NRL Scientist Searches for Gravitational Waves From Monster Black Holes
To detect these faint gravitational waves, scientists carefully monitor pulsars. These neutron stars---the extremely dense remnants of exploded massive stars---emit regular trains of pulses. Gravitational waves bend spacetime, so as the waves pass through, they must take a slightly longer path than if the gravitational waves were absent, slowing the pulse down. By looking for tiny variations in the time it takes a pulse to reach earth, scientists can detect and characterize the waves. These experiments are called pulsar timing arrays, and to date they have used sensitive radio telescopes.
- Naval Research Laboratory researcher is leading the way in helping understand gravitational waves generated by supermassive black holes in a new way.
- The waves are produced when pairs of black holes, millions to billions of times more massive than the sun, spiral towards each other.
- Many black hole mergers are occurring through the universe, each producing gravitational waves, and they fill space with a gravitational wave background.
- Gravitational waves bend spacetime, so as the waves pass through, they must take a slightly longer path than if the gravitational waves were absent, slowing the pulse down.