Gravitational Wave Detector Unveiled by NASA

Posted by Becca Lewis | Published 19 seconds ago

NASA has unveiled its prototype gravitational wave detector in space, capable of studying time perturbations caused by cosmic objects. Using lasers to measure the minute difference in distance between the triangular telescopes, the project is scheduled to go live within the next decade. Space-based gravitational waves greatly enhance those on Earth because they are free from interference from Earth’s atmosphere and interference from other technologies.

A Joint Effort Between NASA and ESA

The prototype gravitational wave detector is part of a collaboration between the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and NASA to build a space telescope to measure gravitational waves. Separated by millions of miles, the new system will be able to measure minute differences in space, down to the size of the nucleus of a helium atom to detect gravitational waves at very long distances.

The collaboration will allow researchers to measure the effects of astrophysical phenomena that cannot be seen by humans in any other way.

More Powerful Than Earth-Based Wave Detectors

Earth-based gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO, VIRGO, KAGRA, and LIGO India measure gravitational waves in the high-frequency range. These detectors can measure gravitational waves created by light or small objects, but heavy cosmic objects have wavelengths larger than our planet and, therefore, cannot be measured properly using these detectors. To capture data on massive objects, such as supermassive black holes, a space-based gravitational wave detector larger than Earth, at least the size of the Sun, is needed.

The new telescope will be part of a six-part array, arranged with two gravitational wave detector telescopes at each point of an equilateral triangle. This array will be able to capture the minute motions caused by gravitational waves as they pass by to measure their frequency and provide researchers with the data needed to calculate the size and other properties of cosmic bodies and the conditions that cause them.

Each point of the array will be built on a single spacecraft designed to carry instruments and send laser beams to each other, measuring gravitational waves during transit.

A Study of Gravitational Waves

Einstein was the first to theorize the existence of gravitational waves that travel through space in the same way that waves travel on water. These ripples create very small differences in time, causing objects in their path, such as gravitational wave detectors, to move by a minute amount so small that most instruments cannot detect them.

The goal of a space-based interferometer array is to measure these minute motions, record the size and direction of these motions and create an image of the object causing the waves, like capturing a snapshot of a cosmic event like a black hole.

The new NASA prototype gravitational wave detector has a body made of a special glass called Zerdour and a gold-coated mirror for good infrared visibility. Zerdour is produced in Germany by Schott and Maine and has a very low rate of thermal expansion, which allows it to maintain its shape, taking more accurate measurements as a result. These very important items are designed for use in extreme environments such as the outdoors.

Source: Phys.Org