Gravity Waves: Evidence for Black Holes&Rel.

[MolaKule]

Gravity Waves: Evidence for Black Holes&Relativity.
A Semi-Technical Summary
by MolaKule

Back in 2006, theorists predicted the basic shape and timing of these waves based upon the inspiriling and merger of two black holes. [B.]

Gravity waves are a necessary result of the field equations of Einsteins General Theory of Relativity [A. Einstein, Reports of the Physical-Mathematical Session of the Prussion Academy, 1916, p. 689 and 1918, p. 154].

Similar to the Maxwell equations that predicted radio waves, due to accelerating charges (electrons) on an antenna, Einsteins field equations predicted that accelerating masses should make waves in the fabric of space moving at the speed of light. Very compact but massive objects, such as Neutron Stars, would be the most likely subjects for verification of Gravity Waves.

The signals detected by LIGO suggested that two large but compact masses (Black Holes), about 36 and 29 Solar Masses, had merged to about 62 Solar Masses. Now 36 + 29 = 65 Solar Masses.

65 Solar Masses - 62 Solar Masses = 3 Solar Masses. So how do we account for the missing 62 Solar Masses?

The difference of 3 Solar Masses was radiated as gravity-wave energy. The gravity wave was emited not as light in the EM spectrum, but as gravity-wave energy in the gravity- wave spectrum. Knowing the "brightness" of the gravity-wave, the LIGO team was able to determine the distance of the Black Holes merger with respect to earth.

So another of Albert Einstein's gravitational field equations has been verified using modern detection equipment such as LIGO.

References:

A. Abbot, B.P, et. al., Observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger, Physical Review Letters, 116:061102, 2016.

B. Baker, J.G., et. al., Gravitational-wave extraction from an inspiriling configuration of merging black holes, Physical Review Letters, 96:111102, 2006.

C. Talor J.H., and J.M. Weisberg, A new test of general relativity: Gravitational radiation and the binary pulsar PSR 1913+16. Astrophysical Journal 253:, 1982.

For some background information on LIGO before the actual detection see:

LIGO and the Detection of Gravitational Waves, Physics Today, Oct. 1999, pp. 44-50.

LIGO and Gravitational Waves

 

[RedOakRanch]

I love physics and studied it in college, but it doesn't matter to the other 99.9999% of the population. I like speed of light stuff the best...

 

[MolaKule]

Quote:
The difference of 3 Solar Masses was radiated as gravity-wave energy. The gravity wave was emited not as light in the EM spectrum, but as gravity-wave energy in the gravity- wave spectrum. Knowing the "brightness" of the gravity-wave, the LIGO team was able to determine the distance of the Black Holes merger with respect to earth.


Should read (Editor time-out)

The difference of 3 Solar Masses was radiated as gravity-wave energy. The gravity-wave was emitted not as light in the EM spectrum, but as gravity-wave energy in the gravity-wave spectrum. Knowing the "brightness" of the gravity-wave, the LIGO team was able to determine the location and distance of the Black Holes merger with respect to earth.

 

[MolaKule]

Quote:
65 Solar Masses - 62 Solar Masses = 3 Solar Masses. So how do we account for the missing 62 Solar Masses?


Should read (Editor time-out again):

65 Solar Masses - 62 Solar Masses = 3 Solar Masses. So how do we account for the missing 3 Solar Masses?

The difference of 3 Solar Masses was radiated as gravity-wave energy. The gravity-wave was emitted not as light in the EM spectrum, but as gravity-wave energy in the gravity-wave spectrum. Knowing the "brightness" of the gravity-wave, the LIGO team was able to determine the location and distance of the Black Holes merger with respect to earth...

 

[Al]

The problem still is that Gravity/General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics theories are still not reconcilable. Not saying that makes them wrong though. I think we are only a few years away from the next major step. Things are heating up. Looks like String theory will be the next step.

 

[TTK]

Originally Posted By: Al
The problem still is that Gravity/General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics theories are still not reconcilable. Not saying that makes them wrong though. I think we are only a few years away from the next major step. Things are heating up. Looks like String theory will be the next step.


General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are on opposite ends of the theoretical spectrum.

 

[OneEyeJack]

 

[MolaKule]

I look at GR as being a Macro-view whereas QM is a Micro-view.

I view String Theory as a convoluted and unnecessary complication toward a global, General Theory.

Because of theoretical and mathematical difficulties, the extremely high energies needed to test these theories experimentally, there is so far no experimental evidence that would unambiguously point to any of these models being a correct fundamental description of nature. One who is critical of ST is the American theoretical physicist Peter Voit:

Woit, Peter (2006). Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law. Basic Books. p. 105. ISBN 0-465-09275-6.

