal investments in basic science, we appear to be an important step closer to understanding the birth of the universe.

Immediately following the big bang, which is the moment at which the universe burst into existence, scientists have hypothesized that the universe underwent a period known as inflation. During inflation, which lasted for only a tiny fraction of a second, the universe expanded at an exponential rate.

Now, the BICEP2 team, which is a collaboration of 12 institutes, including universities, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy and NASA laboratories, has found direct evidence that appears to verify the theory of inflation.

They were able to study the very first moments of the universe at less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang, and they were able to obtain direct observational evidence of inflation, which, until now, has been mainly based on theoretical work.

To do this, the team constructed a telescope at the National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic Program's research station at the South Pole to observe the cosmic microwave background radiation, a faint glow left over from the big bang.

They observed a pattern in the cosmic background radiation that was consistent with being left over from inflation, giving us a glimpse of the universe over 13.7 billion years ago. They were able to detect this, in large part, because of recent advances in highly sensitive detector technology.

This project was primarily funded by the National Science Foundation, and it received generous support from NASA and from the Department of Energy, as well as from private industry, and it is an example of the importance of Federal funding for basic science research.

It is also an example of the interplay between technology and basic science and of how new technology will lead to even greater advances in basic science and vice versa.

Additionally, study after study has shown that there are few investments
our government can make that provide as high a return on investment as scientific research and development.

Despite this, Federal investments in research and development are at an historic low, comprising merely 3.8 percent of the Federal budget--or 0.8 percent of the GDP.

In fact, over the last 3 years, Federal research and development expenditures have decreased by 16.3 percent, which is the steepest decline over a 3-year period since the end of the space race.

These results are an important reminder of the value of Federal investment in research and development. Without the proper investment in scientific research, we must expect fewer of these groundbreaking scientific discoveries, at least in the United States.

The greatest long-term threat that our country faces on both the military and economic fronts is the threat of losing our role as world leaders in innovation and in science and technology.

Nothing is more crucial to preserving that role than having adequate funding for fundamental and applied scientific research. The recent advances in cosmology are just one of many examples of the breadth of intellectual capital and state-of-the-art technology that the U.S. currently possesses.

As Congress determines how to allocate funding for these agencies in the coming year, with many proposing budgets that will cripple future investments in education and research, I urge my colleagues to capitalize on these discoveries and ensure that we are investing enough in research, science, and education.

Because of Federal investments in science, we have just looked significantly farther into the early universe than anyone has done before. This not only tells us about the birth of the universe, but it also gives us insight into our fundamental understanding of the laws of physics.

This discovery by the BICEP2 team has been globally recognized as one of the most important fundamental breakthroughs in science in our lifetimes, a landmark of American academic achievement that will live on in the science textbooks forever.

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