3 ms·
> Gravitational waves last for an instant and then you've missed them. Could you go into more detail? How do they differ from EM waves?
by eternauta3k 8y ago
> Gravitational waves last for an instant and then you've missed them.
Could you go into more detail? How do they differ from EM waves?
- ajkjk 8y agoI don't think the OP is right. The waves LIGO detected lasted for an instant because they were from a fleeting cosmic event - two black holes spiraling into each other. But there's no reason as far as I know that a much more sensitive detector couldn't see waves from more mundane, longer-lasting events. Though - at that point, why not just send EM waves? They travel the same speed. Maybe gravitational waves could penetrate anything, if you're willing to spend planetary amounts of energy to do it?
- elorant 8y agoI'm not a physicist so I can't elaborate much on the subject. From a few articles I've read at the time of the LIGO discovery they mentioned that the signals lasted for a very short period. Other than that I might be totally wrong so don't take for granted my assumption.
- basementcat 8y agoMuch of the data from LIGO is publicly available. Most scientists have been looking for chirp-like signals indicative of events like colliding black holes. Maybe you can find some other interesting signals? https://losc.ligo.org/s/events/GW170104/LOSC_Event_tutorial_GW170104.html https://losc.ligo.org/s/events/GW170104/LOSC_Event_tutorial_... Note that there's quite a bit of interference from the Earth. (trucks driving about, etc)