Are Gravitational Waves accepted?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the acceptance of gravitational waves within the scientific community, particularly in relation to the LIGO detections. Participants explore the validity of LIGO's findings, criticisms of the results, and potential future confirmations through additional observations.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested, Exploratory, Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about the current acceptance of gravitational waves in the scientific community and whether there is any lingering doubt regarding LIGO's detections.
  • Others note that while there have been criticisms of the LIGO results, these criticisms do not seem to have gained significant traction within the broader scientific community, suggesting a prevailing belief in the validity of the results.
  • A participant references a specific paper that discusses correlations in detector noise related to LIGO signals, indicating that a clear distinction between signal and noise is still needed to fully establish the contribution of gravitational waves.
  • There is a suggestion that the criticism mentioned may lose its viability once a third detector is operational, which could provide additional data.
  • Another participant proposes that the detection of a gravitational wave event with an optical or gamma-ray counterpart would likely eliminate any remaining doubts about the existence of gravitational waves.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of views, with some supporting the validity of LIGO's findings while others highlight ongoing criticisms and uncertainties. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the full acceptance of gravitational waves, as differing opinions on the criticisms and future confirmations are present.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the need for further clarification on the distinction between signal and noise in LIGO's detections and the dependence on future observations to potentially validate or challenge current claims.

nmsurobert
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Is this accepted throughout the science community now? Is there any doubt that LIGO actually detected gravity in the form of waves?
 
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There have been some criticisms published of the LIGO results. AFAIK none of them have any real traction in the scientific community in general; the general belief appears to be that the LIGO results are valid.
 
The paper "On the times lags from LIGO signals"

https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.04191v2

has been accepted for publication. From the abstract:

.. we report correlations in the detector noise which, at the time of the event, happen to be maximized for the same time lag as that found for the event itself ... A clear distinction between signal and noise therefore remains to be established in order to determine the contribution of gravitational waves to the detected signals.

See the interesting discussion "On the time lags of the LIGO signals" at cosmologist Peter Cole's blog "In the Dark"

I suspect that this criticism will not remain viable when a detector at a third location comes on line.
 
Also, if (when) a GW event with an optical and/or gamma-ray counterpart is detected, this should remove all doubt.
 

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