Gravitational Waves from Vanishing Sun: What Happens?

In summary, the conversation discusses the hypothetical scenario of the Sun instantly disappearing and its implications on the laws of physics, particularly the law of conservation of Mass-Energy and general relativity. It is concluded that the scenario is poorly formed and does not have any physical meaning, as it violates the laws of physics. The conversation is closed.
  • #1
Zugr
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TL;DR Summary
Classic question of the Sun disappearing into the aether, with General Relativity in mind.
For some time I was wondering, what would happen if the Sun just disappeared like someone hit the delete button in Universal Sandbox. Specifically, what kind of gravitational waves will be produced in the wake of such an event?
Would the law of conservation of Mass-Energy be miraculously conserved by the Gravitational waves? Would whatever outcome be incompatible with GR? Would they just rip a hole in the fabric of spacetime and create a black hole? (probably the most likely outcome)
 
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  • #2
Zugr said:
For some time I was wondering, what would happen if the Sun just disappeared like someone hit the delete button in Universal Sandbox.
You cannot describe that happening in general relativity because it violates local conservation of stress-energy, which is baked into the equations. So there is no answer to your question.
 
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  • #3
The best answer is that the question is poorly formed.

There is no physical meaning to 'the sun simply disappears', so any effect from such a fantastical premise is also fantastical.

[ EDIT ] D'oh! Ibix got the early worm.
 
  • #4
DaveC426913 said:
The best answer is that the question is poorly formed.

There is no physical meaning to 'the sun simply disappears', so any effect from such a fantastical premise is also fantastical.

[ EDIT ] D'oh! Ibix got the early worm.
Fair enough, I was imagining a scenario in which one moment, everything is normal, and then the next, all the particles that constitute the Sun are no longer there, only leaving the curvature in spacetime that will probably attempt to ‘right itself’ since there is no longer any mass or energy to curve it.
Though I’m probably extrapolating too much from imagining spacetime as a literal fabric.
 
  • #5
Zugr said:
I was imagining a scenario in which one moment, everything is normal, and then the next, all the particles that constitute the Sun are no longer there
As has already been said, this would violate local conservation of stress-energy. It is pointless to imagine a scenario that violates the laws of physics, and then ask what the laws of physics say about them.

You will need to come up with a scenario that doesn't violate the laws of physics if you want to discuss it here.

This thread is closed.
 

FAQ: Gravitational Waves from Vanishing Sun: What Happens?

1. What are gravitational waves?

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by the acceleration of massive objects, such as black holes or neutron stars. They were first predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.

2. How are gravitational waves produced by a vanishing sun?

In the scenario of a vanishing sun, the sudden release of energy as the sun disappears would create a burst of gravitational waves. This burst would travel through space at the speed of light, carrying information about the event.

3. Can we detect gravitational waves from a vanishing sun?

Yes, it is possible to detect gravitational waves from a vanishing sun using specialized instruments called interferometers. These instruments measure tiny distortions in space-time caused by passing gravitational waves.

4. What would happen if we were to detect gravitational waves from a vanishing sun?

If we were to detect gravitational waves from a vanishing sun, it would confirm the occurrence of the event and provide valuable information about the nature of the sun's disappearance. It could also open up new avenues for studying the properties of space-time and the behavior of gravity.

5. Could gravitational waves from a vanishing sun pose a threat to Earth?

No, gravitational waves from a vanishing sun would not pose a threat to Earth. They would have weakened significantly by the time they reached our planet and would not have any noticeable effect on our daily lives.

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