Can an experiment demonstrate the existence of a gravitomagnetic field?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of an experiment designed to demonstrate the existence of a gravitomagnetic field, particularly through the use of a spinning massive cylinder and its effects on an oscillating pendulum. Participants explore theoretical calculations, potential experimental setups, and the magnitude of effects that could be observed.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes an experiment involving a spinning massive cylinder that generates a gravitomagnetic field, affecting the trajectory of an oscillating pendulum due to the gravito-Lorentz force.
  • Participants discuss the necessary calculations to determine the magnetic field generated by the cylinder, including integrals over its volume and the dependencies on various parameters such as mass, radius, and angular velocity.
  • Another participant questions the magnitude of the effect and asks how large the cylinder needs to be to produce a measurable gravitomagnetic field.
  • There is a repeated inquiry about the strength of the gravitomagnetic field required for observation, with one participant suggesting a density limit for the cylinder material.
  • One participant references the Gravity Probe B experiment as a comparison, noting that even large celestial bodies produce very small detectable effects, raising doubts about the feasibility of detecting such effects in a laboratory setting.
  • Several participants express uncertainty about the experiment's potential success and the calculations involved, with one participant encouraging the use of computational tools to analyze the equations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the feasibility of the proposed experiment or the specific parameters required for it to work. Multiple competing views remain regarding the necessary conditions for observing a gravitomagnetic field.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in their calculations, including assumptions about the density of materials and the complexity of the equations involved. There is also uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the gravitomagnetic field that would be observable.

olgerm
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I have thought about an experiment which to demostrate gravitomagntism: spinning massive cylinder creates gravitomagnetic field above it. Oscillating pendulum above the cylinder departs from its trajectory because of "gravito-Lorents" force.
To calculate magnetic force above the cylinder I use formula:
\vec B=\frac{G*4*π}{c^2}*\frac{\vec{v}×\vec{l}*m}{[\vec{l}]^3}
where:
B is magnetic field in some point A.
G is gravitational constant.
c is speed of light.
v is speed of moving pointmass at point C.
l is vector l=\vec{AC}
m is mass of pointmass .

To get gravitomagnetic field by whole cylinder integrate B over volume, because every point of cylinder may be seen as pointmass.

for circle:
\vec B(x, y, h, r)=\int_0^{2*π} (\frac{G*4*π*ρ}{c^2}*\frac{\vec{v}×\vec{l}*r}{[\vec{l}]^3} *dα)

for disc:
\vec B(x, y, h, R)=\int_0^R (\int_0^{2*π} (\frac{G*4*π*ρ}{c^2}*\frac{\vec{v}×\vec{l}}{[\vec{l}]^3}*r* dα)dr)

And finally for cylinder:
\vec B(x, y, R, H, H_0)=\int_{H_0}^{H+H_0} (\int_0^R (\int_0^{2*π} (\frac{G*4*π*ρ}{c^2}*\frac{\vec{v}×\vec{l}}{[\vec{l}]^3}*r* dα)dr)dh)
where:
R is cylinder radius.
H is cylinder height.
H0 is (vertical) distance between pendulum and cylinder.

\vec{v}=ω*(Sin(a)*r, Cos(a)*r, 0)
\vec{l}=(x - Cos(a)*r, y - Sin(a)*r, h)
where ω is angular velocity of cylinder.
so \vec v×\vec l = (h*r*Cos(a),h*r*Sin(a), -r*x*Cos(a) - r*y*h*Sin(a) + r^2) and
|\vec{l}|^3=(h^2+ (x - r*Cos(a))^2+ (y - r*Sin(a))^2)^{3/2}

\vec B(x, y, R, H, H_0)=\int_{H_0}^{H+H_0} (\int_0^R (\int_0^{2*π} (\frac{G*4*π*ρ}{c^2}*\frac{(h*r*Cos(a),h*r*Sin(a), -r*x*Cos(a) - r*y*Sin(a) + r^2)*r*ω}{(h^2 + (x - r*Cos(a))^2 + (y - r*Sin(a))^2)^{3/2}}* dα)dr)dh)

