gravity waves

[AntonioLao]

The science and technology of detecting these waves present tremendous challenges to the modern wave hunters. In the old and not so old days, the instrument for hunting waves is just a good pair of eyes. These were used to hunt lighthouses, smoke signal, runway lights, beacons, star lights, moonbeams, and sun shadows (direct viewing of the sun can cause blindness, unfortunately as a boy was foolish enough to try). The modern days instruments usually cost millions if not billions of dollars. So who can afford the luxury of such devices? Only on national scale or international scale could such equipments be constructed.

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) is an U.S. effort, two L-shape antennas facilities separated by 1900 miles. The reason for this long baseline is because the wavelengths of gravity waves are about 1900 miles long at electromagnetic frequency of about 100 hertz’s; this is a little more than that of humming birds’ wing’s frequency at 78 hertz’s (78 cycles per second). Critical to the success of every instrument is its ability to filter out external noises and disturbances: seismic waves, solar and lunar tide waves, waves from passing trucks, waves from jet planes, waves from lightning, and many others. The joint project between Germany and Scotland is called GEO 600. VIRGO is between France and Italy. TAMA 300 is funded by Japan.

[mkirkpatrick]

I am glad to see that we in England are taking part in this project.Do you think there is a
difference between a wave,and a pulse?

To me gavity is more like a pulse than a wave,and seems attracted to its affinities,and
repulsed by its opposite,bit like love and hate?

regards michael.

[AntonioLao]

there is a difference between a wave,and a pulse?

When we use the word 'wave' we usually mean continuous waves even though these are not always uniform. Their variations in amplitudes and frequencies allow radio communications as in amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM) both have their respective advantages and disadvantages. The word 'pulse' usually means discrete and particle-like such as solitons, photons, etc. There is no sharp distinction in quantum field theories for their finite degrees of freedom and infinite degrees of freedom.