Physicists approached a more accurate indicator of the gravitational velocity

Physicists approached a more accurate indicator of the gravitational velocity

The detection of gravitational waves has allowed scientists to more accurately confirm Albert Einstein’s 100-year prediction in relativity. Newton was wrong when he believed that gravity acts instantly. In reality, it spreads at the speed of light.

Gravitational speed, like light, is one of the fundamental constants of the Universe. But before the advent of gravitational wave astronomy, we did not have the opportunity to calculate the indicators directly.

The last few months have made it possible to make rapid progress on the refinement of the gravitational velocity, based on the wave survey. The first LIGO data limited the mark to 50% of the speed of light. But a study published last week gathered the first three events of gravitational waves and reduced the line to 45%.

Two days later, another article appeared that also used data from the merger of two neutron stars captured in August. It turned out that the indicator of gravitational speed is located between 3 x 10 15 and 7 x 10 16 the speed of light. It was precisely possible to carry out such a large scale jump due to the fact that the fusion of neutron stars released not only gravitational waves, but also EM rays in the form of gamma radiation. Simultaneous data flow allowed for clearer boundaries.

When an event throws out several different signals, they are received by a single detector and then the difference is calculated. In the case of fixation of exclusively gravitational waves, several detectors are used, located in different places on Earth.

Limiting the speed of light will greatly affect fundamental physics and cosmology. This will improve the understanding of the general theory of relativity and help create more accurate predictions of the future of the Universe.

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