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I think you have an intuitive mental model of how it works, but don't actually understand it, or aren't able to explain it well. This question is important eno

I think you have an intuitive mental model of how it works, but don't actually understand it, or aren't able to explain it well. This question is important enough that there have been papers written on it. I suggest you read https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article-abstract/65/6/501/530040/If-light-waves-are-stretched-by-gravitational?redirectedFrom=fulltext https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article-abstract/65/6/501/5300... which may strengthen your understanding.

nyssos 3y ago
> This question is important enough that there have been papers written on it. I suggest you read https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article-abstract/65/6/501/5300 https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article-abstract/65/6/501/5300... This is a physics education journal: its papers are supposed to be interesting and accessible to undergrads, not on the frontier of the field. What the linked paper amounts to is noticing that the sensitivity of a detector depends on the relative length scales of the arms and the waves you're trying to detect. This is true, and also one of the first things you would consider when figuring out what size your detector should be. It's a good homework problem, but not news to anyone actually working on LIGO.
- stevebmark 3y ago
  I legitimately find your cognitive dissonance interesting. I think you're on the other end - you may understand the fundamentals so well that your brain isn't processing the question / conundrum in the way that others see it. Honing in on the the scales of the arms as your reaction the paper is why I think this, as that's not related to the problem. And, well, you said it yourself, you don't understand the question: > No clue why GP thinks it "shouldn't work" It's also possible you think that this is all about laser interferometry, and aren't properly considering how it could work in the context of compressing space, since a laser interferometry system in compressed space wouldn't produce interference.

nyssos 3y ago

> This question is important enough that there have been papers written on it. I suggest you read https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article-abstract/65/6/501/5300 https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article-abstract/65/6/501/5300... This is a physics education journal: its papers are supposed to be interesting and accessible to undergrads, not on the frontier of the field. What the linked paper amounts to is noticing that the sensitivity of a detector depends on the relative length scales of the arms and the waves you're trying to detect. This is true, and also one of the first things you would consider when figuring out what size your detector should be. It's a good homework problem, but not news to anyone actually working on LIGO.

stevebmark 3y ago
I legitimately find your cognitive dissonance interesting. I think you're on the other end - you may understand the fundamentals so well that your brain isn't processing the question / conundrum in the way that others see it. Honing in on the the scales of the arms as your reaction the paper is why I think this, as that's not related to the problem. And, well, you said it yourself, you don't understand the question: > No clue why GP thinks it "shouldn't work" It's also possible you think that this is all about laser interferometry, and aren't properly considering how it could work in the context of compressing space, since a laser interferometry system in compressed space wouldn't produce interference.