The European Space Agency gets the green light for the first space observatory of its kind, dedicated to revealing space-time vibrations.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Science Programs Committee has approved the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, the first scientific activity to detect and study gravitational waves from space. This important step, formally called "adoption", recognizes that the concept and technology of the mission are advanced enough, and gives a green light to the construction of the instruments and spacecraft. This work will begin in January 2025 after a European industrial contractor is selected.
LISA is not just one spacecraft but a group of three. They will follow the Earth in its orbit around the Sun, forming a very precise equilateral triangle in space. Each side of the triangle will be 2.5 million km long (more than six times the distance between the Earth and the Moon), and the spacecraft will exchange laser beams over this distance. The launch of the three spacecraft is planned for 2035, aboard an Ariane 6 rocket.
The LISA mission will capture and study ripples in the fabric of space-time. These ripples, called gravitational waves, are emitted during some of the most powerful events in the cosmos. An example of a system that creates gravitational waves is a pair of black holes orbiting each other as they collide. The acceleration of their enormous masses shakes the fabric of space-time and creates ripples.
Credit: ESA / ATG Medialab
Just over a hundred years ago, Einstein revolutionary predicted that when massive bodies accelerate, they shock the fabric of space-time and create tiny ripples called gravitational waves. Thanks to modern technological developments, we can now detect these very elusive signals.
"LISA is an activity that has never been tried before. Using laser beams over distances of several kilometers, instruments on the ground can detect gravitational waves coming from events involving objects the size of stars - such as supernova explosions or mergers of very dense stars and stellar black holes. In order to expand the limits of gravitational research, we have to go into space", explains LISA's senior project scientist Nora Litzendorff.
"Thanks to the enormous distance that the laser signals in LISA will travel, and the excellent stability of the instruments, we will investigate gravitational waves at lower frequencies than is possible on Earth, and we will discover events on a different scale, starting from the dawn of history."
The mission will capture the gravitational "ringing" predicted from the first moments of the universe and will allow a direct glimpse into the first seconds right after the big bang. In addition, since gravitational waves have information about the distance of the objects that emitted them, LISA will help researchers measure the change in the expansion of the universe by means different from the techniques used by Euclid and other surveys, and validate their results.
Closer to Earth, LISA will discover many pairs of compact merging objects such as white dwarfs and neutron stars and will provide us with unique insights into the last stages of development of these systems. LISA will locate their location and distance and advance our understanding of the structure of the Milky Way, based on findings from ESA's Gaia mission.
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The waves are in "space-time". Special relativity shows that space and time are not independent things - this is the result of the assumption that everyone sees light at the same speed.
In general relativity it is assumed that it is impossible to distinguish between gravity and acceleration. What comes out is that mass actually warps space-time.
Gravitational waves are a phenomenon of changes in this curvature. This is a prophecy of general relativity - and today we know how to measure these movements.
If that's how they thought in the early days of modern physics we wouldn't have had an MRI
It is possible to send the three spacecraft at an interval of about 4 months while orbiting the sun and then it will be possible to conduct the test over a huge area which is actually the entire orbit of the earth around the sun.
I asked the AI:
I am an astronomer who examines the gravitational waves created by massive accelerators in the universe,
And want to know what the gravitational waves shake?
And this is the answer I received (amazing):
Gravitational waves do not shake matter directly, but cause a change in the curvature of space-time itself.
This can be imagined as happening in two ways:
1. Gravitational waves as "ripples in space-time":
Imagine a quiet pool. When a stone is thrown into the pool, ripples are created that spread out. Similarly, gravitational waves propagate outward from the source of the event, like a collision between two black holes.
These ripples do not cause the water itself to move along with it, rather they cause the water surface to rise and fall.
Similarly, gravitational waves cause a temporary "distortion" of space-time, when massive bodies accelerate. This distortion spreads out like a wave.
2. Gravitational waves as a "change in distances":
Imagine a net stretched over a frame. When a heavy stone is placed on the mesh, it bends. Similarly, gravitational waves cause space-time to curve.
This distortion affects the distances between different bodies. For example, a strong gravitational wave may cause the distance between the Earth and the Moon to temporarily increase.
Therefore, gravitational waves do not shake matter directly, but cause a temporary change in the curvature of space-time, which affects the distances between bodies and their behavior.
Here are some specific examples of what gravity waves can affect:
The movement of planets: strong gravitational waves can cause a slight change in the orbits of planets.
Starbursts: Powerful supernova explosions can create powerful gravitational waves that affect nearby galaxies.
The evolution of the universe: Gravitational waves can affect the rate of expansion of the universe.
Gravitational waves are an innovative research tool that allows us to explore the universe in a new way. By studying gravitational waves, we can learn more about massive bodies, the evolution of the universe and general relativity.
What do gravity waves shake?
Beyond curiosity and how amazing it is
I would be happy to explain
What does it actually give us?
in an applied way for everyday life
Isn't this a colossal waste of resources for worthless tasks compared to what could be achieved if we invested the same resources in practical research for our lives?