Expected sound of colliding black holes

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the sounds generated by colliding black holes, specifically focusing on the audio representation of gravitational waves and the characteristics of these sounds. Participants explore the nature of these sounds, the physics behind them, and the implications of gravitational wave detection.

Discussion Character

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

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that gravitational waves are vibrations of space rather than sound waves in air, leading to the adaptation of these waves into audio files.
  • One participant questions why the sounds produced are "popping" rather than other types of sounds like "ringing" or "pinging."
  • Another participant speculates that the "popping" sound may be due to the speed of the black holes as they approach each other, suggesting that the sound changes as they get closer.
  • There is a suggestion that the increased speed of the "popping" sound correlates with the black holes' proximity, influenced by gravitational forces.
  • A participant raises a philosophical point about sound in space, arguing that since no light escapes black holes, sound should not either, referencing popular culture.
  • One participant introduces a metaphorical scenario involving a math problem and a rainstorm, drawing an analogy to the improbability of events related to black holes.
  • A technical explanation is provided regarding the three stages of gravitational waveforms from binary black holes: inspiral, merger, and ringdown, with descriptions of the sounds associated with each stage.
  • Another participant expresses disappointment in the sound quality, indicating it did not meet their expectations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the nature of the sounds produced by colliding black holes, with some agreeing on the influence of proximity and speed on sound characteristics, while others challenge the idea of sound transmission in space. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the nature of the sounds and their representation.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference the adaptation of gravitational waves into audio formats, but there is no consensus on the appropriateness of the resulting sounds or the implications of sound in the context of black holes.

varsha
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the sound of spinning black holes
"We can't hear gravitational waves, because they are a vibration of space, not air. But here scientists have adapted the gravitational wave into an audio file.

Listen to the sound generated by a pair of black holes spinning together, in real time."

Einstein's theory of gravity predicts that black holes can send ripples of gravity through the fabric of space itself. NASA's LISA space mission, planned for launch within a decade, should be able to detect these waves of gravity – acting as a kind of cosmic "seismograph." High on the cosmic Richter scale of quakes should be the collision of two black holes, or of a black hole with another star. LISA's ability to detect colliding black holes is only the first step in its voyage of discovery. Gravity waves are a completely new tool with which to explore the universe. Gravity-wave astronomy complements traditional astronomy, and can reveal events in the universe that could not be explored using light and conventional telescopes

in case your wondering where i got this from,well,here it is
 
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Astronomy news on Phys.org
Thats a very interesting link. I'm wondering why the ripples were turned into "popping" sounds instead of something else, such as ringing or pinging or something.
 
i thought about it too. i guess they don't make that pinging noice because they will have to be moving very fast for that. well i don't know how to explain this(i'm very bad at it) but i think that ringing is sort of unnatural for things like black holes.

The sounds of different vibrating objects are similar. and vibrations are caused by waves. any wave for that matter. as in this case it's gravitational waves. but if you listen to this closely, you'll hear that in the biggining the sound is not even close to the sound of normal vibrations. it's got that 'popping' sound as you say, but as they get closer(black holes) the sound is similar to the vibration of objects.

Here when i mentioned 'vibration of objects' i didn't mean that black holes vibrate
 
Yes, I agree. Would it be safe to assume that the increased speed of the "popping" is due to the black holes getting closer together?
 
yes i think it would be. as the bhs get closer, the speed of the 'popping' is increased. and i guess it's because of the gravity itself. at first the black holes are farther away from each other. and then they get closer by each other's gravity. as they get closer they get faster. so the sound created is also faster. though we can't hear them i think it's quite obvious.
 
Black----- that gives you a clue.No light gets out.Why would any sound get out? Star Wars SHOULD tell us that sound would not travel in(through,across,) space. But we are excited by clash of the giants events.Imagination takes us beneath frozen ammonia mountains beyond the reach of Sunlight.I used to enjoy imagining life on a pair of planets "stuck" together.What would gravity be like in that world.
 
Sorry I forgot the question mark.Science would never operate at all if just one molecule in the universe forgot to spin properly.So -------?-------That`s better. I`ve just mended the Universe!
 
A clash of Black Holes might seem improbable.Here`s another improbable to match.I was reading a Maths book about an interesting problem when a sudden thunderstorm and torrential rain drove two people into shelter just outside the library window.I held the book against the glass and they could read my book problem-------How fast should you run in the rain? What are the odds? They both laughed.----Absolutely true.
 
The gravitational waveform from coalescing binary black holes can typically be divided into three stages:

  1. Inspiral
  2. Merger
  3. Ringdown

The inspiral part is where the two black holes are orbiting each other emitting gravitational waves from which orbital angular momentum is lost and the black holes can inspiral - this leads to a greater orbital frequency.

The merger is, as the name suggests, where the two black holes merge into a single perturbed black hole.

This final perturbed black hole will then proceed to 'ringdown' - it will emit gravitational radiation to shed itself of the deformities.

As the gravitational waves are emitted at twice the orbital frequency (well, predominantly) then the inspiral that leads to higher orbital frequencies produces that characteristic chirping sound as the frequency of the gravitational waves is increasing. The ringdown is often compared to the idea of striking a bell with a hammer and letting it ring. This produces the typical waveforms you can find on the LIGO pages and so on.

http://www.ligo.org/science/GW-Inspiral.php"

Plenty to read up on here as well as the links it provides to member institutions. For example, check out some of the other gravitational wave sources.
 
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  • #10
Damn, didn't sound all that cool like I was expecting it to.
 

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