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Discovery of Earth Being Engulfed in a Gentle Ocean of Gravitational Waves
A depiction by Aurore Simonnet for the NANOGrav Collaboration showcases a group of pulsars that sense gravitational waves originating from dual supermassive black holes in orbit.
Scientists recently revealed the first proof that Earth and the surrounding universe are bathed in a subtle background of spacetime fluctuations known as gravitational waves. These waves, primarily created by supermassive black holes merging, ebb and flow gradually over extended periods.
A Decade and a Half of Research
This landmark finding, described in a set of articles in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, has been reached after 15 years of careful studies by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav). Comprising over 190 researchers from the U.S. and Canada, NANOGrav used telescopes in Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and New Mexico to observe 68 pulsars, or dead stars. These pulsars served like buoys in the slow-moving sea of gravitational waves.
Confidence in the Results
Detecting the influence of gravitational waves on pulsars was a challenging task, but confidence grew as more data was collected. Future observations will be compared with international results, allowing for more insight, explains NANOGrav’s Katerina Chatziioannou.
Investigating Black Holes
This discovery offers a fresh method of understanding the merger of giant black holes in galaxy cores, a common process we’re now beginning to understand more clearly, according to Joseph Lazio, another NANOGrav team member.
Gravitational Waves in the Einsteinian Context
Albert Einstein first introduced the concept of gravitational waves in 1916. It was only in recent years that they were directly detected. NANOGrav focuses on the lower-frequency waves, contrasting with higher-frequency waves detected by LIGO.
The Combined Resonance of Merging Black Holes
Recent studies suggest that NANOGrav detected a universal resonance from many merging supermassive black holes. This is likened to a soft background noise rather than the loud signals picked up by LIGO.
Deciphering the Universal Resonance
NANOGrav uses a pulsar-timing array, with precise beacons of light from pulsars, to detect the subtle shifts caused by gravitational waves. These alterations in timing were analyzed with software and techniques first developed decades ago.
Continued Exploration and Insights
Future efforts, including Canada’s CHIME telescope and Caltech’s DSA-2000, will enhance the search. Scientists aim to unravel mysteries about supermassive black hole mergers, such as their frequency, what causes them, and what else might affect their fusion.
Using gravitational waves as a tool is drawing us nearer to understanding these elusive cosmic entities, notes Chatziioannou. Vallisneri praises the unique, complex experiment that combined various expertise to create a galaxy-scale gravitational-wave detector.
More information about this research is accessible in:
Gravitational Waves From Merging Supermassive Black Holes “Heard” for the First Time
Gravitational Waves Detected Using “Cosmic Clocks” and Spatial Distortions
The referenced article, “The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Evidence for a Gravitational-wave Background,” was published on June 29, 2023, in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Other key contributors from Caltech and JPL included Aaron Johnson, who played a leading role in reviewing the central analysis code; Curt Cutler, who aided in the statistical handling of the information; and Sophie Hourihane, who invented a method to accelerate NANOGrav’s evaluations.
The recent NANOGrav discoveries have been elaborated in several papers in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, including one co-led by two former JPL/Caltech postdocs, titled “The NANOGrav 15-year Data Set: Evidence for a Gravitational-Wave Background.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about fokus keyword gravitational waves
What evidence has been found regarding gravitational waves?
Scientists have reported the first evidence that Earth and the universe are awash in a background of spacetime undulations called gravitational waves. These waves oscillate slowly over years and even decades and originate mainly from pairs of supermassive black holes leisurely spiraling together before merging.
What was the role of NANOGrav in this discovery?
The North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) was instrumental in this groundbreaking discovery. Over 15 years, it meticulously observed gravitational waves using radio telescopes at various observatories to monitor 68 pulsars, acting like a network of buoys on a slow-rolling sea of gravitational waves.
How were the gravitational waves detected?
The gravitational waves were detected by monitoring pulsars, dead stars that emit precise flashes of light. By comparing the timing of pairs of pulsars and understanding how gravitational waves affect their timing, scientists could tease out the background hum of gravitational waves.
What do these findings reveal about black holes?
These findings provide a new way of probing what happens as massive black holes at the cores of galaxies begin a slow but inexorable death spiral. They reveal insights into the final steps of this process, helping to better understand the nature of merging supermassive black holes.
What is the significance of these lower-frequency gravitational waves?
Unlike higher-frequency gravitational waves detected by LIGO, NANOGrav focuses on lower-frequency waves in the nanohertz range. These waves are thought to be generated by huge black holes that lumber around each other slowly and have millions of years to go before they merge. They offer a different perspective on the phenomena of black hole collisions and merging.
What future explorations are planned in this field?
Future NANOGrav results will include Canada’s CHIME telescope, and Caltech’s Deep Synoptic Array-2000, planned to be built in the Nevada desert. The scientists aim to answer mysteries about the nature of merging supermassive black holes, such as how common they are, what brings them together, and what other factors contribute to their coalescence.
5 comments
Its amzing what scientists are able to do these days. Like, gravitational waves! Who would have thought? Science is cool 🙂
This discovry is really groundbreaking, I cant believe we can detect gravitational waves like this, Does anyone know how long this took to discover??
This is way over my head, but it’s exciting to think about what we might learn about the universe from this. Its like science fiction coming to life.
WOw! I can’t wait to see what more comes out of NANOGrav in the future. the possibilities are endless. This is the kind of stuff that makes me love science.
i dont get it all. Can someone explain this to me in simpler terms, This is so confusing, but sounds important.