Prof. Laurence Kraus is a well known theoretical particle physicist at the University of Arizona. With a short message on Twitter, Kraus caused a stir around the entire world: “My earlier rumor about LIGO [Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory] has been confirmed by independent sources. Stay tuned! Gravitational waves may have been discovered!! Exciting.”
What’s the big deal? Gravitational waves are actually waves within space-time.They were predicted to exist back in 1916 by Albert Einstein who surmised that they were either the result of massive stellar explosions (supernova of type II) or the merging of black holes and neutron stars. Even the Big Bang itself should have sent gravitational waves into space-time according to Einstein. If true, this would be the origin of cyclical waves.
According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity is not a force as Newton postulated with the apple falling from the tree. Instead, gravity, Einstein argued, was a property of space and time, which could be distorted by large masses. This, in turn, could affect light and matter. Earth would thus curve the surrounding space-time, and any large masses in motion would thereby create wavelike disturbances in space-time.
No one has been able to prove the theory just yet. So Kraus’ Tweet has sent its own shockwave throughout the world.
I have a LIGO observatory near me. I was working on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation when they were building it. There is another one in Louisiana. You can usually call and get a tour but if this news is true it might be a while before they can accommodate you. Their scientists give talks to local astronomy clubs as well.
It’s actually a bitchin’ experiment. The precision of it boggles the mind! The following gives an idea of what they are looking for:
“The typical expected signal strength (of a gravity wave) would stretch and squeeze the distance (space-time) from the Earth to the Sun, for instance, by the width of a hydrogen atom.”
Success would help to confirm General Relativity. A good short course from their website: https://ligo.caltech.edu/page/gravitational-waves You’ll know when/if they confirm their observations. It should be very big news unless Trump gets bumped off of Muzzies attack or Hitlary is exonerated etc.
If you look for something long enough you will find it.
Whether it was there before you looked for it is another story.
Something I learned during a conversation with a cat named Schrödinger.
I’ve been experimenting with this concept in my basement, using a coffee can and a laser pointer.
I have no idea how this could impact my life. Please explain to a scientific illiterate.
Gravity is an instantaneous force. It therefore cannot propagate in waves. If it does, what you are interpreting as a gravitational wave is simply a dynamic shift in a local mass, such as an exploding star.
Well that clears everythig up for me. Thanks.
The speed of gravitational waves in the general theory of relativity is equal to the speed of light in vacuum, c.
Within the theory of special relativity, the constant c is not exclusively about light; instead it is the highest possible speed for any interaction in nature. Formally, c is a conversion factor for changing the unit of time to the unit of space. This makes it the only speed which does not depend either on the motion of an observer or a source of light and/or gravity. Thus, the speed of “light” is also the speed of gravitational waves and any other massless particle. Such particles include the gluon (carrier of the strong force), the photons that make up light, and the theoretical gravitons which make up the associated field particles of gravity (however a theory of the graviton requires a theory of quantum gravity).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_gravity
“I feel a…..disturbance in the Force”
So, if gravity is a wave and you induce a counter-wave (opposite amplitude same frequency) you can get – anti-gravity? Who do we want to send to the Moon without a rocket?
Secrets of the Universe
In the beginning was infinite geometric space. This space became filled with Static Time at absolute rest and absolute cold. Static time is strictly quantitative, and does not differentiate between past, present and future. Being quantifiable and measurable, static time is a scientific concept. Static time of 0.0033 microseconds per meter will be measured regardless of the direction chosen.
Stars move through static time, which does not disrupt their motion. Static time exists but is imperceptible. Static time is the deepest secret of the universe.
Static time fills all infinite space, eliminating the possibility of a vacuum. Static Time Waves (STW) travel through static time. The speed of STW is 300,000 km/second.
Aetzbar in amazon
The Newtonian universe is based on matter and force.
The Einsteinian universe is based on matter and energy.
The Aetzbarian universe is based on static time and energy.
There is no gravity, and there is no gravity waves.
There is Static Time , and there is Static Time Waves. (STW)
There is a particles of Static Time.
Static Time is real and measured.
Everyone knows the Dynamic Time.
It is time to recognize the Static Time.