Could This Bold New Technique Boost Gravitational-Wave Detection?

Slashdot reader astroengine writes: One of the most expensive, complex and problematic components in gravitational wave detectors like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) — which made the first, historic detection of these ripples in space-time in September 2015 — is the 4-kilometer-long vacuum chambers that house all the interferometer optics. But what if this requirement for ground-based gravitational wave detectors isn't required? This suggestion has been made by a pair of physicists at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) who are developing a method that could allow extremely sensitive interferometers to operate in the "open air."

Their work, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, uses the weird quantum properties of light to counteract interference from turbulence in the air to allow interferometer measurements to be made. Their method, which is a variation on the classic Young's double-slit experiment, has been demonstrated in a tabletop experiment — but gravitational wave scientists are skeptical that it could be scaled up to remove sophisticated vacuums from their detectors.

Re:Yes it will

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Hopefully this will also prove that the Electric Universe is real.

No, the Electric Universe is virtual. The real universe is not electric but rather wind-up. The spiral galaxies are the springs which store the wound-up energy. The universe works like a gigantic cuckoo clock. With cables and weights winding up the spiral galaxies.

Instead of pine cones for weights, the universe's cables are connected to the turtles.

There have been papers published recently that prove that it is real, but everyone in Physics ignores them.

But unfortunately, the authors were short on cash, and needed to use the papers to roll their smoking materials.

However, the papers read like the authors were smoking before they wrote them. Which raises some interesting questions about the direction of the Arrow of Time.

I don't think the Arrow of Time points forward or backwards.

It points somewhere to the side.

Re:

[110010001000]

Interesting. In the Age of the Internet all things are equally true. Clearly I need to subscribe to your newsletter.

Re:

[serviscope_minor]

Interesting. In the Age of the Internet all things are equally true.

Yep. This means that finally, in the Age of the Internet, you can finally be right about something!

Re:

[Mister Liberty]

I don't think the Arrow of Time points forward or backwards.

It points somewhere to the side.

Actually "time flies like an arrow". According to Groucho Marx.
"and", he added, "fruit flies like a banana".

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Hopefully this will also prove that the Electric Universe is real. There have been papers published recently that prove that it is real, but everyone in Physics ignores them.

No. it's become clear that the universe is imaginary. How else do we explain religions by a sci-fi writer who wrote "the best way to get rich is to start a religion", and politics from someone who wrote the art of the deal is to "tell people what they want to hear."

Re:

[Maritz]

Hyperloop gets you mad huh? lol.

Re:

[Maritz]

Hopefully this will also prove that the Electric Universe is real. There have been papers published recently that prove that it is real, but everyone in Physics ignores them.

I've actually come across some explosive evidence that shows why it is being ignored by physicists.

It's a big pile of worthless fucking shit.

Apparently.

Clickbait

[mwvdlee]

Dear slashdot editor,

Fuck you and your fucking clickbait-style headline.
I have read neither the fucking summary nor the fucking article because fuck you.

kind regards,
Go fuck yourself.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[jfdavis668]

What is so "click bait" about this topic? It appears to be a very interesting concept.

Re:Clickbait

[chihowa]

It's not the topic, which is interesting, but the headline that is bullshit clickbait. "Could this one weird trick boost gravitational-wave detection?"

More and more headlines are reading like that and I find myself coming here less and less. (Interestingly, since I rarely come here, I get mod points every time and use them instead of posting. Posting less, I get fewer responses and less of a pull to engage in discussion, which makes me come even less. Negative feedback loop...)

Re:

[serviscope_minor]

Please, don't hold back: tell us how you REALLY feel.

Seriously though wow the bar for people whining has got low. We have an article which is really only of interest to nerds. And you're complaining. Perhaps the new tag line should be Slashdot: fuck the articles, we're going to whinge.

Re:

[mwvdlee]

I guess the only thing more whiny than whining is whining about other people whining.
You win!

Re:

[EETech1]

Or whining about the whiney whiner who is whining about the other people whining.

Re:

[Memnos]

Cue the appy apps guy.

This one WEIRD trick that Slashdot readers HATE

[Anonymous Coward]

Clickbait buzzword headlines. Jesus christ Slashdot advertisers, I mean "editors."

Re:

[EETech1]

So, you would have to send identical twins down different hyperloops, and see if they age differently due to the gravitational waves?

Not new technique

[Framboise]

This is not a new method, the Handbury & Brown effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanbury_Brown_and_Twiss_effect) sensitive to the the Bose-Eisntein statistics of pairs of photons has been demonstrated in the 50's and used to measure the diameter of stars because the technics is insensitive to the atmospheric turbulence.

the Socratic-Pauling effect

[epine]

The irony here is that after reading your comment, I learned something new, gleaned from a virtuous and vigorous clickbait immune response.

Maybe half the esoteric physics I know I've learned from clickbait demolition.

Likewise, not that long ago, maybe half of all neurological knowledge could be tracked to a skull-ripping dumdum hand-me-down from the grisly aftermath of the Eastern front.

Re:

[epine]

Damn, I meant to type "Pauli" but my fingers had religious momentum.

Re:

[EETech1]

I just saw a very interesting video on how that whole detector works, and the troubles they face making the measurements.

https://youtu.be/iphcyNWFD10 [youtu.be]

Seems the only way they can be even remotely accurate enough is to eliminate every variable but one, and air was a biggie.

Re:

[jfdavis668]

Yes, but it only works in a vacuum.

What the hell is a sophisticated vacuum?

[wonkey_monkey]

it could be scaled up to remove sophisticated vacuums from their detectors.

What?

Vacuums are pretty simple by definition.

Cold fusion ...

[CaptainDork]

... anybody?

Just launch them into space

[fubarrr]

Just launch them into space, there you have a lot of space

Re:

[ImprovOmega]

Space isn't empty, contrary to popular belief. Even intergalactic space has a few atoms per cubic meter. If you need a true vacuum it's actually surprisingly hard to achieve.