How do gravitons cause gravitational attraction?

[dilletante]

I can picture gravity as the warping of spacetime as postulated by GR but I have not heard a descriptive explanation of how a graviton might cause an attraction between two masses, or even if it is a cause in quantum theory. So okay, you have a closed string or a massless particle with a spin of 2 out there, but how does that cause the Earth to fall towards the sun, for example? Is it some kind of a messenger particle that, when it hits something, says in effect "come this way?" What is the function of this theoretical particle and what role does it play in gravitational attraction? All I have heard are descriptions of the particle itself, as opposed to how it acts.

 

[jtbell]

Gravitons are supposed to work for gravity similarly to the way photons work for electromagnetic interactions, the W and Z bosons work for the weak interaction, and gluons work for the strong interaction. Beyond that, we don't know much about them (or if they even exist!) because we don't have a working theory of quantum gravity yet.

 

[sir-pinski]

The concept of gravitons is still a theoretical one and is not yet fully understood. However, based on current theories, gravitons are thought to be the carrier particles of the gravitational force, similar to how photons are the carrier particles of the electromagnetic force.

In quantum theory, all forces are thought to be mediated by particles that carry the force between interacting objects. In the case of gravity, it is believed that gravitons are constantly being exchanged between all particles with mass, causing them to be attracted to each other.

To understand how this works, imagine a scenario where two particles with mass are constantly emitting and absorbing gravitons. As one particle emits a graviton, it creates a curvature in spacetime, which is then absorbed by the other particle, causing it to move towards the first particle. This exchange of gravitons continues, resulting in the two particles being attracted to each other.

It is important to note that this is a very simplified explanation and the actual mechanism of how gravitons work is still a topic of ongoing research and debate in the scientific community. Additionally, the concept of gravitons is still a theoretical one and has not yet been experimentally proven.

In summary, gravitons are thought to be the messenger particles that carry the force of gravity between objects with mass. However, the exact mechanism of how they cause this attraction is still not fully understood and is an active area of research in physics.