Is it possible to stop the graviton?

[Josiah]

Is it possible to stop the graviton? If it is then anti-gravity is possible.

 

[Paul Colby]

Gravitons are still speculation. Gravitational waves have been shown to exist and are known to interact with matter. It's hard, perhaps even inconsistent, for a theory containing gravitons not to include absorption (aka stopping) and emission of gravitons. The simple answer to the anti-gravity question is I doubt it. I hold this opinion because the most naive "theory" of gravitons doesn't include repulsive forces. The "theory" is in quotes because it's broken in ways I'm not likely to be able to explain very well.

 

[mfb]

Assuming they exist: No.

And even if you could, this would not be "anti-gravity". We can stop light in matter, is this "anti-electromagnetism"?

 

[Josiah]

So basically the gravitational force does not exist due to gravitons but something else?

 

[Josiah]

Would there be a way of stopping the force instead?

 

[DaveC426913]

So basically the gravitational force does not exist due to gravitons but something else?

No. This does not follow.

Would there be a way of stopping the force instead?

Not that we know of.

 

[Josiah]

The theory of the graviton doesn’t include repulsive forces, but you don’t need repulsive forces, all you need is something to block it.

 

[Josiah]

There methods of stopping electromagnetic waves, so mightn’t there be a way of stopping gravitational waves?

 

[CWatters]

It's not a question that can be answered in any meaningful way at the moment.

Can aliens eat cheese?

 

[mfb]

The theory of the graviton doesn’t include repulsive forces, but you don’t need repulsive forces, all you need is something to block it.

Stopping light is not the same as blocking the electromagnetic interaction either (you can't do the latter). What you can do is stop radiation with very specific frequencies.

There methods of stopping electromagnetic waves, so mightn’t there be a way of stopping gravitational waves?

They are completely different things.

 

[DarMM]

So basically the gravitational force does not exist due to gravitons but something else?

Gravitation might not involve gravitons, we currently don't know.

 

[DaveC426913]

Gravitation might not involve gravitons, we currently don't know.

If I understand correctly, gravitons are really the placeholder for the thing that allows gravity to be quantized, and thus reconciled with the quantum mechanical model.

Though I suppose your statement can still hold true if a new theory arose that replaced QM.

 

[phinds]

So basically the gravitational force does not exist due to gravitons but something else?

Would there be a way of stopping the force instead?

The current (incomplete) theory governing gravity is General Relatively and in GR, gravity is NOT a "force", it is the geometry of space-time. I don't think you can stop geometry (but it's also true that the REASON GR is incomplete is that it doesn't work well at the quantum level, so that argument may not be valid)

 

[DaveC426913]

TI don't think you can stop geometry

Not sure what that would look like, even in principle.
A 2D "funnel" projection of space time would have ... columns with flat tops sticking out of the curved funnel surface - like a protruding volcanic plug from a landscape?

 

[Josiah]

Assuming that gravitons exist, and assuming it was possible and you had to come up with a way to stop them, how would you?
I don’t know much about physics, but I’m assuming the reason gravitons ( given they exist) are able to pass through matter because atoms consist of mostly empty space. What if there was a way to reduce the amount of empty space?

 

[phinds]

Assuming that gravitons exist, and assuming it was possible and you had to come up with a way to stop them, how would you?
I don’t know much about physics, but I’m assuming the reason gravitons ( given they exist) are able to pass through matter because atoms consist of mostly empty space. What if there was a way to reduce the amount of empty space?

That question amounts to asking "If the laws of physics did not work the way we understand them to work, what would those laws say about <insert nonsense of your choice>"

EDIT: if you can cite a peer-reviewed paper on how the empty space in atoms could be reduced, then that would be a different story. That is, you can't (here on PF anyway) just hypothesize some weird scenario without explaining the specific mechanism to reach its conditions.

 

[Josiah]

What if there was a way to neutralise the nucleus of an atom, what if you came up with an element that had 1 proton and 7 neutrons, the neutrons would act as a blockade and potentially reduce the effect of the positive charge of the proton.

 

[phinds]

What if there was a way to neutralise the nucleus of an atom, what if you came up with an element that had 1 proton and 7 neutrons, the neutrons would act as a blockade and potentially reduce the effect of the positive charge of the proton.

if you can cite a peer-reviewed paper on how that would be done, then we can discuss it. AGAIN, you can't just make stuff up. This is not a "what if" kind of forum. If you are going to keep throwing out wild speculation, this thread will get shut down.

 

[berkeman]

Thread closed for Moderation...

 

[PeterDonis]

The thread has become personal speculation, which is off limits here. Thread will remain closed.