Gravitatational waves discovered

[easynow]

Theoretically, we will be able to detect the gravitational waves from the Big Bang itself.

What would be needed to discover gravity waves from the big bang?

 

[Igzilla]

What would be needed to discover gravity waves from the big bang?

Presumably more sensitive devices. There was a space mission proposal years back that wanted to put a gravitational wave detector in the outer solar system, where instead of 4 kilometre long arms, it would be thousands of kilometres (one spacecraft would beam lasers at two others flying in formation). Maybe this would be sensitive enough to pick up the traces?

 

[Igzilla]

Yeah but can you save a drowning brick while wearing only your pyjamas?

As long as I could see friendly letters that say "Don't Panic"

 

[easynow]

Presumably more sensitive devices. There was a space mission proposal years back that wanted to put a gravitational wave detector in the outer solar system, where instead of 4 kilometre long arms, it would be thousands of kilometres (one spacecraft would beam lasers at two others flying in formation). Maybe this would be sensitive enough to pick up the traces?

Awesome projects like that would be too long term for any goverment(s) to fund and take credit for. if we could detect the big bang gravity waves, would we be able to observe beyond the cosmic microwave background? Or does the current theory assume both forces were produced at the same time? Assuming the speed of light is the same for both forces...

 

[Dick Head]

Theoretically, we will be able to detect the gravitational waves from the Big Bang itself. All other forms of direct astronomy can only go as far back as about 400,000 years after it happened (called recombination, when matter had cooled sufficiently for atoms to form - until then all light was continually absorbed, making the Universe opaque. It is from just after this point (called photon decoupling) that the cosmic microwave background comes from). Everything we think we know before this point is all from theory, so physical detections will be a test of how robust our understanding of physics actually is.

Could be a biggie.

Surfs up Dudes.

Bloody love NSC. Summed up by the juxtaposition of these two posts perfectly!
[MENTION=25615]Igzilla[/MENTION] hobby, profession, under/post graduate studies or all of the above?

Have often thought that it wouldn't surprise me if one day we establish that the observable universe as we know it is just one of many universes and our sense of scale is nothing is well out of whack with everything.

Perhaps gravitational waves could confirm the existence of other universes in a multiverse? (Different frequencies, wavelengths etc)

[MENTION=277]looney[/MENTION] hobby, mid life crisis, college/university dropout or all of the above?

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Would those be the blinkered, the ones we see in the supermarket with a trolley full of cakes, crisps and various other junk including Diet Coke whilst moaning how little they have got queuing to get a weeks worth of fags..

Guess it won't affect them very much.

I have two Masters' degrees, when I go shopping my trolley is not full of cakes and junk food - in fact quite the opposite. I have never smoked. My wife is a history/French graduate, a qualified teacher and the Principal of a local college. She used to smoke but gave it up years ago.

When I was listening to the 5 o'clock news on the way home, I was relatively indifferent to it. I understand what it is about, but find myself asking if it will be of any use to anyone to find out how the universe began, if that is what it will lead to. My wife and I have had conversations about this in the past, and will probably do so this evening when she gets home, only to agree that we don't really see the point..

Does this mean we are blinkered, or that we actually have the capacity to think for ourselves, be philosophical about things and decide what is important to us?

This isn't meant to be an aggressive reply, just making the point that different people have different priorities and interests.

 

[Igzilla]

Awesome projects like that would be too long term for any goverment(s) to fund and take credit for. if we could detect the big bang gravity waves, would we be able to observe beyond the cosmic microwave background? Or does the current theory assume both forces were produced at the same time? Assuming the speed of light is the same for both forces...

It could actually be done rather cheaply (comparatively speaking). Now gravitational waves have been detected, NASA or ESA or both may well reconsider it. CMB emanates from recombination, but the gravity waves from the Big Bang are just that: from the Big Bang, so if detected could be used to probe what was actually happening at the time. CMB just tells you what the Universe was like when light was first able to travel freely.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

https://www.facebook.com/quartznews/videos/1108148649218836/

 

[Igzilla]

I have two Masters' degrees, when I go shopping my trolley is not full of cakes and junk food - in fact quite the opposite. I have never smoked. My wife is a history/French graduate, a qualified teacher and the Principal of a local college. She used to smoke but gave it up years ago.

When I was listening to the 5 o'clock news on the way home, I was relatively indifferent to it. I understand what it is about, but find myself asking if it will be of any use to anyone to find out how the universe began, if that is what it will lead to. My wife and I have had conversations about this in the past, and will probably do so this evening when she gets home, only to agree that we don't really see the point..

