5 ms·

I've been waiting for gravity wave communications since I learnt we had detected them; but of course it's gonna be too hard for us to quickly change either ampl

I've been waiting for gravity wave communications since I learnt we had detected them; but of course it's gonna be too hard for us to quickly change either amplitude or frequency. Would it be easier to make a receiver though? The series Three Body Problems goes into many similar points; and the solution described there to the problem of material tensile strength is to use a new type of material, where the primary intermolecular force is strong nuclear force rather than our conventional ones. Using this material; one could construct a long bars capable of gravity wave transmission and reception. I am excitedly optimistic about humanity finding intelligent extrasolar signals on the gravity wave spectrum.

xornox 6y ago
What are benefits of gravity wave communication?
- sterlind 6y ago
  I think it wouldn't be slowed, blocked or dissipated by matter, other than interference with other gravitational waves or time dilation from passing through curved space. I'm not sure what benefit it'd have over neutrinos, though, since those share those properties.
  - pmontra 6y ago
    Easier to detect?
  - amelius 6y ago
    Imagine a 100x100m neutrino detector, and how difficult it would be to hit that surface with a neutrino over a distance more than a light-year. Or conversely how strong your neutrino source must be if you radiated in all directions.
- hanoz 6y ago
  I bet high frequency traders would be pretty keen on a device which sent speed of light signals straight through the earth rather than round the surface!
  - segfaultbuserr 6y ago
    Neutrino communication is simpler, you just need to modulate a nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator, and simply receive it at an underground detector array in a mountain... Well, easier than modulating gravity...
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
gen220 6y ago
Since we’re dealing in SciFi books here, I recommend His Master’s Voice by Stanislaw Lem as an exploration of the question: if we were pretty sure we were receiving intelligent messages from space, what would they be and how would we respond? The book takes place in the context of the Cold War, when it was written. But it’s still amazing today, and holds a lot of water. Questions addressed: how would we know a signal was intelligent? How many ways could we attempt to interpret it? Is it meant to be interpreted? Why would somebody emit such a thing? Where did it come from? What do we do with what we’ve learned?
stjohnswarts 6y ago
Hold up... We've detected gravity wave communications? Wouldn't that be the biggest story of this millenium? or any millenium?

xornox 6y ago

What are benefits of gravity wave communication?

sterlind 6y ago
I think it wouldn't be slowed, blocked or dissipated by matter, other than interference with other gravitational waves or time dilation from passing through curved space. I'm not sure what benefit it'd have over neutrinos, though, since those share those properties.
- pmontra 6y ago
  Easier to detect?
- amelius 6y ago
  Imagine a 100x100m neutrino detector, and how difficult it would be to hit that surface with a neutrino over a distance more than a light-year. Or conversely how strong your neutrino source must be if you radiated in all directions.
hanoz 6y ago
I bet high frequency traders would be pretty keen on a device which sent speed of light signals straight through the earth rather than round the surface!
- segfaultbuserr 6y ago
  Neutrino communication is simpler, you just need to modulate a nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator, and simply receive it at an underground detector array in a mountain... Well, easier than modulating gravity...
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]

gen220 6y ago

Since we’re dealing in SciFi books here, I recommend His Master’s Voice by Stanislaw Lem as an exploration of the question: if we were pretty sure we were receiving intelligent messages from space, what would they be and how would we respond? The book takes place in the context of the Cold War, when it was written. But it’s still amazing today, and holds a lot of water. Questions addressed: how would we know a signal was intelligent? How many ways could we attempt to interpret it? Is it meant to be interpreted? Why would somebody emit such a thing? Where did it come from? What do we do with what we’ve learned?

stjohnswarts 6y ago

Hold up... We've detected gravity wave communications? Wouldn't that be the biggest story of this millenium? or any millenium?