 

[sleddriver]

Makes for interesting reading. Thanks for posting. I seem to recall a photo of gravity waves appearing on one of the oceans, taken from space. Could be wrong though...I'll have to look it up.

On another point: Too bad more attention isn't given to Maxwell. A Giant in Electrical Engineering. I view him as the Einstein of the 1800's as his eqns. united Electricity and Magnetism. A key step towards the Unification Theory linking Electricity, Magnetism and Gravity.

Einstein worked long & hard on Gravity, as have many since him. Gravity waves do make sense and fit in. Light itself is a propagating electro-magnetic wave. Linking all three would be fantastic, for those interested.

 

[TTK]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Makes for interesting reading. Thanks for posting. I seem to recall a photo of gravity waves appearing on one of the oceans, taken from space. Could be wrong though...I'll have to look it up.

On another point: Too bad more attention isn't given to Maxwell. A Giant in Electrical Engineering. I view him as the Einstein of the 1800's as his eqns. united Electricity and Magnetism. A key step towards the Unification Theory linking Electricity, Magnetism and Gravity.

Einstein worked long & hard on Gravity, as have many since him. Gravity waves do make sense and fit in. Light itself is a propagating electro-magnetic wave. Linking all three would be fantastic, for those interested.


Light can behave as a wave, but it can also behave as particles(Photons), depending on the properties being measured.
If you think Gravity waves make sense, remember, they are a rupture of space-time, something we have a difficult time getting our heads around because it is not something we normally experience, especially the "time" part of phenomenon.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
I seem to recall a photo of gravity waves appearing on one of the oceans, taken from space. Could be wrong though...I'll have to look it up.
Ooops...wrong gravity wave. It was an atmospheric gravity wave.

Here's what I saw. Completely different and unrelated:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_484.html

Quote:
When the sun reflects off the surface of the ocean at the same angle that a satellite sensor is viewing the surface, a phenomenon called sunglint occurs. In the affected area of the image, smooth ocean water becomes a silvery mirror, while rougher surface waters appear dark. Sometimes the sunglint region of satellite images reveals interesting ocean or atmospheric features that the sensor does not typically record. This image shows a large, overlapping wave pattern in the sunglint region of an image of Indonesia (the islands at the top of the image) and Australia (the landmass in the bottom of the image).

The wave pattern seen in the image is not from large ocean waves, however. The pattern is of atmospheric gravity waves on the surface of the ocean. As the name implies, atmospheric gravity waves form when buoyancy pushes air up, and gravity pulls it back down. On its descent into the low-point of the wave (the trough), the air touches the surface of the ocean, roughening the water. The long, vertical dark lines show where the troughs of gravity waves have roughened the surface. The brighter regions show the crests of the atmospheric waves. Beneath the crests, the water is calm and reflects light directly back towards the sensor. Clouds commonly form at the crests of the waves, and such clouds are visible throughout this scene.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: MolaKule
I look at GR as being a Macro-view whereas QM is a Micro-view.

I view String Theory as a convoluted and unnecessary complication toward a global, General Theory.

I thought that at one time. However the more I read...especially the latest stuff I don't think Occam's razor is likely or more correctly we have not yet gone deep enouhto even BEGIN to apply it. The theoretical research that has been done dwarf's any field as far as I know, yet we may have not even yet scratched the surface.

It may turn out that even string theory is not deep enough. there is no neason to suspect we are smart enough to grasp it all.


How many universes failed to develop into the one we know. How many universes exist? There probably is no number except infinity. The "Spooky Action at a Distance" is probably the tip of the iceberg.

The "Normalizing" of equations seems (to me) to be somewhat phony

But again the level of brainpower that has gotten us to where we are is mind boggling. Can't wait for the JWST to be successfully launched.

 

[koffy]

I must have been about 7 years old when an uncle told me that sunlight needs 8 minutes tu reach us, a shocking idea for a kid, even though I have always been curious, I love physics and for me these are great news because without evidence any theory is not science, as someone said above almost nobody cares and I understand it, they’re busy in other activities such as making money (or spending it); but this kind of dilemmas is something that we can tackle only as mankind, British physicist an scientist in general complained about the brexit because now they won't have access to all the EU infrastructure and mainly to leadership on big projects, money wise it was not great for them, but you get the point.
Nowadays money for pure science rarely exist, people still complaint about NASA, It didn't happened in the 60's and 70's, don’t you wonder why?. for me it's just ridiculous, evil entities such as Monsanto get legal favors an help from our government.
Come on "Really People?"

 

[koffy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIgZG7A1fqc