Gravitational waves discovery for kids8/26/2023 ![]() › Read the Caltech press release Procedures In a statement to Caltech, Thorne said the prize also belongs to the more than 1,000 scientists and engineers around the world who play a part on LIGO, the result of a long-term partnership between Caltech, MIT and the National Science Foundation. Thorne, Barish and Weiss played key roles in making the LIGO project a reality through their research, leadership and development of technology to detect gravitational waves. 3, 2017: Researchers Kip Thorne and Barry Barish of Caltech and Rainer Weiss of MIT have been awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for their “ decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.” Having two observatories placed a great distance apart allows researchers to approximate the direction the waves are coming from and confirm that the signal is coming from space rather than something nearby (such as a heavy truck or an earthquake). LIGO is so sensitive that it can detect a change smaller than 1/10,000 the width of a proton (10 -19 meter). When a gravitational wave passes by, the mirrors move a tiny amount, which changes the distance between them. The laser beams precisely indicate the distance between mirrors placed at the ends of each tube. ![]() Each observatory uses a laser beam that is split and sent down 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) long tubes. LIGO consists of facilities in Washington and Louisiana. Thanks to LIGO’s discovery, a new field of science has been born: gravitational wave astronomy. It’s also important because gravitational waves carry information about their inception and about the fundamental properties of gravity that can’t be seen through observations of the electromagnetic spectrum. But it wasn’t until 2015, when LIGO’s instruments were upgraded and became more sensitive, that they were able to detect the presence of actual gravitational waves, confirming the last important piece of Einstein’s theory. In 1974, physicists discovered that two neutron stars orbiting each other were getting closer in a way that matched Einstein’s predictions. In it, he predicted the existence of gravitational waves, which had never been directly detected until now. On Septemthose waves reached Earth and were detected by researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).Įinstein published the Theory of General Relativity in 1915. The collision released massive amounts of energy in a fraction of a second (about 50 times as luminous as all the stars in the visible universe combined) and sent gravitational waves in all directions. Little did he know that 1.3 billion years earlier, two massive black holes collided. ![]() These gravitational waves move outward, like ripples from a stone moving across the surface of a pond. BackgroundĪ century ago, Albert Einstein theorized that when objects move through space they create waves in spacetime around them. Avoid direct eye exposure and take caution when pointing a laser at a mirror to avoid accidental reflections of a laser beam into anyone’s eyes. Safety Note: Lasers are a potential hazard because they can burn the retina of the eye. This provides more stability to the gelatin and keeps the edges smooth, reducing the amount of scattering that the laser beam experiences. In this case, skip steps 2 and 4 in the "Procedures" section below, and press the marble into the gelatin after it sets so that the marble is flush with the surface. This way the gelatin can be kept in the pan. You can avoid this by using a clear pan (without textures in the glass that would affect the path of the laser beam). Taking the gelatin out of the pan and inserting a mirror makes the gelatin more susceptible to rough edges and tears that will affect the model. The pan provides a lot of structural support for the gelatin.The gelatin should be made and set in advance of creating the model.The model can be developed in pairs, small groups, larger groups, or as a whole class demonstration, depending on availability of materials.Laser Target Card - Download PDF Management Two small steel marbles, ball bearings or round pebbles Materialsīaking pan (clear, smooth glass preferred)Ĭutting board, cookie sheet or other flat, portable surface › Explore more on the Teachable Moments Blog OverviewStudents develop a model to represent the collision of two black holes, the gravitational waves that result and the waves' propagation through spacetime. This activity is related to a Teachable Moment from March 23, 2016. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |