Direct Evidence of Gravitational Waves May Be Confirmed Or Not in 2016

Summary: Gravitational waves are signals that researchers hope to find in data of the first run by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) from Sept. 18, 2015 to Jan. 12, 2016.

Computer simulation of black holes distorting space-time (yellow lines) and emitting gravitational waves as they spiral toward each other: Christopher E. Henze/NASA Ames Research Center, Public Domain, via NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Detecting gravitational waves brings astrophysicists closer to proving predictions from the general theory of relativity published in 1915 by Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879–April 18, 1955). The prediction concerns a vision of gravity as traveling in waves that ripple through the spacetime system of one temporal dimension and of three spatial dimensions. It describes the ripples as reacting to such massive scale events as black holes, galactic collisions, and supernovae death-stars and, in the process, dynamically warping spacetime.

Gravitational waves emphasize the non-staticity of spacetime.

No confirmation immediately followed the tweet “Gravitational waves may have been discovered!” by Lawrence M. Krauss, cosmologist and theoretical physicist at Arizona State University in Phoenix.

Gabriela González, spokesperson for Advanced-LIGO, gave the statement that “We have not finished analyzing the data or reviewing the results. We don’t have anything to say.”

Lawrence M. Krauss @LKrauss1 via Twitter Jan. 11, 2016

Both advanced LIGO locations in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana, have an L-shaped pair of 2.5-mile-long (4.02-kilometer-long) tubes to bounce lasers along a series of mirrors. The laser light path is changed by the two tubes stretching and tightening in response to a gravitational wave passing over Earth and warping local spacetime.

Astrophysicists judge Advanced-LIGO capable of detecting changes one-ten-thousandth of an atom’s nucleic width.

Astrophysicists know of indirect evidence of gravitational waves through binary star system orbits contracting from energy losses even though background and wave weakness obstruct direct evidence-gathering.

It looks like measurement of the weakened gravitational waves reaching the Blue Marble may require Earth-bound instrumentation sensitive to ripples one-billionth the diameter of an atom. Recognition of limitations motivated closing Advanced-LIGO for nine-month upgrades and subsequent re-opening for joint science runs with the European Gravitational Observatory’s Advanced Virgo near Pisa, Italy. Astrophysicists noted that the European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna Pathfinder filters out cosmic radiation, Earth and solar wind background noises since Dec. 2, 2015.

Earth-bound systems offer detection above 10 Hertz frequencies, equivalent audibly to bird chirps.

Advanced-LIGO provided drills, conducted in 2007 and in 2010, through the three “blind injection” system team members accessing systems to nudge mirrors and simulate astrophysical phenomena. But Luboš Motl, string theorist in the Czech Republic, quantified additional, non-drill signals from two merging black holes, according to his blog entry Jan. 11, 2016. He referenced a “commenter whose name is known to us” identifying “two events” and new rumors of two black holes merging “into one bigger black hole.”

Professor González stated that the results of four months of data collection and interpretation will be reported in one or two months “Unless we find things.”

It turns out that gravitational waves may be confirmed, or not, in 2016.

northern leg (x-arm) of LIGO interferometer for detecting gravitational waves on Hanford Reservation: Umptanum, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

computer simulated gravitational wave: Christopher E. Henze/NASA Ames Research Center, Public Domain, via NASA Goddard Space Flight Center @ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/features/bios/baker/

Arizona State University cosmologist and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss first tweeted  Sept. 25, 2015, about LIGO's rumored detection: Lawrence M. Krauss @LKrauss1 via Twitter Jan. 11, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/LKrauss1/status/686574829542092800

"Recently admitted Yellow-bellied Sapsucker [Updated]": WRC of Minnesota‏ @WRCMN via Twitter tweet of April 10, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/WRCMN/status/719271331292798977

For further information:

Bushwick, Sophie. 12 January 2016. "What Are Gravitational Waves And Why Do They Matter?" Popular Science > Space.
Available @ http://www.popsci.com/whats-so-important-about-gravitational-waves

Castelvecchi, Davide. 13 January 2016. "Gravitational Wave Rumors in Overdrive." Scientific American > Nature > The Sciences.
Available @ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gravitational-wave-rumors-in-overdrive/

Castelvecchi, Davide. 30 September 2015. "Has giant LIGO Experiment Seen Gravitational Waves?" Nature > Column: Muse.
Available @ http://www.nature.com/news/has-giant-ligo-experiment-seen-gravitational-waves-1.18449

Grossman, Lisa. 12 January 2016. "New rumors that gravitational waves have finally been detected." New Scientist.
Available @ https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28754-new-rumours-that-gravitational-waves-have-finally-been-detected/

Lawrence M. Krauss @LKrauss1. 11 January 2016. "My earlier rumor about LIGO has been confirmed by independent sources. Stay tuned! Gravitational waves may have been discovered! Exciting!" Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/LKrauss1/status/686574829542092800

Lawrence M. Krauss @LKrauss1. 25 September 2015. "Rumor of a gravitational wave detection at LIGO detector. Amazing if true. Will post details if it survives." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/LKrauss1/status/647510799678750720

Luntz, Stephen. 1 December 2015. "Rumor Claims Gravitational Waves Have Been Detected At LIGO." IFL Science > Physics.
Available @ http://www.iflscience.com/physics/gravitational-wave-rumors-running-hot

Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute). 2016. "Gravitational waves." Einstein Online.
Available @ http://www.einstein-online.info/spotlights/gravWav

Motl, Luboš. 11 January 2016. "LIGO rumor: a merger of 2 black holes has been heard." The Reference Frame.
Available @ http://motls.blogspot.com/2016/01/ligo-rumor-merger-of-2-black-holes-has.html

RT. "Scientists may have just discovered Einstein's gravitational waves." RT > News.
Available @ https://www.rt.com/news/328632-ripples-waves-gravitational-einstein/

Sample, Ian. 11 January 2016. "Scientists struggle to stay grounded after possible gravitational wave signal." The Guardian > Science.
Available @ http://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jan/12/gravitation-waves-signal-rumoured-science

Scoles, Sarah. 13 January 2016. "Astrophysicists May Have Found Gravitational Waves. Or Not." Wired > Science.
Available @ http://www.wired.com/2016/01/astrophysicists-may-have-found-gravitational-waves-or-not/

Stone, Maddie. 10 February 2016. "Why Finding Gravitational Waves Would Be Such a Big Deal." Gizmodo.
Available @ http://gizmodo.com/heres-why-finding-gravitational-waves-would-be-such-a-b-1752286165