Cambridge scientists say breakthrough could uncover hidden planets

Undiscovered planets could soon be revealed thanks to a technological breakthrough by scientists at two universities.

Physicists at Cambridge University have worked with those at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh to develop a form of astrocomb which is a laser system allowing astronomers to observe tiny changes in the colour of starlight.

This can then reveal hidden planets and improve understanding of how the universe naturally expands.

Scientists say the breakthrough means they will be able to discover even more secrets hidden in space.

Prof Derryck Reid of Heriot-Watt said: "Astrocombs allow astronomers to make extremely sensitive wavelength measurements of the spectrum of light, potentially tens to hundreds of times better than conventional technology.

"Much like the millimetre scale on a ruler lets us measure distances precisely, an astrocomb gives astronomers a precision scale for measuring wavelength.

"Until now, astrocombs operated mainly in the green-to-red part of the spectrum of light, but the shorter-wavelength ultraviolet to blue-green region is rich in the atomic absorption features of interest to astronomers.

"Our new approach for the first time provides a continuous sequence of optical markers from the ultraviolet to the blue-green that serve as a precision wavelength scale in this part of the spectrum.”

Prof Reid’s team is developing the technology for the Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in Chile.

Dr Samantha Thompson, an astrophysics senior research associate at Cambridge, said: "This is a really exciting development that will enable us to study smaller planets on longer orbits than ever before – with the aim of discovering the first ‘Earth-like’ planet orbiting around a nearby sun-like star."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know