Gravitational Waves Detected

[Aquila ka Hecate]

"It's the first time the Universe has spoken to us through gravitational waves. Up until now, we've been deaf."

- David Reitze. Lovely.

 

[dabean]

In English please

It's just a crazy thought I had.

 

[grok]

Did gravity just wave?

Oh hi!

 

[spiff]

hmm wonder if it can be used as an early detection for in coming asteroids?

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Space/Time/Gravity: A century later, the last prophecy of Einstein’s general theory..

Source: http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-02-12-spacetimegravity-hundred-years-later-the-last-prophecy-of-einsteins-general-theory-of-relativity-is-fulfilled

This discovery is more important than who says what about whom in South Carolina in their upcoming primary election. It is even more important than the unpleasantnesses in South Africa’s parliament and whatever was in Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Speech. Arguably, it is more important than anything else that has taken place place on Earth right about now. And what was this thing? Why it was, finally, the detection of gravity waves in the universe.

This seems to have people excited, what I don't get though is what actual difference this will make to anything in my lifetime?

Will we be time travelling soon? Teleporting to Mars? Just feels like much excitement about observing something that has always existed, which doesn't exactly translate into harnessing it in any way soon.

Where's the science savvy people to explain what we can realistically expect from this discovery?

 

[CataclysmZA]

Where's the science savvy people to explain what we can realistically expect from this discovery?

[video=youtube;EH70kTm25Es]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH70kTm25Es[/video]

Basically, gravity waves and gravitons move at the speed of light. Light would no longer be the fastest thing in the universe.

Edit: Here's a more visual representation.

 

[Knyro]

People on MyBB seem to have this "if-it-doesn't-lead-to-new-tech-now whats the point?" mentality. An incredibly short-sighted way of thinking.

1) More evidence to support the general theory of relativity
2) Another way to detect black holes via gravitational waves
3) One more piece of the puzzle on the way to understanding the universe (this in and of itself is worth it)
4) One more step towards the theory of everything

It may lead to inventions in the future, who knows. But identifying understanding the phenomenon is the first step towards harnessing it. Remember, people scoffed at the discovery of radio waves as well.

 

[CataclysmZA]

It may lead to inventions in the future, who knows. But identifying understanding the phenomenon is the first step towards harnessing it.

Actually, there's a specific future technology that this applies to. Being able to manipulate gravity, or gravitons, or space-time using both, would be a key component in discovering and making an Alcubierre drive for faster-than-light travel. Creating a warp bubble by compressing space-time using gravitons is theoretically possible.

Edit: Actually, that's probably how we're going to do it. Instead of trying to match the speed of light, riding a gravitational wave might be easier and require less energy.

 

[The_Assimilator]

My people on MyBB seem to have this "if-it-doesn't-lead-to-new-tech-now" whats the point? An incredibly short-sighted way of thinking.

Standard Republican thinking, highly similar to "who cares if climate change exists, I'll be dead long before that, screw my descendants".

Actually, there's a specific future technology that this applies to. Being able to manipulate gravity, or gravitons, or space-time using both, would be a key component in discovering and making an Alcubierre drive for faster-than-light travel. Creating a warp bubble by compressing space-time using gravitons is theoretically possible.

Edit: Actually, that's probably how we're going to do it. Instead of trying to match the speed of light, riding a gravitational wave might be easier and require less energy.

There's the small issue of the fact that the existence of gravitrons hasn't been proven. Furthermore, current theories for making an Alcubierre drive generally involve completely infeasible amounts of mass... not to mention the whole time travel and chronology protection conjecture issue.

 

[BigAl-sa]

Where the main speaker lost me was when she spoke about a "real simulation" of the event. WTF is a real simulation?

 

[Moosedrool]

Where the main speaker lost me was when she spoke about a "real simulation" of the event. WTF is a real simulation?

Next to LIGO there is a swimming pool.

[video=youtube;I-CaC_43cZI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-CaC_43cZI[/video]

This event injected a whole bunch of gravity waves into the data insuring that the lazers operate as expected.

 

[ponder]

My people on MyBB seem to have this "if-it-doesn't-lead-to-new-tech-now" whats the point? An incredibly short-sighted way of thinking.

Don't go tarring us all with the same brush now

I get what you say though and it does annoy me a bit as well.

 

[Ninja'd]

]LIGO Sees First Ever Gravitational Waves As Two Black Holes Eat Each Other

I have to admit. That's one porno I haven't seen yet.

 

[Moosedrool]

I have to admit. That's one porno I haven't seen yet.

 

[Seriously]

http://www.techinsider.io/gravitational-waves-detected-first-time-ligo-2016-2

 

[Aquila ka Hecate]

Interesting take from John Horgan at SciAm

Chemist Ashutosh Jogalekar, who blogs as Curious Wavefunction, notes that while “the detection of gravitational waves will be a fitting testament to both experimental and theoretical science and the dedication of countless scientists over the years, in one sense it would be utterly unsurprising. That's because it is the logical prediction of a theory that has been around for a hundred years.”

Jogalekar adds that “some sources are already calling the putative finding one of the most important discoveries in physics of the last few decades. Let me not mince words here: if that is indeed the case, then physics is in bad shape.”

In an email to me, a historian of technology was more blunt: “So a 100 year old theory has been confirmed experimentally--big whup. Did anyone think Einstein was wrong? There wasn't any controversy, was there? Was anyone credible claiming that spacetime isn't curved, or that black holes don't exist? I can get that this was quite an experimental trick and technological feat… But this isn't doing anything to convince me that public funds spent on this stuff wouldn't be better spent on medical research. Or clean fuels, or any number of things that would apply scientific expertise toward justice or the alleviation of human suffering."