- #1
Nathi ORea
- 82
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- TL;DR Summary
- What is the actual source of the photons that are the CMB?
I am still so totally confused about the ultimate source of the photons of the CMB. I am getting really confused by online sources, who are either not very clear, or seem to contradict each other.
I feel like I have narrowed it down to two sources;
1. The early universe was full of high energy photons which could not travel very far without hitting something. The CMB is the moment when atoms formed and unlike a plasma, neutral atoms are transparent so those photons have been traveling in a straight line since.
2. The energy released when electrons combine with nuclei to form atoms. I guess just like in a discharge tube. Wouldn't this mean it would have emission bands in its spectrum?
Which one of these is right?![Tired face :tired_face: 😫](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f62b.png)
Thank you
I feel like I have narrowed it down to two sources;
1. The early universe was full of high energy photons which could not travel very far without hitting something. The CMB is the moment when atoms formed and unlike a plasma, neutral atoms are transparent so those photons have been traveling in a straight line since.
2. The energy released when electrons combine with nuclei to form atoms. I guess just like in a discharge tube. Wouldn't this mean it would have emission bands in its spectrum?
Which one of these is right?
![Tired face :tired_face: 😫](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f62b.png)
Thank you