\vec B(x, y, R, H, H_0)=\frac{G*4*π*ρ*ω}{c^2}*\int_{H_0}^{H+H_0} (\int_0^R (\int_0^{2*π} (\frac{(h*r*Cos(a),h*r*Sin(a), r-x*Cos(a) - y*Sin(a))*r^2}{(x^2+y^2+r^2+h^2-2*r(x*Cos(a)+y*Sin(a)))^{3/2}}* dα)dr)dh)

\vec B(x, y, R, H, H_0)=\frac{G*4*π*ρ*ω}{c^2}*\int_{H_0}^{H+H_0}(\int_0^R((\frac{h*π*r*x*(\sqrt{h^4*(x^2+y^2-r^2)^2+2*h^2*(r^2+x^2+y^2)}-(h^2+r^2+x^2+y^2))}{(x^2+y^2)*\sqrt{h^4+(x^2+y^2-r^2)^2+2*h^2*(r^2+x^2+y^2)}},\frac{h*π*r*y*(\sqrt{h^4+(x^2+y^2-r^2)^2+2*h^2*(r^2+x^2+y^2)}-(h^2+r^2+x^2+y^2))}{(x^2+y^2)*\sqrt{h^4 + (x^2+y^2-r^2)^2+2*h^2*(r^2+x^2+y^2)}},?)*dr)dh)

Is my equation correct?
Can anyone simplify that equation for me?
How would be best to observe/measure gravitomagnetic field ,with pendulum changing it´s trajectory (because of gravitomagnetic field´s vertical component), pendulum changing it´s oscillation period(because of gravitomagnetic field´s horizontal component), or with two cylinders pulling/pushing each other like normal magnets?
May this experiment work?
Has such experiment ever been done before?
 
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When thinking of an experiment, one needs to estimate the magnitude of an effect.

How large a cylinder of what mass and dimensions will it take to cause a measurable effect?
 
Dr. Courtney said:
When thinking of an experiment, one needs to estimate the magnitude of an effect.

How large a cylinder of what mass and dimensions will it take to cause a measurable effect?
I need to simplify that equation to know how big cylinder and how big(fast) angular velocity I need.

density ρ is probably not more than about 14000*kg/m3
\frac{4*π*G}{c^2}≈9.396706053583*10^{-27}

How big(strong) gravitomagnetic field should be to be observable?
 
Last edited:
olgerm said:
I have thought about an experiment which to demostrate gravitomagntism

olgerm said:
How big(strong) gravitomagnetic field should be to be observable?

You might want to read up on Gravity Probe B, a satellite experiment that detected the gravitomagnetism due to the Earth's rotation:

https://einstein.stanford.edu/

The "frame-dragging effect" is gravitomagnetism. (The "geodetic effect" is another GR effect that is not present in Newtonian gravity, but it is present for non-rotating gravitating bodies.) As you will see if you dig into the numbers, even with an object the size of the Earth, the effects being detected are very small. I'm not sure you could detect them using objects small enough to fit in a laboratory.
 
At time t=0 pendulum is in it´s amplitude position φ=θ and z=0. If I measure gravitomagnetic field ,with pendulum changing it´s trajectory (because of gravitomagnetic field´s vertical component), then angel between pendulum original horizontal moving direction and pendulum horizontal moving direction after time t is β=\iint dt^2*M(t)/b(t)

M is torque. M_{x-z}(t)=F_{gravito-Lorentz}(t)*(x(t)^2+z(t)^2)^{1/2}
b is moment of inertia. b_{x-z}(t)=m*(x(t)^2+z(t))^2)
Fgravito-Lorentz is gravito-Lorentz force. F_{gravito-Lorentz}(t)=m*4*v(t)*B(t)

