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The researchers predict the existence of three new long-lived gravitational wave signatures, as part of a unified mathematical framework to identify these effects.
Virgo Collaboration
The gravitational waves produced by the collision of black holes and other extreme cosmic phenomena are transient in nature. However, researchers predicted in the 1970s that passing waves could leave persistent traces in detectors. Recent enhancements to the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave observatories have significantly improved their sensitivity, resulting in renewed interest in these predicted effects. For this reason, Éanna Flanagan of Cornell University, New York, and her colleagues improved the mathematical framework used to describe so-called persistent gravitational wave observables, with three new observables in the process.
The framework developed by the team combines measurable effects with the curvature of space-time resulting from collisions with black holes. Gravitational waves distort the shape of space-time, modifying the positions, velocities, accelerations and relative trajectories of physical objects on their trajectories. These objects do not return to their original configuration after the waves pass, creating a "persistent" effect that scientists could potentially measure. An example of measurable persistent change is the predicted change in the relative positions of the LIGO mirrors. The team's framework takes into account previously observed persistent observables, including the LIGO mirror example, in a single mathematical formulation, and also predicts three new ones. These new effects include offsets in time measurements by clocks at different locations and changes in the rotational speed of a rotating particle.
The small number of black hole collisions detected up to now by LIGO and Virgo is insufficient to provide the cumulative data needed to identify persistent gravitational wave observables. But the increased detection rate expected from upgraded detectors could change this situation. The detection of the three newly identified observables will, however, require new types of observatories.
This research is published in Physical examination D.
-Matthew R. Francis
Matthew R. Francis is an independent physicist and science writer based in Cleveland, Ohio.
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