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Gravitational Wave Detection Imminent?
Seumas Hyslop writes "The UK Telegraph is reporting that we may finally have equipment that are sensitive enough to measure gravitational waves, which are incredibly small and have evaded detection despite the theories that they are present as a way of explaining gravitational effects. Basically, a laser beam is split into two branches that are sent down two identical 2000 feet long tubes and back again via mirrors. Assuming the two arms remain exactly the same distance, they will cancel each other out. But the scientists think that the beams will interfere with each other owing to the effect of gravity, meaning the length of the branches is altered and a gravitational wave has been detected."
As I understand it, gravitational waves will compress/expand space along one "arm" of the split laser beam, causing interference when the beams are combined. OK, got that; no problem.
However, as stated in the article, gravitational waves are waves in space-time, not just space. Isn't it possible that the distortion in space and the distortion in time will exactly cancel out, thus rendering the wave indetectible via this method?
In that case, they should learn what their own mod points mean. :P
Well, from the summary (me, RTFA? whachootalkinbout?) it sounds like they're building a giant Michaelson-Moorely device, which are pretty mature things, and their unpredictabiities are fairly wel known.
:)
Incidentally, they were originally used in an experiment that proved much of the day's prevailing physics wrong (They proved that there was no aether; a hypothesized medium that light and radiation travel through), and a part of me hopes it'll do the same again.
But one reason for moderation is to remove the clutter of trolls, off topic and so on for most people. A negative moderation os not automatically a bad moderation.
It is when nothing has been moderated up.
And naturally, this whole discussion right here fully deserves to get modded down too.
Crap. Discussing the summary is just as valid as discussing the article. Discussing the weather or Bill Gates' haircut is Offtopic, this aint.
How we know is more important than what we know.
This article got me thinking:
If you can detect a gravity wave then doesn't that mean that some energy is being absorbed from it?
If energy can be absorbed from it, then doesn't it get weaker?
So if a gravity wave can be made weaker, then couldn't you theoretically build a gravity shield?
And if you scaled one up, could I stand on it and float off of the earth?
It doesn't seem right, so where am I going astray? Thanks Physicists!