So:
β(t)=\iint dt^2*4*v(t)*B(t)/(x(t)^2+z(t)^2)^{1/2}

Pendulum equation of motion is φ(t)=θ*sin(\sqrt{\frac{g}{l}*t})
so movingpiontmass equation of motion is
\begin{cases}<br /> x(t)=sin(φ)*l=sin(θ*sin(\sqrt{\frac{g}{l}*t}))*l\\<br /> y(t)=l*(cos(φ)*-1)=cos(θ*sin(\sqrt{\frac{g}{l}*t}))*l-l\\<br /> \end{cases}

and B(t)=B(x(t), y(t), R, H, H_0)
olgerm said:
=\frac{G*4*π*ρ*ω}{c^2}*\int_{H_0}^{H+H_0} (\int_0^R (\int_0^{2*π} (\frac{(h*r*Cos(a),h*r*Sin(a), r-x*Cos(a) - y*Sin(a))*r^2}{(x^2+y^2+r^2+h^2-2*r(x*Cos(a)+y*Sin(a)))^{3/2}}* dα)dr)dh)

v_{x-y}(t)=\frac{dx(t)}{dt}=<br /> \frac{g*θ*Cos(\sqrt{(g*t)/l})*Cos(θ*Sin(\sqrt{(g*t)/l}))}{2*\sqrt{(g*t)/l}}<br />

So:
β(t)=\iint dt^2*4*\frac{G*4*π*ρ*ω}{c^2}*\int_{H_0}^{H+H_0} (\int_0^R (\int_0^{2*π} (\frac{(r-x*Cos(a) - y*Sin(a))*r^2}{(x^2+y^2+r^2+h^2-2*r(x*Cos(a)+y*Sin(a)))^{3/2}}* dα)dr)dh)*\frac{g*θ*Cos(\sqrt{(g*t)/l})*Cos(θ*Sin(\sqrt{(g*t)/l}))}{2*\sqrt{(g*t)/l}}

that is my estimation of magnitude of effect.
May this experiment work?
 
olgerm said:
At time t=0 pendulum is in it´s amplitude position φ=θ and z=0. If I measure gravitomagnetic field ,with pendulum changing it´s trajectory (because of gravitomagnetic field´s vertical component), then angel between pendulum original horizontal moving direction and pendulum horizontal moving direction after time t is β=\iint dt^2*M(t)/b(t)

M is torque. M_{x-z}(t)=F_{gravito-Lorentz}(t)*(x(t)^2+z(t)^2)^{1/2}
b is moment of inertia. b_{x-z}(t)=m*(x(t)^2+z(t))^2)
Fgravito-Lorentz is gravito-Lorentz force. F_{gravito-Lorentz}(t)=m*4*v(t)*B(t)

So:
β(t)=\iint dt^2*4*v(t)*B(t)/(x(t)^2+z(t)^2)^{1/2}

Pendulum equation of motion is φ(t)=θ*sin(\sqrt{\frac{g}{l}*t})
so movingpiontmass equation of motion is
\begin{cases}<br /> x(t)=sin(φ)*l=sin(θ*sin(\sqrt{\frac{g}{l}*t}))*l\\<br /> y(t)=l*(cos(φ)*-1)=cos(θ*sin(\sqrt{\frac{g}{l}*t}))*l-l\\<br /> \end{cases}

and B(t)=B(x(t), y(t), R, H, H_0)v_{x-y}(t)=\frac{dx(t)}{dt}=<br /> \frac{g*θ*Cos(\sqrt{(g*t)/l})*Cos(θ*Sin(\sqrt{(g*t)/l}))}{2*\sqrt{(g*t)/l}}<br />

So:
β(t)=\iint dt^2*4*\frac{G*4*π*ρ*ω}{c^2}*\int_{H_0}^{H+H_0} (\int_0^R (\int_0^{2*π} (\frac{(r-x*Cos(a) - y*Sin(a))*r^2}{(x^2+y^2+r^2+h^2-2*r(x*Cos(a)+y*Sin(a)))^{3/2}}* dα)dr)dh)*\frac{g*θ*Cos(\sqrt{(g*t)/l})*Cos(θ*Sin(\sqrt{(g*t)/l}))}{2*\sqrt{(g*t)/l}}

that is my estimation of magnitude of effect.
May this experiment work?
I find your mind boggling calculations impressive!
Despite that why are you praying for it to work.It will work if it is bold enough.
As I recall an event in Einstein,s life when his General theory was proved right.A generalist asked Einstein about what if you were proved wrong,then he replied that I would have felt sorry for the poor lord.
 
Try plugging in actual numbers. Throw it into Mathematica or similar and see what you get.
 

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