Does this mean we are blinkered, or that we actually have the capacity to think for ourselves, be philosophical about things and decide what is important to us?

This isn't meant to be an aggressive reply, just making the point that different people have different priorities and interests.

And that's fair enough. This discovery is more about long term knowledge. It may enlighten us to whether there are extra dimensions, leading to exotic forms of space travel in the future. Sometimes human discoveries are not immediately practical. Just look at Einstein - he's been dead 60 years and one of his predictions has only just been confirmed. Gravity is very weak and is the least understood of all the forces. One hypothesis is that gravity is of similar strength to the other forces, but diluted as it's the only one that leaks into other dimensions other that the three spatial ones we kn ow about.

 

[easynow]

It could actually be done rather cheaply (comparatively speaking). Now gravitational waves have been detected, NASA or ESA or both may well reconsider it. CMB emanates from recombination, but the gravity waves from the Big Bang are just that: from the Big Bang, so if detected could be used to probe what was actually happening at the time. CMB just tells you what the Universe was like when light was first able to travel freely.

oh ok, I always thought we could differentiate what parts of the CMB data were nearer to the point of expansion but just remembered everywhere is equally the most furthest from earths perspective (i think?). So the gravity wave data would be more older relative to what we can see from the CMB? Beyond the light data?

 

[warmleyseagull]

Searched in vain for any evidence it can solve our LB problem. Bloody useless waste of money and time.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Searched in vain for any evidence it can solve our LB problem. Bloody useless waste of money and time.

Maybe it can be the latest thing to try to fans get involved in during a game with the aim to generate a decent atmosphere and motivation for the team, basically a Mexican wave for the 21st century ? so it might not be a total write off just yet - although i don't think it will take off as we will have sections of our fans refusing to join in, calling it tin pot whilst others start a different form of wave at the same time / in response to it starting and refuse to join in with the other groups version

 

[essbee]

Does that mean time travel now potentially possible?

Did we win the FA CUP btw?

 

[seagullwedgee]

I read the title of this thread in an 'Arkwright Open All Hours' tone of voice.

Try it, works really well......

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

I have two Masters' degrees... I.... find myself asking if it will be of any use to anyone to find out how the universe began, if that is what it will lead to..

Fully understand your concern, David - after all, some people would find themselves out of a job!

One question though: If the universe really was created by God.... where was he standing?

 

[Jimmy Come Lately]

It could actually be done rather cheaply (comparatively speaking). Now gravitational waves have been detected, NASA or ESA or both may well reconsider it. CMB emanates from recombination, but the gravity waves from the Big Bang are just that: from the Big Bang, so if detected could be used to probe what was actually happening at the time. CMB just tells you what the Universe was like when light was first able to travel freely.

This announcement really is a terrible spoiler for the eLISA mission, which is intended to be exactly that kind of gravitational wave detector in space. (Sorry, I'll say that properly: a Gravitational Wave Detector IN SPACE.) eLISA's proof-of-concept mission, LISA Pathfinder, just got into position and is due to start observing next month.

Still, although it's been pipped to the big discovery that everyone has been chasing, I'm sure the eLISA scientists won't be too disappointed. There was always a risk that gravitational waves might not actually exist, and their whole experiment would have been for nothing; now they know that eLISA will be the equivalent of the Hubble Space Telescope for gravitational wave astronomy. Probing the Big Bang itself may still be beyond it, but there are lots of other interesting astrophysical phenomena that it should allow us to observe for the first time.

I'll admit that none of these discoveries are likely to make a difference to our daily lives within the lifetime of anyone reading this board. But I'm excited all the same.

 

[One Love]

One question though: If the universe really was created by God.... where was he standing?

Somehow intrigued by this question but haven't got a clue what you're trying to get at.

Can you expand and satisfy my curiosity?

 

[OzMike]

What difference will it make to the man on the street.

 

[looney]

[MENTION=277]looney[/MENTION] hobby, mid life crisis, college/university dropout or all of the above?

None. Its a joke, or maybe not in your Quantum Sulkiverse

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Somehow intrigued by this question but haven't got a clue what you're trying to get at.

Can you expand and satisfy my curiosity?

I will try

If the universe (as we know it) didn't exist and all there was was a giant amount of matter in a very small space moments before the big bang took place there would have been no universe for God to be in to be able to create that big bang, so therefore, what existed before the big bang took place (in the space that our universe now occupies and so on) and how was the source material created (where did the material for the big bang come from?)