Gravitational Wave: Does Vibrating Mass Emit Waves?

[Ahmed Abdullah]

Vibrating charges emits electromagnetic waves. Does any vibrating mass is capable of producing wave (that can be called graviational wave)?

 

[Integral]

Theory says, yes... it has not yet been observed experimentally.

 

[Sojourner01]

There are experiments going on at the moment - pointing michelson-morley style interferometers at supernovae and trying to detect the spacetime distortions (supposedly) given off. Because the gravitational force is actually incredibly weak, these are very difficult to see - hence the supernova-as-a-subject requirement; nothing else is powerful enough.

 

[Garth]

Gravitational waves are incredibly weak (OOM 10^-40 em waves) and might be detectable but only from the strongest gravitational fields.

Note that if the system retains spherical symmetry, such as in a Cepheid Variable star that oscillates in diameter, or a supernova that explodes more or less symmetrically, gravitational waves are not produced.

Systems that should produce detectable gravitational waves are closely orbiting pulsars PSR J0737-3039A/B and colliding neutron stars/black holes such as those that are thought to be a possible source of short GRBs. As Integral said none have yet been detected.

Garth

 

[Severian]

Here are some links to the experiments:

http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/
http://lisa.jpl.nasa.gov/
http://www.geo600.uni-hannover.de/

 

[cesiumfrog]

This is quite an exciting field: If astronomical source estimates are correct, LIGO is now approaching the sensitivity where there is a real chance of them making a detection anytime in the next "year or several" -- and whenever LISA launches, it should be swamped with signal (interferometers work like omnidirectional microphones). With any luck there will exist a completely new branch of astronomy within a couple decades.