LIGO and speed of gravitational waves

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the detection of gravitational waves by LIGO, the speed at which these waves travel, and the implications for theories of gravity and spacetime. Participants explore the challenges of detection, the relationship between gravitational waves and the speed of light, and the computational methods used in general relativity (GR). The conversation includes both technical reasoning and conceptual inquiries.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that LIGO may have failed to detect gravitational waves because they could potentially move faster than light, leading to unexpected wavelengths and lower amplitudes.
  • Others argue that gravitational waves do not exceed the speed of light, suggesting that their propagation at light speed indicates a deeper unity between gravity and electromagnetism at high energies.
  • A participant questions the evidence supporting the claim that gravitational waves travel at the speed of light.
  • Another participant expresses confidence that LIGO has not definitively detected gravitational waves yet because it is still in the measurement process, implying that results will take time to emerge.
  • Some participants emphasize the need to give LIGO more time to successfully detect gravitational waves, acknowledging the difficulty of the task.
  • There are inquiries about the computational methods used to describe the flexing actions of spacetime in geometrical terms, with some suggesting that GR has substantial expertise and resources for such computations.
  • One participant expresses skepticism about the validity of certain experimental validations of GR, suggesting that the process of correcting measurements could lead to errors in validating assumptions about gravitational waves.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of views, with some supporting the idea that gravitational waves travel at the speed of light while others propose alternative hypotheses. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the speed of gravitational waves and the implications for LIGO's detection capabilities.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the dependence on assumptions about the speed of gravitational waves and the validity of experimental methods used in testing GR. There are unresolved questions about the computational approaches to describing gravitational phenomena.

kurious
Messages
633
Reaction score
0
LIGO may have failed to detect gravity waves because they move faster than light and so have a greater wavelength than expected and probably a lower amplitude too.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Gravity waves and the speed of light.

Gravitatioonal waves travel at not in excess of the speed of light. They know that gravitational waves traveling at the speed of light shows a unity of gravity and electromagnetism at a deeper level (high energies).
 
How do they know this?What is the evidence?
 
I'm fairly certain that the reason LIGO has not yet detected gravity waves (definitively), is because it is still in the process of taking its measurements. The results will not be known for sometime yet.
 
Give LIGO more time. It's just getting underway at trying to find something incredibly difficult to detect.
 
And a way in which to process this information?

They have no way of knowing computationally how to describe the actions of the flexing in terms of Geometrical explanations?
 
"the actions of the flexing in terms of Geometrical explanations"?

They sure have a lot of expertise and resources for computation in GR. GR may not be the ultimate theory of spacetime, but it sure has been bang on in many predictions.
 
ahrkron said:
"the actions of the flexing in terms of Geometrical explanations"?

They sure have a lot of expertise and resources for computation in GR. GR may not be the ultimate theory of spacetime, but it sure has been bang on in many predictions.

Sol said:They have no way of knowing computationally how to describe

Yes I agree with you. If there was a method in place for describing quantum Gravity, you can be assured the first part of my statement would have been relevant to the second part you choose. Looking at the various experiments being used how could I not Support GR even though we have not validated gravitational waves.

Would you agree with this?
 
Last edited:
Well I'm not a physicist, but as an amateur I would have a question.
Isnt the correct way to prove something, that we examine assumption A and assumption B, which validates the measurements better?
I think if we wants to validate assumption A /gravity waves can only propagate with a speed of c/ anyway, we can make same error during the process.

(Like Hafele–Keating experiment, i don't doubt that predictions of GR has been proven many times, but i don't think, that an experiment, where they correct the clocks multiple times till they get what they want... isn't a solid proof to me.)
 

Similar threads

High School LIGO Back Online: Upgraded Detector to Spot Fainter Gravitational Waves
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Graduate Gravitational wave propagation in GR - follow up
  • · Replies 37 ·
2
Replies
37
Views
4K
High School LIGO Arm Length & Sensitivity: What's the Relation?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
High School Modern Cavendish vs LIGO: Gravity Scale & Wave Interruption?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Detecting Gravitational Waves w/ Interferometers: Explained
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
High School How Does LIGO Detect Gravitational Waves Despite Changes in Spacetime?
  • · Replies 67 ·
3
Replies
67
Views
8K
High School FRB & Gravitational Wave Link: Scientists Baffled
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Can Gravitational Waves Affect Light Wavelengths?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Undergrad Detecting Gravitational Waves & Alcubierre Drive
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
High School Measuring Gravitational Waves w/ Elevator Accelerometer
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K