The physicists of the University of Western Australia collaborate with a team of international researchers. They together developed a new technology to improve the world’s one of the most sensitive instruments called “Gravitational Wave Detectors.” This new technology allows existing gravitational wave detectors worldwide to attain sensitivity. Previously, researchers thought they could only achieve it by constructing much bigger detectors.
The ARC centers of excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery and engineered quantum systems collaborated to publish the paper in Communications Physics. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen supported them in this study.
David Blair is a retired professor of UWA’s Department of Physics. He states that particles of sound vibration called phonons and photons of laser light merge with the help of technology. As a result, they create a new amplification type that consists of merged particles that cycle back and forth billions of times.
Einstein already proved that light comes in little energy packets. According to professor Blair, these energy packets are now called photons. Gravitational-wave detectors are one of the most sophisticated applications of these photons. So, it enables physicists to notice the time and space’s ripples originated by cosmic collisions.
After two years of discovering light’s energy packets, Einsteins stated that sound and heat waves also come in energy packets. Professor Blair named these sound and heat energy packets as Phonons. However, it is tricky to harness the phonons individually in quantum form. It is because random phonons known as thermal backgrounds usually flood them.
In 2020, professor Blair got the prestigious Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. He received it for his significant contribution to the first discovery of gravitational waves.
Dr. Michael Page, the lead author, stated that the strategy combined photons with phonons. As a result, gravitational wave frequencies can amplify. He also said that the latest breakthrough would allow physicists to see the extreme and concentrated matter in the universe. It collapses into the black hole when two neutron stars collide with each other.
On the other hand, professor David Blair stated that waveforms sounded similar to a brief scream. They pitched to the top for detectors to hear. The technology will surely make these waveforms audible. It will also tell if neutrons in neutron stars split up into the constituents known as quarks once they are in an extreme state.
Do you know the fascinating thing regarding nuclear matter spinning into a black hole? It is exciting that the method is like a reverse of the Big Bang theory created in the universe. So, when you observe it happening there, you will feel like you are watching a Big Bang movie.
Professor Blair stated that the latest technology may not represent a quick solution to improve gravitational-wave detectors. But it provides a low-cost improvement route.
To Sum Up
Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light. Therefore, detecting the gravitational waves allows you to see the universe in a way you have never seen before. LIGO can help detect the cosmic gravitational waves and make gravitational-wave observations.
