Gravity waves detected for the first time ever

Discussion in 'Physics & Math' started by Plazma Inferno!, Jan 12, 2016.

  1. Plazma Inferno! Ding Ding Ding Ding Administrator

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    Physicists have searched for ripples in the fabric of spacetime, called gravitational waves, for nearly 100 years.
    The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has been searching for these gravitational waves since 2002 with no luck. But a more powerful, advanced LIGO — about three times more sensitive than the original detector — started operating in September 2015.
    And now a rumor is circulating that physicists at the new and improved LIGO have finally detected the elusive waves. If it's true, it will be one of the most important discoveries in physics in the last century.
    http://www.techinsider.io/gravity-waves-detected-rumor-2016-1

    I hope this is true.
     
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  3. Edont Knoff Registered Senior Member

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    Me too. If gravity waves don't show up, there is a problem with one of our most advanced and best supported theories, which would be devastating.

    Good that they finally found traces. Question remains, why the waves are so weak, so hard to detect, and if we still must adapt our theories therefore. But this can only be answered once we know more about how frequent these waves are, and their average strength as they pass us.
     
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  5. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Yep, so do I........
    Gravitational radiation falls off rather quickly, and so from earth are notoriously difficult to detect.
    If this experiment is not GW, then we just keep on trying.
    And also remember that gravitational radiation is fairly well evidenced anyway with the Hulse-Taylor Pulsar data.
     
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  7. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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  8. James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    Rumour has it that there is a paper in the works. I assume that any official announcement will have to wait until after publication.
     
  9. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    http://phys.org/news/2016-01-gravitational-rumors-ripple-science-world.html
    Krauss does not work with the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, or LIGO, which is searching for ripples in the fabric of space and time.

    But he tweeted on Monday about the apparent shoring up of rumor he'd heard some months ago, that LIGO scientists were writing up a paper on gravitational waves they had discovered using US-based detectors.

    "My earlier rumor about LIGO has been confirmed by independent sources. Stay tuned! Gravitational waves may have been discovered!! Exciting," Krauss tweeted.
     
  10. James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    I'll wait for an actual publication.
     
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  11. quantum_wave Contemplating the "as yet" unknown Valued Senior Member

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    I'll wait for independent confirmation from multiple sources. Lisa Pathfinder isn't ready for prime time yet, but confirmation from the highest tech space based equipment in years to come would go a long ways toward conclusive evidence, to convince the world.
     
  12. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Gravitational_wave_rumors_ripple_through_science_world_999.html
    extract:
    A spokeswoman for the LIGO collaboration, Gabriela Gonzalez, was quoted in The Guardian as saying there is no announcement for now.

    "The LIGO instruments are still taking data today, and it takes us time to analyze, interpret and review results, so we don't have any results to share yet," said Gonzalez, professor of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University.

    "We take pride in reviewing our results carefully before submitting them for publication -- and for important results, we plan to ask for our papers to be peer-reviewed before we announce the results -- that takes time too!"
     
  13. brucep Valued Senior Member

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    Phys.org. It would be great but I'm waiting for the official description. Kinda view Phys.org as the paparazzi of science. Without any pictures.
     
  14. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    It does give a good variation in the many disciplines of science: Their failing of course [as per the Hawking saying BH's do not exist headlines a while back] lay in the sensationalistic nature of their journalists and what they write.
    In that respect "paparazzi" is a good description.

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    But yeah, it appears confirmation one way or the other is anxiously being waited on.
     
  15. Xelasnave.1947 Valued Senior Member

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    Past experience tells me to wait for a paper.
     
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  16. quantum_wave Contemplating the "as yet" unknown Valued Senior Member

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  17. danshawen Valued Senior Member

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    I'm with JamesR and Xelasnave. Joe Weber's gravity waves were only rumors also.

    "Practice runs" will not include anything that is a "real" gravity wave.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2016
  18. river

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    In the January 2016 edition of the Astronomy mg. page.19 you will find a short article on LISA TESTS GRAVITATIONAL WAVE TECH; the by ESA.

    Gravity waves have NOT been detected as of yet.
     
  19. sweetpea Valued Senior Member

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    I'm waiting for the movie.
     
  20. brucep Valued Senior Member

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    Did you see ' The Martian'? I was stoked.
     
  21. brucep Valued Senior Member

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    Kip Thorne has been the leader for this ongoing experiment so, I expect, they won't find a reason to falsify the measurement. I'm thinking they have a measurement. I expect they've written the paper. Hopefully we'll get the results of this experiment which tests a prediction derived from GR. Fairly soon.
     
  22. river

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    I did

    But the book of course was far better.
     
  23. brucep Valued Senior Member

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    What does some article in Astronomy magazine have to do with it? As usual you don't know what your talking about. Fix that river.
     

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