Re: What's up with gravity wave detection?

From: Joseph Lazio (jlazio_at_adams.patriot.net)
Date: 08/18/04 

Date: 17 Aug 2004 23:36:05 -0400

>>>>> "A" == Androcles <androc1es@nospamblueyonder.co.uk> writes:

A> As I pointed out originally, the greatest pulse detectable would be
A> negative going and the total annihilation of a star.

It wouldn't be "negative" (though I'm not entirely sure I know what
you mean by that) and there would be a signal only if the explosion
were asymmetric. Supernovae are expected to produce a gravitational
wave signature. Pulsar velocities are good evidence that supernovae
are asymmetric (even if we don't understand the details).

A> If Proxima Centauri vanished overnight, what effect would be
A> detectable, gravitationally, upon our solar system ? I submit the
A> answer to be : none at all that was detectable. The entire solar
A> system as a group might change its path with respect to the
A> galactic centre, but we would not be aware of it. I fail to see how
A> we could expect a pulsar 250 times further away could have greater
A> signal

Of course, Proxima Centauri hasn't vanished nor is it likely to do.
Moreover, there's not been a naked-eye supernova in the Milky Way in
something like 400 years and probably not a single one in the past 50
years. Thus, this is a prediction that's a bit hard to test.

I don't think the current emission levels from PSR B1913+16 or PSR
J0737-3039 would be detectable. However, in a few million years, as
they continue to in-spiral, the gravitational wave emission level is
expected to increase. Obviously, we won't be around to see that, but
there may be other systems in the nearby Universe that would be in the
last stages of in-spiral. 

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